The best function of props such as yoga blocks and yoga straps lies in helping people fit a pose to their body. They help intermediate and advanced practitioners deepen their stretches, maintain proper alignment and challenge themselves.
A good yoga practice needs nothing more than your body, your breath, and a nice space with enough room for your movements; however, yoga props are very helpful in creating sthira (steadiness) and sukha (comfort). They are perfect for accommodating practitioners with anatomical differences, tight muscles, joints, or limited flexibility.
What is a yoga strap? Yoga blocks and straps are props that help people fit into various yoga poses. The props help both advanced and intermediate yoga practitioners to challenge themselves, deepen their stretches, and maintain balance during practice.
When you need to get the best yoga strap, the things you should look out for are the general characteristics of a good yoga strap. The best yoga straps are lightweight, durable, and inexpensive.
Benefits Of Yoga Strap
Where blocks help bring the floor closer to you, a yoga strap aids in stretching tight hamstrings and shoulders and also allows you to “reach” your feet when in seated and reclining poses. Here is a couple of things you can reach by using a yoga strap:
- Yoga Straps Help Correct Alignment: If, like many other practitioners, you’ve found yourself overreaching in poses, not holding your back in the correct position, or slumping at times, a yoga strap will help keep you in alignment and do the pose correctly. Maintaining your correct form reduces the risk of injury or muscle fatigue and your body being in the correct position allows your breath to flow easier making you feel less drowsy.
- Yoga Straps To Track Progress: Yoga straps are a great tool for monitoring your balance, flexibility, and lengthening development. Day by day, you will see that your reach in Hasta Padangusthasana (Extended Big Toe Pose) is closer and higher and that less strap length is needed to hold the pose. In addition, all the other poses will become easier to do, but don’t think that the strap is no longer useful. There is always a way to increase the challenge and push your body further. You can also track your progress with loops. Most yoga straps that you can today use several loops. These loops can be used to track improvements. As you progress you simply move to the next loop for a deeper and more challenging stretch.
Yoga Strap Poses & Stretches
Though generally used in Iyengar or Restorative Yoga, this little tool can be incorporated into other and more vigorous yoga styles such as Vinyasa Flow. When thinking of how to use a yoga strap, the best example during practice are the following poses:
- Hasta Padangusthasana (Extended Hand-To-Big-Toe Pose): This pose is quite a challenge for both flexible people and those with tight hamstrings. To root the standing foot to the ground, expand the body while reaching the sky with one hand, and extend the leg outward requires a lot of balance and support. Using a yoga strap will provide additional support for your extended leg when the flexibility is not there yet and help you maintain your body’s structural integrity.
- Supta Padangusthasana (Reclined Big Toe Pose A) is a good example of how a yoga strap can help support correct alignment for people with tight hamstrings. It will help you to raise the leg at an angle that is agreeable to you and will prevent your spine from curving.
Top 10 Yoga Straps in the Market
The best yoga straps are durable, lightweight, and inexpensive. We have selected the top ten best brands of yoga straps that you can easily purchase online. Among them are:
OPTP, Original Stretch Out Strap
This yoga strap has a rating of 4.7 stars on Amazon from over 8000 different buyers. It is woven from quality nylon, comes with up to 10 individual loops for improved versatility, and offers a superior non-slip grip.
This yoga stretch strap has a smooth surface that protects your skin and hands from abrasion. It limits excessive sweating.
Has good stretchiness
Easy to handle and gentle on the hand
Offers reasonable control and last long
oven nylon can be uncomfortable
Liryo, Yoga Stretching Straps
Liryo yoga strap has a 4.7 stars rating on Amazon. It’s made from a non-slip material. Therefore, it offers a firm grip, limiting the possibility of losing balance or falling.
Its material consists of natural cotton known for sturdiness, hygiene, good comfort, and easy maintenance.
Well-made and versatile
Comes in great design
Easy to use
Easy to maintain
Excessive length
July Song Door Stretch Strap
The July song has a rating of 4.5 stars on Amazon. Its target markets are both newbies and advanced yoga practitioners. It’s made from high-grade fabric. Therefore, it offers a firm grip and limits slipping and friction.
July song straps have good absorbance properties and, therefore, do not encourage unnecessary sweating. It is unlikely to cause allergic relatives, unlike nylon-made straps.
It is latex-free
Has study construction
Smooth and comfortable
Easy to handle and use
Requires great pull power
Yoga EVO Strap with Loops
Having a 4.5-star rating on Amazon, this specific stretching strap is one of the best in the market from the EVO brand. It is made from quality cotton material, making it a good choice for a non-slip, firm, and smooth grip experience.
By design, the strap comes with ten loops for different stretching activities, making it a good choice, not only for yoga but also for gymnastics and dancing.
Prevent abrasion and chafing of the skin
Good and nice-looking design
Portable
Easy to adjust
Comes with ebook and video tutorial
It’s quite expensive
Clever Yoga Exercise Straps
It is one of the best yoga and exercise straps in the market, and has a 4.8 out of 5-star rating on Amazon from over 2000 customers. It’s a strap explicitly designed for “clever yoga.”
It lets you stretch smartly without exerting unnecessary effort or risking the chance of getting an injury. It is made of high-quality cotton material and comes in two different sizes of 8 feet and 10 feet.
High-quality construction
Good size and length
Offers versatility
Offers good grip
Has nice thickness
Buckle easily slips off under intense pressure
Yoga Design Lab, Luxury Yoga Strap
If you desire a strong but soft yoga strap, then this Tribeca strap is the perfect fit. It’s long enough at the length of 8 feet to fit most users.
