BYOP (Bring Your Own Props): A DIY guide

The pandemic has changed a lot of things about how most wellness spaces run as owners, teachers, facilitators, and practitioners do their best to adhere to suggested guidelines to keep the community safe. For us here at The Aura House, our extra precautions have included temporarily eliminating our shared props supply. Props can be used as a way to help support the body in different shapes and postures and to ensure that we can maintain the integrity of postures to prevent injury. While not every class uses props, they can be very helpful to have on hand— especially in yin or restorative practices. 

Now, if you’re reading this and feeling worried about having to go out and buy props for your next class… have no fear, Aura fam! You know we’re more creative than that. ;) Below, we’ve broken down some of the most common props, what they’re used for, and how you can make your own DIY props so that you can BYOP!

Mats 

Chances are, you’re at least sort of familiar with the yoga mat. Yoga mats can range in price from $20 to $200. The most common materials used in yoga mats are rubber and cork, but many brands have gotten creative with their designs. While a mat seems like a quintessential yoga prop and can be a great tool in helping to provide a more comfortable practice, they aren’t a complete necessity. If you are in between mats or don’t have one that you can use, a blanket or large towel can work just fine to provide cushioning on our wonderfully ink-splattered wood floors. However, it’s important to note that most mats are designed to help provide a grippy surface in addition to softness. Towels and blankets can slide around during practice, so you must be very careful if you choose to DIY this one. 

Blocks
If you’ve ever used a block to assist in your asana practice, you likely understand the benefits of having one nearby. Blocks are most commonly made of cork or wood but also come in the foam variety as well. Yoga blocks are used to help bring the floor closer to you to support the body in various postures and shapes. If you don’t have blocks at home, these useful props can be very easily replaced by things you likely have around the house. A couple of large phonebooks work great, as do several books taped together or tied together with a scarf to keep them from sliding all over the place. The most important part of this DIY is that you want your blocks to be as similar as possible in height/size, and you’ll want to be cautious when placing your weight on your DIY blocks to make sure you don’t slip. 

Blankets

One of the coziest props used in asana practices is the yoga blanket. Yoga blankets are… well… blankets! In practice, they’re often used as added cushioning between your body and the floor, as well as to provide support for parts of the body that maybe can’t quite reach the floor (without the rigidity of blocks). The blankets you’ll find in most studios are medium-sized and quite thick, allowing them to be rolled and folded into all sorts of different shapes and sizes. For a DIY yoga blanket, you’ll want to get your hands on some very large, thick towels or a couple of blankets that can be easily folded or rolled!

Straps

Have you ever been in a posture where you’re almost able to reach your feet, or you just can’t quite find your other hand in a bind? That’s where the yoga strap comes in. Yoga straps are long straps made of durable materials like canvas, that come with a buckle on one end that allows you to make an adjustable loop. They extend your reach so that you can find your way deeper into a posture without compromising the integrity of the pose. These are nice and easy to DIY. A scarf, tie, or belt works great. 

Bolsters

Last but certainly not least, we have the bolster. Bolsters are long pillows, often rectangular or cylindrical, that provide support for the body in postures where you would possibly have to strain to keep yourself lifted otherwise. They are most often used in yin and restorative practices. Now, this one is probably the trickiest to DIY because of size— but it can be done! To DIY a bolster, fold a standard pillow in half longways (like a hotdog bun) and wrap it in a pillow or towel to keep it secure. You can tie it with a scarf if you’d like for a little added security. 

And there you have it! A collection of DIY props that you can use to BYOP to any of the many classes we have on our schedule. We are so happy to be able to bring our practice back in-studio, and if we haven’t seen you yet, we can’t wait to!