If you’re looking for ways to enhance your yoga practice by using accessories, the yoga stretch strap is something you’ll want to learn more about. A yoga stretch strap can help you to go deeper into your asana practice and open your back up more, which is especially useful for beginners or improvers. In this blog, we will guide you through the benefits of a yoga strap and how you can use it to enhance your yoga flow and become more flexible. 

What is a yoga stretch strap?

A yoga stretch strap is a soft cotton strap that is woven and can be used during your yoga practice to enhance depth and strength. The strap measures 1.8m by 40mm and is extremely helpful during your stretches as it opens up the body. The yoga stretch strap is available in simple yet beautiful designs that can even match your yoga mat if you want to. A great benefit that the stretch strap has is its portability which makes it very easy to bring along on travels. With just a simple strap, you can amplify your yoga stretches anywhere you go.  

What is the stretch strap used for?

You might be wondering what the actual function of a yoga stretch strap is and we don’t blame you. The stretch strap can be used to intensify your yoga flow by helping to open up your body in order to achieve more depth, endurance and mobility. This will help you to become more flexible and gain more strength. With a yoga stretch strap, you’re able to increase your range of motion which helps with more difficult yoga poses. 

How to use the yoga strap during practice

While yoga can be practiced without practically any equipment, it can help you to give your yoga flow more depth. Use the yoga stretch strap to open up your shoulders at the beginning of the practice, by holding the strap above your head with both hands slightly wider than your shoulders. Move your arms from above your head to in front of you and repeat this motion multiple times. Make sure you stretch your shoulders by moving your arms slightly behind your head but don’t push further than is comfortable for you. 

Next, you can move into a bound angle pose by creating a circular shape with your yoga strap. To do this, you can use the D-ring at one end of the strap and place it behind your sacrum and underneath your feet. Tighten the strap slowly once you’re relaxed to deepen your stretch. You can use the yoga strap in many yoga poses to get a deeper stretch. 

Benefits of the yoga stretch strap

If you’re not convinced yet to start using a stretch strap during your yoga practices, we’ll give you a couple more reasons why you should. The yoga stretch strap has many benefits, including:

Extra arm length

The yoga strap allows you to do stretches you would normally not be able to do as you lack the arm length or flexibility for it. The dancers pose, for example, is a pose that requires a lot of flexibility. If you’re a beginner, but you’re eager to be able to learn the dancers pose, you can use the yoga strap to add length to your arms. 

Better posture

A lot of people struggle to stand up straight and tend to stand or sit with their sagged shoulders. To improve your posture, you can use a yoga strap and use it to stretch your shoulders back. This will, in time, help you to achieve better posture which will prevent tension in your neck and back. 

Improve muscle strength

Another benefit of using the yoga strap is that you can use it to improve your muscle strength. Use your yoga strap to strengthen your arm muscles by pulling it in opposite directions and holding it for a few seconds. This will help to increase your body strength, which in time will help you with your yoga poses!