How To Use A Yoga Blanket

Do you know that the use of a blanket has been in use for thousands of years? Blankets are useful materials that can make yoga practice awesome if you know how to make good use of them.

Generally, a blanket brings extra support during a yoga session. For newbies, blankets bring comfort and relaxation and cushion the body.

Without much ado, let's dive into the nitty-gritty of how to make use of a yoga blanket to enhance your yoga session. 

What is a Yoga Blanket?

A yoga blanket is simply a fabric of a single layer that is neither too thick nor too thin. Blankets tend to be thicker than normal domestic blankets. You can fold or roll it for extra support.

A folded blanket can also act as a yoga blanket. The folded blanket can be used in some patterns to provide support to the body during the session. It makes yoga sessions more comfortable than using a bare floor.

Benefits of Using a Yoga Blanket

There are numerous benefits of using a yoga blanket during your practice.

1. A yoga blanket brings cushion to bones and joints during practice.
2. It adds warmth in relaxed poses compared to a bare floor.
3. The blankets provide support to the back during lying poses.
4. It provides as the body makes motion.
5. It enables you to replace common yoga props

5 Ways to Use a Yoga Blanket

There are various of using yoga blankets for maximum outcomes. Some of them are: 

1. Warm Comfort in Savasana and Meditation

A yoga blanket provides super warmness to your body. During the final rank of relaxation pose or meditation, use the it to cover yourself.

The blanket will not only warm your body, but it will also provide a sense of super relaxation to you.

The pressure that comes from the blanket transfers warm feelings to your body. While you are enjoying the feelings, ensure that you don’t fall into a deep sleep.

Let the feelings motivate you to meditate deeply.

How to do Savasana

Are you looking for the best way to do Savasana? These succinct steps will give you what you need:

1. Sit on the ground in a noiseless place after your work workout.
2. With relaxed arms and body, lie with your back on the ground. Spread your feet hip-width apart while placing the palms up.
3. Breathe in a relaxed manner with your eyes closed. Release the muscle tension that built in the body during the workout session.
4. Clear your mind to avoid any interference with your rest. If any thought flashes in your mind, acknowledge the thought and release it immediately.
5. Sleep may come up during this session. Try as much as possible to remain awake and be in the present.

2. Cushion your Elbows, Knees, and Wrists

Do you know that placing a yoga blanket under your knee can protect you from knee pains? Well, it is true.

That is why you see some people hold poses like bird dog, low lunge, child's pose or camel pose for a period without the knee shouting at them.

The way you can use a Yoga blanket here is to fold the blanket under your elbow or knee. The piece of blanket takes the pressure off the fragile joint of the body.

Once the pressure is off your fragile parts, it makes it easy to enjoy the stretch and strength at the core, back, and arms.

As simple as the cow pose, the use of a blanket performs wonders. The joints will naturally become more resistant and stronger.

Thus, the use of a blanket for this pose makes it accessible to beginners, children, and even elderly people.

As a yoga teacher, I like using a it to perform simple changes to poses that are hard on the elbow, wrist, or knees. Thus, the use of a blanket here can help you a whole lot.

How to do Cow/Cat pose with a Yoga Blanket

Here are the ways you can easily perform cow/cat with a Yoga blanket.

1. The first thing is to fold the blanket to suit the thickness of your body. You can fold the blanket in different ways to form the right thickness for your body.
2. Put the knees on the blanket at 90 degrees under the hips with the hip width apart.
3. Make the hands shoulder-width apart and stack them in line with your wrists.
4. For the cow pose, arch the spine and inhale. Push the belly towards the ground with your face looking up.
5. Press your knee into the blanket to keep you stable on the ground.
6. For the cat pose, exhale as you curl the spine upward towards the ceiling like an average cat. Pull your head and your sit bones down to move toward the ground.
7. Return to the table-top spine and make a release.

3. Use of blanket to support flexibility development

There is some pose that scares some people. Is it possible to take a full split or pigeon pose? Well, though looks intimidating sometimes, it is quite achievable when you choose the right approach.

With the help of a blanket tucked beneath the butt, you can do hip-opening poses with comfort for a long time. Just think about the blanket as a nice training wheel on the ride.

How to Loosen Hips with a Yoga Blanket

We have here simple steps that can help you loosen the hips within a short period. The steps are:

1. Get your blanket and roll it up tightly.
2. Place the blanket directly under your butts or hips as you take a hip-opening pose.
3. Use another yoga blanket or a block to elevate the forearms or forehead.
4. Then relax into the opening to loosen the hip.

4. Gain Height in Seated Poses with the blanket

From my experience as a trainer, I noticed that many trainees find it difficult to maintain a straight spine in a seated position. A yoga blanket can give a perfect fix to the challenge.

