One of the most expensive investments you will make to prepare your yoga room to be fully functional is equipment. It will enable you to offer several different courses and just be overall prepared for your students. Or if you are creating your yoga room at home, these items can all be used during your sessions. Some may not be needed though if there are specific types of yoga you are uninterested in.
The 8 Essential Items for a Yoga Room are:
- Comfortable and breathable clothing
- Yoga mats
- Yoga straps for flexibility
- Disinfectant for your equipment
- Socks if you prefer them
- Towels (especially for hot yoga)
- Decent amount of space
- Instructional videos if you’re with your own or students if you are teaching
The necessities needed for your room will vary depending upon its purpose. However, this list encompasses a good range of items that would or could be needed for any room. It is subject to change though depending upon your use case. Just something to keep in mind as you read through!
Yoga Appropriate Clothing
Whether you are doing yoga yourself or teaching a class, proper attire is needed. In this case, you should let your customers know that it is required. Proper clothing will allow people to do the exercises correctly, have a full range of motion (within their body’s limits of course), and protect them from any accidents.
By appropriate clothing, we mean items like yoga pants, tank tops, a hairstyle that will keep your hair up and out of your face, and so on. These are the preferred options. As opposed to wearing or having someone show up in jeans, work boots, a vest, or other restrictive clothing. Since yoga requires a lot of stretching and motion, more breathable options are needed.
Plus, if you are prone to sweating the breathable clothing options will enable you to enjoy your session more. They tend to absorb sweat better and cool your body down rather than making you feel sticky and gross while working out.
- Yoga Mats
While it may seem quite obvious it is worth mentioning that yoga mats are essential to any yoga room. They are the first item you are likely to grab when you walk in and the last item you’ll probably touch before leaving.
Having a corner ready and available to store your yoga mats is best, especially if you provide them for classes or just own multiple for yourself. They are sold just about anywhere from Amazon to Dick’s Sporting Goods. You can even find them in most grocery stores in their sports department.
A high-quality mat can be a bit more expensive but they do have their own benefits. Such as better grip, extra padding, and nicer designs if those are what you need. Or you can go for a cheaper fifteen or so dollar option. It’s up to you, your needs, and who will be using them.
If you are doing more advanced positions, you may also want to consider purchasing meditation cushions for warm-up or cool-down exercises, yoga blankets for support during difficult poses, or foam rollers to stretch out. These are all additional items and not required for day-to-day yoga, however, they are items to look into if you want to take more advanced classes or offer them yourself.
- Yoga Straps
A tool not many may know about but helpful for beginners. Some use yoga belts while others prefer yoga straps, however, they both serve a similar purpose.
They are used to ensure that you can fully engage your body when stretching, similar to how a resistance band works when you do donkey kicks. You will place your foot in the straps loop and pull the handle towards yourself while extending your foot outwards. This allows your foot to receive a full extension and push your body’s boundaries.
You ensure that you feel comfortable with the pressure being used and if it feels painful, stop pulling. It’s meant to push your boundaries not cause your pain.
- Disinfectant Wipes or Spray
A necessity whether you plan to teach classes or not. Anytime there is sweat involved you will want to properly clean your space. This can mean wiping down your mat with a cloth after your session and spraying it afterward. Spraying any tools or bands used to keep them as clean as possible.
This is more about remaining clean and sanitary than anything else. It’s just a general rule that most gyms and studios will adhere to when people are using the equipment. Rules that should also be used in your studio especially if others can or will be using it as well.
- Special Socks
This one depends on your preferences since not everyone enjoys wearing socks while doing yoga. Some people swear by them though, especially the special grippy socks that are made for yoga. They tend to have an opening for your toes to stick out and have grips along the bottom.
These additions allow you to get a better grip on the mat and they prevent slipping. This can be a nice addition for anyone who tends to sweat a bit as your mat can get slippery. Or those who just appreciate the extra support. Especially if you tend to gravitate towards more advanced classes with more movement and motions.
If you are teaching classes, these can be fun items to customize and offer to new customers or to sell as merchandise. Not only will people like either of these options but then you have a promotion opportunity. Say they try out another yoga class and just grab a pair of yoga socks that happen to have your studio’s name on them, you get some free publicity.
- Towels
Microfiber towels are a must-have item for any yoga room or studio. They are known to be the most absorbent, which is perfect when dealing with sweat.
You can wipe your hands on them throughout the class, wipe down your mat if needed between exercises, or use a fresh one to help disinfect your mat after class. The thicker they are the more they tend to absorb.
- Space, Space, Space
You need to have a decent amount of space available to properly perform just about any yoga pose. While some of the more basic poses only require a yoga mat of space, a good rule of thumb is to ensure that you can fully spread your arms and legs out without hitting anything.
This allows you to properly do windmills or warrior poses without worrying about not having enough room. This rule is especially important if you are teaching a class or having others in the room with you while you go through your class.
Accidental hits, bumps, or elbows knocking is not something that anyone wants to happen. So ensuring the space is large enough for its intent is important.
- Proper Instructions
The instructions needed again vary on the purpose of the room. If you are a beginner doing a class, you may need an area to set up your phone or tablet to watch and follow an instructional video.
However, if you are teaching a class you may need a space at the front of the room to walk people through the exercises. Both will require you to have a game plan of what’s going on, what is being taught, and how the session will go.
If it’s just you following someone else’s instructions you need less space and just need to see the screen so ensuring you know what’s happening will allow you to properly plan.
Those are the eight essential items needed for any yoga room. Most of the items are tangible needs such as mats, socks, proper attire, instructional videos, straps, and towels. However, you also have to consider the intangible things such as space when thinking of how many people will be using the space.
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Frequently Asked Questions
You will need about 21.5 square feet per participant. After accounting for the room that their yoga mat will take up, this leaves around two feet of space or so for each person beyond their mat. Enough to spread out without people feeling disconnected from one another.
While being a registered instructor is not required to teach yoga classes, the certifications will go a long way with clients. Especially if you plan to charge higher rates, then clients will want to know that they are paying for a quality service.
Yes, absolutely. The class scenarios are mentioned for those who may want to teach in their studio at some point. However, many people prefer to just do yoga as a hobby and have a personal studio for those activities. Having a studio in no way means that you have to or should teach any classes.
To learn more about starting your own Yoga Business check out my startup documents here.
Please note: This blog post is for educational purposes only and does not constitute legal advice. Please consult a legal expert to address your specific needs.
Meet Shawn Chun: Entrepreneur and Yoga Fan
I’m a happy individual who happens to be an entrepreneur. I have owned several types of businesses in my life from a coffee shop to an import and export business to an online review business plus a few more and now I create online yoga business resources for those interested in starting new ventures. It’s demanding work but I love it. I do it for those passionate about their business and their goals. That’s why when I meet a yoga business owner in public at a studio or anywhere else I see myself. I know how hard the struggle is to retain clients, find good employees and keep the business growing all while trying to stay competitive.
That’s why I created Yoga Business Boss: I want to help future yoga business owners like you build a thriving business that brings you endless joy and supports your ideal lifestyle.