The Best Easy-Care Plants for Your Home Yoga Space
Add some greenery to your scenery with plants for your home yoga space. Aside from adding a beautiful visual element, houseplants are effective at cleaning your air, lifting your mood, and in some cases, healing your body (we see you, aloe!). Read on to learn the best easy-care plants to add to your cozy home yoga haven.
ALOE VERA
Light: Bright, indirect light
Water: Water deeply every 3 weeks
Why we love it: We swear we’re not biased by the name. Aloe is one of our top picks due to its easy-care nature, topical healing properties, and air-purifying abilities. In NASA’s Clean Air Study from the 1980s, aloe was found to remove harmful pollutants called VOCs from the air, absorb carbon dioxide, and release oxygen while filtering formaldehyde and benzene. This spiky succulent also requires infrequent watering — which is great in our book. And when topically applied to skin, the gel from inside the leaves is a soothing agent for mat burn (perfect after forearm stand practice!).
PEACE LILY
Light: Low light to bright, indirect light
Water: Water at least once a week and keep soil moist
Why we love it: They say you become what you surround yourself with. In the case of the peace lily, that’s especially true. In Feng Shui practices, the peace lily plant is said to balance the energy of your home, create harmony, promote serenity, and emit protective vibrations. And according to NASA’s study, this resilient, flowering plant is one of the best for purifying the air.
PHILODENDRON
Light: Low light to bright, indirect light
Water: Let the top inch of soil dry out between waterings
Why we love it: If you’re trying to cultivate your intuition, this is the perfect plant to help you on that journey. Just like we learn to listen to our bodies on the mat, the philodendron requires acute “listening” to help it thrive. You can tell what it needs by analyzing the size and droop of the leaves, the moisture of the soil, and the pace of the growth. Place one of these easy-care plants in your space as a constant reminder to check in with yourself and your needs.
DRACAENA
Light: Bright, filtered light (i.e. through a sheer curtain)
Water: Let top soil dry out between watering, keep leaves and soil lightly misted
Why we love it: We love a good origin story. “Dracaena” is derived from an ancient Greek word that means “female dragon,” named due to the red-colored resin in the stems of dracaena that was likened to dragon blood. And with its striking and powerful shape, this is the perfect plant to have beside your mat to help you harness the fiery, dragon-like energy in every pose.
RUBBER TREE
Light: Bright, indirect light
Water: Let top few inches of soil dry between waterings
Why we love it: The rubber tree embodies everything we need to be happy — flexibility, adaptability, and the desire for space and sunlight. This plant can be kept desk-size in a small- to medium-sized pot, or you can grow it in a larger pot and watch it soar to great heights. Its glossy, dark green leaves are sure to make it the hidden jewel of your space.
SPIDER PLANT
Light: Bright to moderate indirect light
Water: Dry out between waterings
Why we love it: New to plant parenting? Try a spider plant. For those who weren’t born with a green thumb, the thought of killing yet another houseplant is often as terrifying as spiders themselves. But not to worry — spider plants are resilient and easy to care for. As a bonus, they look especially lovely in hanging planters, they purify toxins such as carbon monoxide, and they’re one of the few plants that aren’t toxic to animals. We’re all about those paws-itive vibes.
BAMBOO PALM
Light: Bright, indirect light
Water: Keep soil evenly moist
Why we love it: No need to jet off to a tropical yoga retreat — you can bring the vacation vibes right to your space with a bamboo palm. With its lush, green fronds, the bamboo palm is the perfect purifier to keep your air clean and clear for those breathwork sessions. Place multiple palms around your space to create a true canopy of calm.
Want to learn how to create the perfect home yoga space? Read all about it here.