The Best Yoga Accessories in 2027: Mats, Blocks, Straps, Bolsters and More

You can practice yoga with nothing but a floor. But a good mat keeps your hands where you put them, a block brings the floor up to meet you, a strap lets you hold a stretch you cannot reach, and a bolster turns a restorative pose from tolerable into something you look forward to. This guide covers the twelve yoga accessories worth owning for a home practice, what each one is for, how to pick between materials, and how to keep them clean so they last.

We have not tested these products in a lab. Our picks come from reviewers who tested them (OutdoorGearLab, Treeline Review, Tom’s Guide, T3, Garage Gym Reviews, Reviewed), from manufacturers’ own specifications, and from what our instructors see in clients’ homes. Product status and prices are as of October 2026. Links to Amazon are affiliate links, and Type A Training earns a commission if you buy through them, at no extra cost to you.

The short version

• Best mat: Manduka PRO 6mm. Dense, flat, lasts about a decade, and covered by a lifetime guarantee.
• Best for sweat and hot yoga: Manduka GRP Adapt 2.0. Lululemon’s The Mat 5mm is the other reviewer favorite, sold through Lululemon rather than Amazon.
• Best natural rubber: Jade Harmony. Best budget mat: Gaiam Premium 6mm. Best for travel: Manduka eKO Superlite.
• Props: a cork block, an 8-foot cotton strap, a Hugger Mugger bolster, a Mexican-style blanket, a Yogitoes towel, a buckwheat zafu and a pair of grip socks.
• Skip: the yoga wheel (the best-known maker had every model sold out when we checked, and no reviewer we trust has tested one), and any mat that will not tell you what it is made of.

Do props help? What the research says

We found no trial that isolates a block or a strap, so we will not pretend one exists. What the research does show is that yoga programs, which routinely use props and modifications, improve balance and lower-body flexibility in adults over 60 with moderate effect sizes: a 2016 meta-analysis in Age and Ageing (Youkhana and colleagues, six trials, 307 people) found improved balance and mobility, and a 2019 meta-analysis in the International Journal of Behavioral Nutrition and Physical Activity (Sivaramakrishnan and colleagues, 22 randomized trials) found better balance, lower-body flexibility and lower-limb strength against inactive controls. A chair-based yoga pilot in adults with a median age of 88 (Galantino and colleagues, 2012) recorded no adverse events. And a 2013 systematic review of published yoga injuries in PLOS ONE (Cramer and colleagues) found they clustered in headstand, shoulder stand, lotus and forceful breathing, which is exactly the territory props and modifications exist to keep you out of. In short: the props are there so the practice stays safe and reachable, which is what makes it work.

Mat materials in one minute

• PVC is the most durable mat material; OutdoorGearLab calls it “notoriously immune to tears.” The concern is plasticizers. An Ecology Center lab test in 2019 found the PVC mats it tested used DOTP, a plasticizer it described as considered safer than older phthalates, with data gaps. If you want PVC, buy one with an OEKO-TEX STANDARD 100 certificate, which means the finished product passed tests against a list of more than 1,000 harmful substances; the Manduka PRO carries one.
• Natural rubber grips well dry, smells of rubber for a week or two, breaks down faster than PVC and hates sunlight. Jade and Manduka’s eKO mats are 99 percent latex free by the brands’ own description, and both brands tell people with latex allergies to avoid them. Lululemon’s The Mat contains latex. The PRO, TPE mats and cork mats built on a TPE base are the latex-free options; the GRP Adapt, like eKO and Jade, is built on natural rubber and 99 percent latex-free.
• Polyurethane tops (Liforme, Manduka GRP) give the best wet grip but absorb skin oils and lotion, so they stain, and the open-cell GRP must never be hit with disinfectant wipes.
• TPE is a plastic foam sold as “eco” and often is not; the Ecology Center found one “TPE” mat was actually EVA. Fine for a light mat, not for a decade of use.
• Cork is naturally antimicrobial and the most stable block material wet or dry.

The best yoga mats

Manduka PRO 6mm: best overall

The PRO is the mat people buy when they do not want to buy another one: 6 mm of dense PVC that lies dead flat, made in Germany, OEKO-TEX certified, latex-free, and the top-scoring mat at OutdoorGearLab (91 of 100, a perfect 10 for comfort and materials). It is heavy (7.5 pounds in the 71-inch size) and new ones are slick until they break in. Manduka officially retired its old salt-scrub advice in 2026: the slickness is not a residue, it goes away with practice, and the company now says to just use the mat and wipe it after each session. Manduka’s lifetime guarantee covers surface wear from regular use for about ten years, one replacement per purchase, bought from an authorized US seller. $144 from Manduka.

