What is the Purpose of a Yoga Strap?

It’s long-known that the use of props and accessories when practicing yoga help to improve your posture, extend your stretches, and increase your movement and flexibility. One accessory that more yogis are throwing in their yoga bags is the yoga strap to help improve their alignment and posing. 

What is a yoga strap?

Yoga straps are pieces of non-elastic cotton, hemp, or nylon that can come in a variety of colors. They are generally six feet long; however, if you have longer legs or are a taller person, there are options for eight feet in length and 10 feet in length. You’ll find that they come with a D-ring or buckles to help create a loop so you can use it in a variety of ways.

What is the purpose of a yoga strap?

Yoga is meant to stretch and strengthen your body, and one way to help get a deeper stretch is to use a yoga strap. The yoga straps are used mainly to help you stretch so that you can have a higher range of motion. Even if you’re not a yogi, incorporating a yoga strap into your stretching exercises can help stretch your legs while in a seated position, or your arms to open your chest before or after strenuous exercise. 

Yoga straps help to release the tension in your shoulders when you’re “reaching” in poses, such as when you grab your toes in a seated forward fold. 

More novice yogis are using straps to help with their balance. When balancing on one foot, you can add a yoga strap around your extended foot to help keep you from inadvertently injuring yourself. Straps are also helpful when you wrap the strap around your upper arms/biceps in a loop to help when learning inversions like the forearm stand and the handstand.

Yoga belt strap exercises and poses

Some exercises that you can incorporate your yoga strap into are:

• Dancer’s pose
• Reclining bound angle pose
• Seated forward bend
• Sideway stretch
• Reclined hamstring stretch
• Wheel pose
• Extended hand-to-big-toe pose
• Opening the shoulders
• Head-to-knee pose
• Cow face pose
• Half or full boat pose

There are so many ways that you can work a yoga strap into your next yoga routine. It’s always good to read reviews for different straps and fasteners so that you’re getting one that is safe and easy to use.