Start Here Best picks
The Beginner Yoga Kit: Five Things, In Order
Everything a beginner is actually asked for, ranked by how soon you will need it. The first item covers your first three weeks on its own.
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Quick picks
The short answer
1 · Buy this first
Gaiam Premium 6mm Yoga MatThe whole kit for week one. Cushioned, cheap enough that quitting costs nothing, and widely stocked.
Maker lists thickness: 6 mm
2 · Buy this second
Gaiam Yoga Block & Strap Combo SetTwo matching blocks and a strap in one box, which is the entire prop list a beginner class asks for.
Maker lists included: Two foam blocks and one strap
3 · If you are tall
Trideer Yoga StrapBuy the 8 ft version separately instead of the 6 ft strap in the set. Length is the one thing bundles get wrong.
Maker lists material: Cotton webbing
4 · Buy this by month two
ASUTRA Natural Yoga Mat CleanerCloth included. A mat that gets wiped after sweaty sessions stays grippy far longer than one that does not.
Maker lists format: Spray bottle
5 · Only if you leave the house
Gaiam Easy-Cinch Yoga Mat SlingA strap rather than a bag. Weighs nothing, never needs drying, and costs almost nothing.
Maker lists format: Adjustable cinch sling
#ad · Prices are set by Amazon and change often, so we do not print them. Figures here are the manufacturer's own. The ranking is editorial, made against the criteria on our How We Pick page, not from lab work. Photos are stock. Tap a pick for the full write-up.
The order to buy in
Week one: a mat. Around week four: two blocks and a strap. Month two: a cleaner. Everything else is optional and most of it is unnecessary. The order matters more than the brands, because buying everything at once is how a practice turns into a cupboard full of equipment and a faint sense of guilt.
The reason to wait on the props is not thrift. It is that after eight or nine sessions you will know two things you cannot know now — whether your hands slide, and whether your knees complain — and those two answers change which props you want and which mat you should have bought.
What to skip for now
- A yoga wheel. A mobility tool sold in yoga shops. Lovely, and irrelevant to anything you will do in your first six months. See wheels when you get there.
- A bolster. Genuinely useful if you do restorative or yin practice, and dead weight if you do not. Two folded blankets get you most of the way while you find out.
- A second mat. People buy a travel mat early and then never travel with it. Buy one when you have a trip booked — travel mats are here.
- A grip towel, unless you already know you sweat heavily or you are heading to hot classes. Then buy it immediately, because it is the difference between practicing and sliding.
Getting the sizes right
Two measurements matter and both are easy to get wrong from a product photo.
Mat length. The standard is 68 in, which is shorter than a lot of adults. If your heels hang off the end in a lunge you will notice it every session. Our size guide matches heights to lengths, and several of the beginner picks come in a longer version for a small premium.
Strap length. The bundled default is 6 ft. Above roughly 5 ft 9 in, an 8 ft strap is noticeably more comfortable, and it is the single most common reason to break up a kit and buy the strap on its own.
Block depth is the third, and it matters less: 4 in is standard, 3 in suits smaller hands. Either works.
Doing it for less
If money is the constraint, the honest minimum is a thick budget foam mat and two blocks. A strap can be a dressing-gown cord for a few months without much loss, a cleaner can be a drop of mild soap in a spray bottle of water, and a carry sling can be a belt.
What is not worth economizing on is the mat, and specifically its grip. A mat you slide on makes every pose feel harder than it is and quietly teaches you that you are bad at this. If the choice is between a cheap mat plus props and a better mat alone, buy the better mat alone. The props can wait a month; the first month does not need them.
If you are choosing between a bundle and separate items, we work through the maths in kit versus piece by piece. And if you are not yet sure yoga is the right discipline at all, read the yoga and pilates comparison first — the mat is the same either way, but the second purchase is not.
In detail
Every pick, in full
1
Stock photoBuy this first
Gaiam Premium 6mm Yoga Mat
As the manufacturer lists it · Gaiam
What it gets right
- Cushioned enough that floor work is comfortable on day one
- Light and easy to roll
- Cheap enough to be a low-risk first purchase
What it does not
- Grip fades as you sweat
- 68 in is short if you are tall
- Will not last the years a Manduka or Jade will
Skip it if
you already know you sweat heavily, or you are over about 5 ft 10 in.
