Five Ways to Incorporate a Blanket into your Yoga Practice
What's in this article
Using A Yoga Blanket In your Yoga Practice
Everyone's familiar with using a yoga mat to do yoga, but have you ever tried using a yoga blanket? You can layer one of our blankets or throws on top of your mat to add warmth and grip for your feet, you can wrap yourself up in a blanket during Savasana, or you can use it as a prop during tough poses. Here are 5 ways to incorporate a Thula Tula blanket into your yoga practice. Soon you will wonder what you ever did without a yoga blanket!
Shop our collection of Yoga Blankets
1. Use Your Blanket to Stay Warm and Cozy During Practice, Especially During Cold Winter Months
This tip is an obvious one! Yoga is a mind-body practice that is all about meditation and relaxation, so we think a warm blanket is a perfect way to relax at the end of a good yoga session. Try our Basotho Heritage Blanket if you want a heavy weight wool option that feels like a giant hug on your body. If you prefer something a little lighter, any of our throws will do, but our resident yoga guru Angela thinks the Protea Pinstripe Throw’s textured fabric works best as a yoga blanket.
2. Cushion Your Knees, Elbows & Wrists During Yoga Poses
Even if you are young and healthy, your limbs will appreciate some extra cushion during certain yoga poses. Fold a blanket and put it under your elbows during plank pose or while cycling through a vinyasa flow.
Place the folded blanket under your knees during cat/cow, low lunge, and camel pose. Sit on the blanket during twists and corpse pose. Rest your head on the blanket during child's pose, and then lay on the blanket during Savasana. You could even use the blanket as a pillow if you want to sink further into relaxation or meditation.
3. Use it As a Cushion and Prop During Seated Poses
Sometimes it's hard to keep your spine straight in a seated pose. Sitting on the edge of a folded blanket helps tilt your pelvis forward and straighten your spine. Seated Forward Fold and Cobbler's Pose is easier while sitting on a folded blanket too.
4. Roll It and Use It As A Hip Opening Prop, Allowing You To Stay Longer in a Pose
Many people suffer from tight hips and can get intimidated by Pigeon and even Child's pose. A tightly rolled blanket will help take some of the pressure off your hips, so you can stay in these great hip-opening poses longer.
Roll your blanket into a log and use it during Pigeon pose under your hips or under your buttocks during other hip opening poses. It will not only provide additional padding, but it elevates your hips and helps ease you into the stretch, allowing you to stay in a pose twice as long.
Yoga blankets can help support your body during deep stretching poses.
5. Use it to Replace Common Yoga Props
I always keep a yoga blanket in the trunk of my car, that way I’ll always have a soft and comfy place to do yoga if the urge strikes me on a beautiful day!
I’ve used a rolled yoga blanket as a block or bolster to support me in challenging yoga poses. You can even use a blanket as a yoga strap if you roll it lengthwise.
Last but not least, we recommend purchasing a high quality yoga blanket with a fairly tight weave. Wool is an excellent option because it’s durable and wool is a naturally self-cleaning fabric, which makes it particularly good for exercise. A throw made of microfiber, cotton and twill is another good option, as the fabric is dense and it’s easy to toss in the washing machine if it gets dirty.
Our blankets are sustainably and ethically made. They are handcrafted in South Africa and help support hundreds of well-paid artisans. We hope you enjoy using one of them in your next yoga practice!
