Blocks, Straps & Props Guide

Yoga Block and Strap Sets: What the Bundles Get Right and Wrong

Two blocks and a strap in one box is the correct beginner prop kit. The catch is always the strap length, and it is always the same catch.

By Janet H.Updated September 25, 2026How we pick

A mat with blocks set out beside it on an indoor floor

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The short answer

Buy the set if you are under about 5 ft 6 in. Buy separately if you are taller, because the strap in the box will be 6 ft. That single variable decides it more often than anything else, and it is the thing nobody checks before ordering.

What a good set contains

The correct beginner prop kit is two matching blocks and one strap. Not one block. Not a block, a strap and a towel. Two blocks, because a large share of block poses use a pair, and matching, because two blocks of slightly different densities feel wrong the first time you put a hand on each.

In the box	Worth having?	Note
Two matching foam blocks	Yes	The core of the kit
One 6 ft strap	Yes, if you are not tall	The one thing bundles reliably get wrong
A carry bag	Rarely	Usually thin and the wrong size for a thick mat
A small towel	No	Not a grip towel; you will not use it
A resistance band	No	Unrelated to yoga, and the lightest in the range
A mat	No	Almost always the weakest item in the box

The economics of a bundle push makers toward padding it with items that cost them very little. That does not make a kit a bad purchase, but it means the honest comparison is the items you will use against the price, not the item count against the price.

The strap-length trap

Essentially every bundle ships a 6 ft strap, because it is the cheapest length and it fits the smallest box. Six feet is fine up to roughly 5 ft 6 in. Above that it is short: you run out of slack in a reclining hamstring stretch and you cannot use it for binding at all.

If you are taller than that, the sensible move is two blocks from a bundle or bought as a pair, plus an 8 ft strap bought on its own. It costs a little more than the kit and it is the difference between a prop you use and one that frustrates you. Lengths by height are in the strap roundup.

The second trap is depth. Bundles ship 4 inch blocks almost universally, and if you have small hands a 3 inch block is easier to grip — see blocks versus bricks and sizes.

The picks

The set, and the separate pieces

The bundle if you are not tall, or the blocks plus a longer strap bought on its own if you are.

Stock photo
The whole prop kit at once
Gaiam Yoga Block & Strap Combo Set
Two foam blocks and a strap in one box, which is the exact prop kit a beginner needs and nothing more. Buying the pieces separately costs more and takes longer.
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Stock photo
A first strap
Trideer Yoga Strap
A cotton strap with a metal D-ring buckle, sold in three lengths. There is very little to get wrong here, and this one does not slip.
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Stock photo
A first block
Gaiam Yoga Essentials Foam Block
The standard foam block. Light, cheap, soft enough to rest against, and it will compress under your standing weight. For most beginners that is fine.
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A four-line check before you order

Is the strap 6 ft, and are you taller than about 5 ft 6 in? If yes, buy separately.
Are there two blocks, and do they match?
Count only the items you would have bought anyway. Is it still cheaper?
If a mat is in the box, treat it as packaging rather than a mat.

The wider version of this question — kit or pieces, across the whole beginner purchase — is in kit versus piece by piece.

The bigger sets, and what they add

Beyond the two-blocks-and-a-strap kit there is a whole tier of larger bundles, usually described as a complete yoga set or a starter pack. They are worth understanding because the extra items follow a pattern.

Also in the box	Genuinely useful?	Why
A bolster	Only for restorative practice	Bulky, and a bundle bolster is usually soft enough to flatten within months
A blanket	Yes, quietly	The most underrated prop there is. Two folded blankets do a surprising amount
A wheel	Rarely	A mobility tool that assumes a backbend practice you may not have
An eye pillow	Personal	Costs the maker almost nothing; some people love it
A water bottle or towel	No	Not a grip towel. You own a towel

The honest read on the big sets: the blanket is the sleeper item and the bolster is the one that determines whether the bundle is good value, because it is the only expensive thing in the box. A bundle with a firm bolster can be worth it; a bundle with a soft one is two blocks and a strap with packaging.

If you are heading toward restorative practice deliberately, buy the bolster on its own — the bolster roundup explains why firmness is the whole decision there, and it is the property bundles cut first.

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

Are yoga block and strap sets worth it?

Usually, because the items are interchangeable and bundling them is cheaper. The exception is strap length — every kit ships 6 ft, which is short for taller practitioners.

What should be in a beginner yoga prop set?

Two matching blocks and one strap. Anything else in the box is padding.

Should a prop set include a mat?

Ideally not. The included mat is almost always the cheapest item the maker had, and the mat is the one thing worth choosing deliberately.

Do the blocks in a set need to match?

Yes, and it is the quiet argument for buying a set at all. Two blocks of different densities feel wrong the first time you put a hand on each, and buying the second one three months later rarely gets you the same batch.

Is a carry bag worth having?

Not usually. The bags bundled with prop sets are thin and the wrong size for a thick mat. A plain mat sling weighs nothing, never needs drying out and costs very little.

Update log

What changed

September 25, 2026First published.

Receipts

Sources

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.