#ad · Price set by Amazon · Affiliate disclosure for the link to Gaiam Premium 6mm Yoga Mat
2
Stock photoBuy this second
Gaiam Yoga Block & Strap Combo Set
As the manufacturer lists it · Gaiam
What it gets right
- One purchase covers every prop a beginner course asks for
- Cheaper than the same pieces bought separately
- Blocks match, which matters when you use two
What it does not
- Foam blocks, so they compress under standing weight
- 6 ft strap is short if you are tall
- Nothing here will be your last set
Skip it if
you already own a strap, or you know you want cork blocks.
#ad · Price set by Amazon · Affiliate disclosure for the link to Gaiam Yoga Block & Strap Combo Set
3
Stock photoIf you are tall
Trideer Yoga Strap
As the manufacturer lists it
What it gets right
- D-ring holds without creeping mid-stretch
- Cotton is kinder on bare skin than nylon
- Cheap enough to buy alongside blocks
What it does not
- No loops, so you set the length by hand each time
- Cotton frays at the cut end eventually
- 6 ft is short if you are tall
Skip it if
you want fixed loops to put a foot through — get a multi-loop strap.
#ad · Price set by Amazon · Affiliate disclosure for the link to Trideer Yoga Strap
4
Stock photoBuy this by month two
ASUTRA Natural Yoga Mat Cleaner
As the manufacturer lists it
What it gets right
- Cloth included, so nothing else to buy
- Does not leave a slippery residue
- Scents are mild enough for a small room
What it does not
- Costs more than diluted dish soap, which also works
- Scented versions are not for everyone
- Not a substitute for a proper deep clean
Skip it if
you are happy mixing water and a drop of mild soap in a bottle yourself.
#ad · Price set by Amazon · Affiliate disclosure for the link to ASUTRA Natural Yoga Mat Cleaner
5
Stock photoOnly if you leave the house
Gaiam Easy-Cinch Yoga Mat Sling
As the manufacturer lists it · Gaiam
What it gets right
- Nothing to zip, dry or clean
- Adjusts to thick and thin mats
- Doubles as a stretching strap in a pinch
What it does not
- No protection from weather or dirt
- No pocket for keys or a phone
- Slips on very thick foam mats
Skip it if
you commute in bad weather or want somewhere to put your keys.
#ad · Price set by Amazon · Affiliate disclosure for the link to Gaiam Easy-Cinch Yoga Mat Sling
The kit, on one line each
| Item | When | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Mat | Immediately | The only thing you cannot practice without |
| Two blocks | Week three or four | Brings the floor up so you can hold a pose properly |
| Strap | With the blocks | Makes your arms longer; buy 8 ft if you are tall |
| Mat cleaner | Month two | Sweat residue is what kills grip on a new mat |
| Carry sling | Only if you travel to a class | A strap, not a bag. Nothing to dry out |
Nothing beyond this list is a beginner purchase. The next useful thing depends entirely on which problem shows up first, and the props section is organized around exactly that.
How we picked
Chosen on published criteria, and we say so
Most gear sites open by telling you how many hours they spent with the products. We have not used most of these, and we would rather say so than imply otherwise. Every pick here is chosen against criteria we publish — grip, cushioning, size options, what buyers report after a year of use, and whether the thing is still actually sold — and every manufacturer figure on the page is labeled as the maker's claim.
Nobody pays for a place on this page, no product was supplied free in exchange for coverage, and a specification the maker does not publish is never guessed at. See the full criteria and weighting.
FAQ
Questions people ask
What do I need to start yoga at home?
How much should a beginner spend on a yoga mat?
Do beginners need yoga blocks?
Can I use a towel instead of a yoga mat?
Related
Keep reading
Update log
What changed
- First published.
Receipts
Sources
- 1.OutdoorGearLab — The Best Yoga Mats
- 2.Yoga Journal — The Best Yoga Blocks
- 3.NBC Select — The best yoga props and apparel
- 4.Gaiam — product information
- 5.NCCIH (US National Institutes of Health) — Yoga: What You Need To Know
We have not used every product on this page, and we do not pretend otherwise. Thicknesses, materials, sizes and warranty terms are the manufacturer's published figures, shown as their claims. Anything about materials, skin or injury is linked to a source. Prices are set by Amazon and change constantly, so we never print one. Read the full method.