Manduka GRP Adapt 2.0: best for hot yoga and sweaty hands

OutdoorGearLab’s top pick for hot-yoga grip: an open-cell polyurethane surface over rubber that wicks sweat into the mat so you can skip the towel, which OutdoorGearLab calls “stellar wet and dry traction.” The trade-offs are less cushion than the PRO, watermarks from sweat, and a care rule that matters: never disinfectant wipes, just Manduka’s foam wash on a damp cloth and hang it to dry. $128. The other reviewer favorite is Lululemon’s The Mat 5mm (Treeline Review’s and Tom’s Guide’s best overall), a reversible rubber-and-polyurethane mat (55 percent natural rubber) with a strong rubber smell when new that contains latex; it is sold through Lululemon and a few studio shops rather than Amazon, reviewers list it at $98 to $118, and CorePower Yoga’s shop had it at $94 when we checked. If you want alignment lines, the Liforme Original (about $165 list) is the one reviewers name, with excellent wet grip and a top that stains.

Jade Harmony: best natural rubber

Jade’s Harmony is made in the United States from natural rubber with no PVC or synthetic rubber, grips hard from day one without a break-in, and Jade plants a tree for every mat sold. It is a dry-grip mat: OutdoorGearLab scored its wet grip mediocre, so pair it with a towel for hot classes. Keep it out of the sun, which degrades rubber, and expect a rubber smell for the first week or two. Contains trace latex. $99.95 for the 68-inch length.

Gaiam Premium 6mm: best budget mat

OutdoorGearLab’s best first yoga mat: 6 mm of cushion, 3.3 pounds, about $30. It is PVC (the Ecology Center identified this exact model as PVC with DOTP plasticizer), it compresses over time, and its wet grip is poor, which is the trade for the price. If you are not sure yoga will stick, start here and move to the PRO when it does.

Manduka eKO Superlite: best travel mat

A 1.5 mm natural rubber mat that weighs about two pounds and folds into a suitcase without a permanent crease. Treeline Review’s best travel mat, “surprisingly sticky,” and no cushion at all, so it is a mat for hotel rooms and a client’s building gym, not for every day. 99 percent latex-free. $54. Jade’s Voyager ($49.95) is the equivalent from Jade; Jade itself says fold creases are a natural consequence of folding.

The props

Block: Manduka Cork

OutdoorGearLab’s best overall block: a 9 by 6 by 4 inch cork block that scored a perfect 10 for stability and 9 for slip resistance wet or dry, which is what you want under a hand in half moon. It is heavy (about two pounds) and firm, so for restorative poses where the block goes under your back, a foam block is kinder; Gaiam’s Essentials foam block is OutdoorGearLab’s budget pick at about $10 to $13. Buy two blocks, not one. $24 to $26.

Strap: Manduka Align 8 foot

A strap is a longer arm: it lets you hold a hamstring stretch with a straight spine or bind a pose you cannot yet reach. Manduka’s Align is unbleached cotton with a zinc alloy buckle that does not slip, in 6, 8 and 10 foot lengths; 8 feet suits most people, 10 if you are tall or want it for bound poses. Hand wash, hang dry. $22 for the 8 foot.

Bolster: Hugger Mugger Standard

For restorative poses, supported backbends and legs-up-the-wall, a bolster does the holding so your muscles can let go. Hugger Mugger’s Standard bolster is the studio classic: 25 by 11 by 6 inches, a foam core wrapped in firm cotton batting, a heavy cotton cover, five pounds, handmade in the USA. The cover is spot clean or dry clean only. $114. If you have pets or kids and want a cover you can throw in the washing machine, Manduka’s Enlight rectangular bolster ($82, about 2.2 pounds, polyester fill with 30 percent recycled content) has one, and is sold through Manduka rather than Amazon.

Blanket: Hugger Mugger Mexican Yoga Blanket

A folded blanket is the most versatile prop in the room: under the knees, under the hips in seated poses, under the head in savasana, or rolled as a small bolster. The Mexican-style woven blanket is the studio standard because it folds flat and firm. Hugger Mugger’s is 73 by 48 inches, hand-woven in Mexico, machine washable cold, and will shrink a little over time. $42. Hugger Mugger sells it direct; the Mexican-style blankets on Amazon are a commodity, and the fabric is what matters, so look for a tight weave and some cotton in the blend.

Towel: Manduka Yogitoes

If you sweat or take hot classes on a closed-cell mat, a towel with silicone nubs underneath is the difference between gripping and sliding. Yogitoes, now a Manduka line, is Treeline Review’s best yoga towel: 71 by 24 inches, a polyester and nylon blend with 30 percent recycled polyester, dries fast. Wash cold, skip fabric softener and dryer sheets, which kill the grip. $72, which is a lot for a towel; Manduka’s eQua ($46) is the plain microfiber version without the nubs.