When a folded blanket is under your hip, it slightly shifts the pelvis. It also adds height to your body. Thus, making the spine straighten or lengthen without adding extra effort to you.

While taking this position, it is essential to prevent injuries by aligning your body properly. Thus, I recommend you to lift the hips as a beginner yogi and even an advanced student.

How to Gain Height Using a Folded Blanket

There are ways you can make the blanket. These steps will help you.

1. Fold a blanket beneath the hip as you take a pose
2. Ensure you fold the blanket to best suit you.
3. Slightly adjust the pelvis to strengthen your body.
4. Keep the spine straight as you maintain the position of the pose for some minutes.

5. Substitute Common Yoga Props

The use of a yoga blanket is more portable and cheaper than the common yoga props you can get around you.

Can you compare a folded blanket with bolsters or yoga block? Absolutely, you cannot put them together in terms of costs and portability.

It moves you closer to the ground and gives you soft support. The blanket can even as a yoga mat in a pinch.

The versatility of the folded yoga makes it easy to fold, roll, or put it beneath your back, joint, or neck for opening or padding.

How to Pick a Yoga Blanket?

Are you wondering how to pick the best Yoga blankets for your yoga session? We have some guidelines that will make it easy for you.

We are aware that there is a toxic, flimsy, itchy, and unstainable blanket out there. 

A quality yoga blanket should be well-woven, durable, soft, and non-toxic materials that are eco-friendly.

For instance, a cotton yoga blanket that is durable can serve you for a long yoga practice session.

Here are the top guidelines that will help you choose quality yoga blankets.

1. Material of the Blanket

Material is a key factor you must not take with levity. Common materials that are good for blankets are cotton, wool, or blended fibers.

It is essential to put the climate, washing frequency, texture preference, and desired cushion into consideration.

Wool

Wool happens to be the most durable, dense, and cozy of all of them. The fabric is moisture and sweat-resistant. However, it may have fibers pulling out over time.

Cotton

Cotton yoga blankets happen to be one of the most common materials yogis use. The material is durable and organic cotton is the best of all.

Cotton is soft on the skin but it is not as supportive or dense as wool blankets.

The material may shorten when washing it. Thus, it is advisable to cold wash or hand wash it instead of using a washing machine.

Blended Fabric

Fabric blends like polyester and acrylic are two yoga blankets that you can easily get at an affordable price. The blended fabrics have brighter colors and can be recycled. 

However, the material may have a chemical smell or likeliness of microplastics when buying it new.

2. Style

There are a variety of yoga blanket styles that you can choose from. Just like yoga leggings or yoga mats, yoga blankets come with styles with different patterns. Choose the style that suits best to you.

Mexican Yoga Blanket

Mexican blankets are common blanket that you can find in almost all yoga studios. The interesting thing about the Mexican yoga blankets is that the blanket is beautiful, comfortable, bohemian, and has varieties of colors. 

Indian Yoga Blankets

The Indian yoga blankets are hand-loomed cotton material from India. The material is knit tightly and does not have fringe. The Indian yoga blanket is more tightly knit than the Mexican Blankets. 

Felt Yoga Blankets

The felt Yoga blanket is a warm and thick material that you can use for your yoga poses. There are various styles that you can get from this material. Thus, you are at liberty to choose the one that best suit you.

3. The Size

The size of the blanket is important. It should not be too small or too big. The one you choose from yoga studio should be large enough to provide coverage to your body during Savasana.

Frequently Asked Questions

We have some of our FAQs that can give you a quick solution to common problems when using blankets.

How do I fold the yoga blanket?

Here is a quick way to fold your blanket properly:

1. Lay the blanket flat and open the material up all the way.
2. Fold the blanket in half and fringe-to-fringe
3. You can fold the blanket in half from one smooth edge to another smooth edge.
4. Let the fringe stay on the outside after folding it.

How do I Wash a Yoga blanket?

The way you wash your Yoga blanket depends on the kind of material you use. For cotton Yoga blankets, we recommend a hand wash using cold water and mild detergent.

Avoid using bleach when washing it to keep the material from deterioration.

What Makes a Good Yoga Blanket?

Different things make a good yoga blanket for yoga practice. The general indicators of a good one are the durability of the material, comfort during use, size of the material, and usability of the material.

Conclusion - How to Use Yoga Blanket

A yoga blanket is an essential material that can bring comfort and support you during yoga poses. Blankets bring a cushion to the body and give an awesome yoga experience when you use them appropriately.

From the above, we have listed different ways you can use a yoga blanket to enhance your yoga practice. We hope that they will help you as you choose the ones that best suit your needs.