The History of Yoga Blankets

In India, yogis typically used white cotton blankets while practicing yoga. When yoga schools and studios were introduced in the United States during the 1960s and 1970s, blankets also became a popular prop to use during practice. Yogis in America gravitated toward blankets made of colorful Mexican cotton blends. Wool blankets were also sometimes used. The yogi Iyengar and the physiology researcher Roger Cole traveled to Mexico in person to buy some of their first yoga blankets. In the late 1970s, some of the students at the Iyengar Yoga Institute of San Francisco also used surplus blankets from the Spanish army; although they were uncomfortable, they could be purchased in bulk and were extremely durable. Today, yoga blankets are widely available; most are made from cotton or wool and feature a firm weave capable of supporting the user through a variety of complex poses.