Meditation cushion: Hugger Mugger Zafu

A buckwheat-hull cushion lifts your hips above your knees so you can sit with a straight spine and no effort. Hugger Mugger’s round Zafu is the classic: 15 inches across and 5 inches high, filled with organic buckwheat hulls you can add or remove through a zipper, a cotton cover, made in the USA. It is heavy (about 6.75 pounds), which is what keeps it put. $84. If you want certifications, Brentwood Home’s Crystal Cove oval cushion ($80) is handmade in Los Angeles with a GOTS-certified organic cotton liner, a washable cover and GREENGUARD Gold certification, and is sold through Brentwood Home rather than Amazon.

Grip socks: ToeSox Half Toe Luna

Grip socks are for clients who practice on a building-gym floor or hardwood without a mat, for Pilates, and for anyone who wants warm feet in a cold apartment. ToeSox’s Luna has a patented non-slip sole and separated toes so you can still spread them; wash inside out, no bleach. $24. Gaiam’s Grippy socks are the budget pair at about $10 on gaiam.com; customer reviews of the full-toe version complain the toes run short.

How to clean and when to replace

• Closed-cell PVC (Manduka PRO): spray with mat wash or warm water and wipe dry after practice. Never soak, submerge or machine wash. No bleach, no essential oils on the surface (they make it slippery).
• Natural rubber (Jade, eKO): damp cloth after sweaty sessions, a plant-based mat wash weekly, no soap, no alcohol, no solvents, and never dry it in the sun.
• Open-cell PU (Manduka GRP): foam wash on a damp cloth, wipe with fresh water, blot, hang to dry before rolling. No disinfectant wipes, ever.
• Towels: cold wash, no softener or dryer sheets, tumble low or hang.
• Cushions and bolsters: spot clean the Hugger Mugger bolster; empty the Zafu’s hulls and hand wash its cover; covers off and cold wash where the brand allows (Manduka Enlight, Brentwood Home).
• Replace a mat when it pills, thins or compresses where you load it, loses grip, or smells after cleaning. A 2021 Reviewed piece quoting studio instructors says most mats last about a year; a Manduka PRO is rated for about ten, and natural rubber mats land in between.

What happened to the old picks

• The yoga wheel: dropped. UpCircleSeven, the brand most often recommended, had every wheel sold out when we checked, Gaiam’s site no longer lists one, and no reviewer we rely on has tested one. A bolster covers the supported backbend job.
• Balance balls, sandbags and eye pillows: dropped from the picks to keep this list to what a home practice needs. If you want an eye pillow, Hugger Mugger’s silk eye pillow is $29.
• The salt-scrub tip for a new Manduka PRO: gone. Manduka retired it in 2026 and now says to simply practice on the mat.
• Resistance bands: moved out; they belong with strength equipment. If you buy a set, note that the CPSC recalled one brand’s handled tube bands in May 2026 for separating from the handle, so buy from an established brand.

Where a private instructor fits

Props are easy to buy and easy to misuse: a block placed an inch too far, a strap pulled into the wrong joint, a bolster that is too soft for the pose. An instructor who comes to you sets the props for your body and your floor, which is the whole reason home practice sticks. Type A Training’s private yoga and Pilates instructors come to your home, your building gym or a park in Manhattan, bring any props you need and build the practice around your goals and your schedule. For more on the practice itself, see our yoga for athletes guide and yoga breathing exercises.

Frequently asked questions

What yoga accessories do I need to start?

A mat, two blocks and a strap. Add a bolster and a blanket when you start doing restorative poses, a towel if you sweat, and a cushion if you meditate.

What is the best yoga mat thickness?

Our instructors’ rule of thumb is 4 to 6 mm for most people: enough cushion for knees without wobble in balance poses. Thick 10 mm foam mats are soft under the hands in standing balances and compress over time; 1.5 mm travel mats have no cushion.

Cork or foam yoga blocks?

Cork for stability under a hand or foot; foam for comfort under your back or hips in restorative poses. OutdoorGearLab found cork the most stable wet or dry and foam the most comfortable but least durable.

Which yoga mats are latex-free?

The Manduka PRO (PVC), TPE mats and cork-topped mats with a TPE base. Jade, Liforme, Lululemon, Manduka’s eKO and Manduka’s GRP mats are built on natural rubber and are not recommended for people with latex allergies.

How do I break in a new Manduka PRO?

Practice on it and wipe it down after each session. Manduka retired the salt-scrub method in 2026; the slickness goes away with use, and a Yogitoes towel covers sweaty sessions in the meantime.