Mats, Blocks and Straps: Where Yoga Equipment Came From

Before their first yoga class, people usually ask what they need to buy. The answer is almost always a mat, and sometimes blocks and a strap as well. Here is what yoga was practised on in the past, how the modern mat appeared and why other items are used in class. How beginners get started is covered in Yoga for Beginners: Tips and Recommendations.

What Yoga Was Practised On

In ancient India, meditative yoga was done on kusha grass, on bare earth or on the hide of a deer or tiger; the Bhagavad Gita and the Shvetashvatara Upanishad describe such a seat for practice. When yoga reached the West, many people practised on towels or cotton mats laid over wooden floors. Feet slid about on them, so it took effort just to stay steady in the triangle pose, Trikonasana.

How the Sticky Mat Appeared

In 1982, while teaching in Germany, the yoga teacher Angela Farmer cut carpet underlay to the size of a towel and began using it in class. She took the material home to London, and her father, Richard Farmer, got in touch with the German maker and became the first seller of sticky mats. The first mat made specifically for yoga came from the company Hugger Mugger in the 1990s. At first it imported mats like the ones Farmer had devised, but these crumbled over time, so the company designed a sturdier one of its own.

Types of Mat

A typical mat is about 180 centimetres long and 61 wide. Mats for travel are lighter and slimmer, at about 2 millimetres, standard mats are about 3, and soft ones are up to 6 millimetres thick. The first mass-produced sticky mats were PVC; today they also come in natural rubber, jute, cotton, hessian and cork. PVC mats have the most bounce, while cotton and jute give the least. Energetic styles call for a mat with good grip, whereas yin yoga, with its long-held poses, is easier on a thicker, softer mat.

Blocks, Straps and Blankets

Props became widely used in class largely thanks to B. K. S. Iyengar. His style of yoga uses straps, blocks, blankets, cushions, benches and sandbags. They help a beginner perform an asana correctly and get the feel of a pose that might otherwise take years to master. For older, tired or injured students, props open up a wider range of asanas and lower the risk of injury. How yoga styles differ from one another is covered in How to Choose a Yoga Style for Yourself.

How to Get Started

In our yoga course, students learn the basic asanas, breathing exercises and meditation, build strength and flexibility, and practise focusing on movement and breath. Lessons are open to students from age 8. A trial lesson costs $8: it is individual and lasts 45 minutes. More about the course is on the Yoga page.