Note: This post was contributed by Sheila Johnson, founder of Well Sheila. 

Yoga has been around for thousands of years. As a form of meditation, people use the practice to gain better insight into who they are and gain a better understanding of their innermost thoughts and feelings. In modern times, the practice has grown to focus more on flexibility, physical fitness, stress relief, enhancing mental strength, and even boosting one’s health.

Nowadays, technology such as smartphones can help yogis become more comfortable and help them achieve their goals in a simpler fashion. Unlike the past, when you had to go to the studio to perform your yoga routine, technology has made it extremely easy to get everything you need right in the comfort of your very own home.

Here are a few tools, technology, and equipment that are invaluable to the modern yogi.

Yoga Mat Towel

A yoga mat towel is crucial when performing yoga. It provides a slip-resistant, yet sanitary surface for you to sweat it out during a session and not worry about slipping and falling. These towels are often designed using highly absorbent materials like microfiber. Most manufacturers also place silicon dots on the underside so that these towels have the necessary grip required to keep you in place during whatever pose or movement you attempt.

Exercise Ball

Exercise balls allow you to work on your stability and strengthen the muscles that give you balance. They’re also instrumental in making the body more responsive to instability, therefore making those muscles much stronger. This means that they’re perfect for shoulder, thigh, and ab toning. These balls often come with thick durable materials that don’t easily slip, so you don’t have to worry about your safety during your routine.

Yoga Bolster

A yoga bolster is an essential tool in today’s yoga. When you’re looking for a proper yoga bolster, it needs to be comfortable and able to last for a very long time. An appropriate mugger hugger is crucial for performing your routine on hard surfaces, as well as comfortably doing poses that require you to breathe in deeply. This yoga bolster only weighs two pounds and has handles on it that make it quite easy to move it from one point to the other.

Yoga Apps on Your Phone

At one time, yoga was considered a practice for a certain group of people. However, since others have discovered its benefits, the practice has gone mainstream. As the practice grew in popularity and technology advanced, people began to create some great apps to guide you during your yoga practices, regardless of where you are. As such, you don’t necessarily have to go to the studio to get some instruction from a professional.

The apps can direct you and even provide illustrations so that you can follow along easily. Yogis can now use a smartphone to get their daily dose of yoga. For those whose phones don’t have an appropriately large display, you can always upgrade the phone to turn it into a yoga hotspot. For example, Apple’s feature-packed iPhone 11 Pro has a super-fast chip and superior battery life. For people who prefer Android phones, the Samsung Galaxy S9 Plus performs well and has a bright display.

Yoga is great when it comes to getting your mind and body fit. It helps people achieve their body goals and also attain the peace of mind they’re looking for. Technology has only made it that much more of a reality. Instead of going to a studio, you only need some space, some equipment, and a smartphone to reach your yoga goals.

Well Sheila offers life coaching, online courses and a community for growth-minded individuals.