Yoga is a way for humans to connect with nature, and plants play a pivotal role in that. Plants increase mood and can help heal the body. Some plants can also clean the air, which can make a pretty big difference in how people feel as they practice yoga.
According to Adam Husler, one of the United Kingdom’s most sought-after yoga instructors, having a green, plant-filled space adds multiple benefits to your yoga practice. As Husler states it, plants bring four major attributes to one’s yoga practice: air purity, form and structure, mood lifting and meditation anchors.
Air Purity
Breathing is the foundation of yoga that allows plants to help play a huge role as they purify the air. Living plants are natural air purifiers, removing carbon dioxide from the air and producing oxygen during the day.
There’s nothing like an oxygen-producing plant to bring life — and fresh air — to an indoor room. This offers a healthy environment for your practice and allows you to intake the good stuff and less of the bad.
Form and Structure
Yoga is about form, self-inquiry and exploring various shapes and poses. For the ultimate balance, this should also be reflected in your space through combining yin and yang, masculine and feminine colors and shapes.
Plants with interesting structure among robust leafy plants can help balance the look and feel of your space and improve your practice.
Mood Lifting
Did you know that different plants have almost instantaneous effects on your mood? Creating a green space sanctuary can really lift your mood.
Mixing plants and positioning them in various locations instantly creates an urban-jungle vibe, which encourages a sense of calm and happiness. Some of these include aloe vera, ferns and lavender (for direct light areas inside). According to a study published in the “Journal of Environmental Psychology,” people reported higher levels of mood and perceived comfort when plants were present compared to when they were not.
Meditation Anchors
Plants are soothing and add to your calmness. The foliage from plants make for great meditation anchors — their leaves are intricate and hypnotic to look at and you can easily get lost in them.
And how about a little fragrance! Adding a little fragrance to meditation has a very powerful, positive and supportive effect on any type of meditation and becomes a way of helping our mind to become focused, clear, balanced and peaceful.
Lively Root recommends the following plants for your yoga studio:
- White bird dragon tree (Dracaena warneckii ‘White Stripe’)
- Peace lily (Spathiphyllum Wallisii)
- Spider plant (Chlorophytum Comosum)
- Variegated snake plants (Sansevieria Trifasciata ‘Laurentii’)
- ZZ plant/eternity plant (Zamioculcas Zamiifolia)
- Croton (Codiaeum variegatum ‘Petra’)
- Peacock plant (Calathea roseopicta ‘Medallion’)
- Bromeliad
Perhaps the most low-maintenance plants on our list are the ZZ plant and the snake plant. They can grow in almost any location regardless of the lighting conditions. These plants, like the peace lily, have been shown to filter harsh toxins from the air including formaldehyde, toluene and benzene. As mentioned earlier, there’s nothing like oxygen-producing plants to bring life and fresh air to an indoor room.
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