Yoga & Pilates

Inhale and exhale with yoga and pilates

Yoga and pilates are fantastic ways to feeling healthier in your mind and body. These are sustainable and life-long practices for many, partly because they can be practised virtually anywhere. You can always make space in your home, head to the beach, or take two minutes at work. Having the right equipment helps you get into a good position for each pose, and also acts as a neat reminder to stretch when you see your mat sitting by the door.

Even if you aren't lucky enough to live next door to a studio, your home surroundings can provide the perfect peaceful tranquillity that you'll need during a pilates or yoga practice. So, turn off your phone, log out of social media and let your mind wander as you take your training to the next level.

The bare necessities

Soft mats allow you to focus on your stretches, rather than on the pain of your knees and elbows digging into the hard ground while you're planking. Having your own mat is a good idea so you can practice at home, and it's also more hygienic than borrowing a recently-used one in your class. Convenient yoga and pilates mat carriers and bags allow you to easily sling the carry strap over your shoulder and leave your hands free.

Resistance bands are great for making your workout harder, or for giving you a way of modifying positions that you find particularly difficult.

A foam block brick is also an excellent addition to your gym bag. These bricks are great for helping you position yourself in a way that is safe and comfortable.

Other accessories for improving your flexibility and fitness

Having the right gear can really help improve your mobility, which can be a great addition to the work you do in your strength training home gym, so you can work on getting into that great squat position. You can find other accessories that help you improve your flexibility such as yoga wheels, anti-gravity inversion hammocks, and pilates circles for working on your deep core muscles.