Made from a durable and sturdy material, this studio-quality strap is fit for professionals and beginners, allowing you to apply different poses and techniques using minimal effort safely.
It has an eco-printed design that gives it a stylish look. It’s no-fade nature ensures that it retains its good looks.
Good length
Nice and quality material
Versatile design
Softness and nice strength
Quite expensive
Wacces, D-Ring Buckle Cotton Yoga Straps Bands
This strap red-pink-black has a 4.7 stars rating strap and is suitable for yoga practitioners. Like other top straps, Wacces yoga strap is also made of high-quality cotton material that assures you of durability, firm grip, and reduced chance of getting an injury from slippage.
The strap is sturdy and has a sufficient length that fits but tall and short yoga practitioners. It has a non-slip metal D-Ring that makes it easy to adjust.
Well-made and versatile
Easy to use and comfortable It’s affordable
Made of high-quality material
It’s a little thin
Tumaz Yoga Strap and Stretch Bands
This strap is one of the best, and probably the best in the market. It has a 4.9 out of 5-star rating on Amazon from over 3000 customers. The reason is because it’s made from superior material compared to other similar products in the market.
It is thicker than other straps and, therefore, ensures durability and comfort. While maintaining Softness and comfort, it is more durable than the other straps made of nylon, which can be difficult and too smooth on hold.
Superior and quality material
Lovely color and design
Easy to use and handle
Offers durability and comfort
Doesn’t stretch as the name implies
Hugger Mugger D-ring strap
It is made from lightweight and durable cotton material, and currently holds a rating of 4.7 stars on Amazon. It is available in 4 different colors. It is lightweight, yet durable.
The Hugger Mugger D-ring strap is made from 100% biodegradable and unbleached cotton webbing. It is free from toxins and comes with the option to choose between plastic and metal D-Ring.
Durable cotton material that can hold up to 500lb
Lightweight metal or plastic buckles
Offered in several colors
Long enough to fit most users
May bind and can be hard to undo
SANKUU Yoga Strap
From over 2500 users, SANKUU Yoga Strap has earned a 4.7 out of 5-star rating on Amazon. The reason is that the strap is super friendly, especially with a beginner. It measures about 8 inches long and has 12 loops for easy handling.
The strap is made of long-lasting and durable duty nylon that ensures you have a firm grip, firm enough to hold your poses for a long time but also soft enough to reduce the risk of injury.
Portable and easy to use
Offers effective and safe body stretch
12 loops to gradually deepen your stretch
Super flexible
Made from nylon material
Yoga Strap Buying Guide
When you want to get a yoga strap for posture practice, here are the criteria that qualify a strap as one of the best;
- Materials
Choose a material that is well-known for strength and reliability. Two such materials are nylon and cotton. Therefore, place straps are made of cotton and nylon as the top priority. - Quality
Some of the qualities of a good trap are that it must be durable, strong, and feels solid. Also, a good strap is of top-notch quality that can withstand regular usage. - Stretchiness
It’s best to go for a yoga strap made from materials that are not stiff but stretches moderately because yoga involves a lot of stretching. - Grip
For maximum effect and comfort, choose a strap that offers a nice grip. Materials that are soft, smooth to touch, won’t cause you to sweat at hand are the best in this respect. - Closure type
Yoga straps come in different closure types, including a cinch buckle and D-ring style. A good closure type offers a nice hold and is unlikely to slip.
What size yoga strap do you need?
The size of the yoga strap you need depends on your body’s flexibility and the type of yoga poses you plan to practice. Typically, yoga straps come in various lengths, such as 6 feet, 8 feet, and 10 feet. Here’s a general guideline to help you choose the right size:
- 6 Feet: If you’re of average height and primarily intend to use the strap for simple stretches and gentle poses, a 6-foot strap might suffice.
- 8 Feet: For most individuals, an 8-foot strap is a versatile choice. It provides enough length to comfortably hold different poses, including deeper stretches, binds, and more advanced variations.
- 10 Feet: If you’re taller or want the flexibility to explore more complex poses that require extra length, a 10-foot strap could be beneficial. It offers ample room to experiment with different configurations.
Keep in mind that you can always loop a longer strap to make it shorter if needed. However, a strap that is too short might limit your practice, so it’s better to choose a slightly longer one if you’re unsure. Also, consider your comfort and ease of use when selecting a size.
Ultimately, Yanva Community recommended to try out different strap lengths if possible and determine which one works best for your specific yoga practice and body type.
Frequently Asked Questions
Quality yoga with a strap helps bridge the gap between where you want to be in terms of flexibility and where you are currently. When you use a yoga strap, you maintain the proper spinal alignment and the form you need, therefore, reduces your risk of injury and overstretching during practice. You can also use a yoga strap to carry a mat.
The length of the yoga strap you should get depends on how tall you are. They usually come in three sizes; 6, 8, and 10 feet. The 6 feet straps are suitable for short people; the 10 feet straps are good for taller people while the 8-foot yoga strap is perfect for all types of heights.
Some yoga strap stretches why some are not. If the yoga strap is stretchy, it’s an added advantage because it reduces your risk of injury during practice. However, it must also not be too stretchy; otherwise, it’ll have defeated the purpose of using a yoga strap in the first place.
The steps to making a yoga strap will require a complete DIY yoga mat strap guide. However, it’s quite easy to make your own durable and good-looking yoga strap. You can refer to some do-it-yourself videos on how to go about it. you might also want to learn how to use a yoga strap using the same method.
