Every few months, I like to go through my office/closet/drawers/anyplace else in need of purging to keep clutter under control. Recently, I went through my yoga stash. Other than some mat wash, I hadn't accumulated anything new. That wasn't always the case. Given the plethora of yoga goodies/accessories/must-haves available, it's not all that difficult to find yourself with a bad case of yoga clutter.
Last week my friend (who's also a yoga teacher) and I were chatting about idea of making yoga more complicated than it needs to be. After all, do we really need yoga clothes, shoes, mats (more than one, anyway), mat bags, blocks, bolsters, socks, props, straps, mat wipes, etc.? Yes and no, I suppose. As my friend said: "When I first started out, I bought a lot of yoga-related stuff. I had thrown myself into the world of yoga, so I only thought it fitting to buy a bunch of stuff to reflect that fact. Now it's just me and my mat -- no music, fancy clothes, props, incense, statues, and whatever."
I laughed when he said this because I've simplified my yoga needs as well. Often when I work with clients they ask me where all of my yoga props are. I just smile and say that I teach minimalist yoga. Ironically, I recently read a blog post that speaks to this very idea of keeping life simple by avoiding buying new gear. You can read it here.
Hmmm...perhaps our new slogan could be keeping yoga simple.
Now I'm not saying that you need to throw out all of your yoga goodies. There's nothing wrong with having a travel mat for class and a heavier, higher quality mat for your home practice or having props or accesories or whatever else it is you desire. I do, however, recommend going through your yoga stash a few times a year to determine if you do, in fact, need everything in it. You could always donate your unneeded/gently-used yoga mats and accessories to a yoga studio or non-profit (consider it Karma Yoga). Here are just a few ideas if you find yourself with more yoga stuff than you need:
- Yoga Bear
- Recycle Your Mat
- The Bolder Mat Company
For some, yoga minimalism may seem a bit extreme. Why not go for balance and land somewhere in between owning just a mat and having a closet full of yoga paraphernalia? Maybe it's yoga simplicity rather than yoga minimalism.
What's in your yoga stash?
Namaste!
