10 Best Props Yogis Should Bring to Their Branding Photo Shoot

How to Elevate Your Yoga Brand Photos with Intention and Ease

As a photographer who’s walked the yogic path myself (I've considered so many times about getting my yoga teacher training!), I know that capturing your essence isn’t about perfect poses or polished backdrops—it’s about presence. It's about energy. It's abouttruth. It's about why. It's about your story.

When we photograph your yoga brand, we’re not just creating content—we’re telling the story of your practice, your offerings, and your spirit. And one of the most powerful ways to infuse that story with intention is through the props you that you use in practice.

Whether you teach vinyasa, yin, or root your offerings in energy healings, these items can help to ground your session, connect with your audience, and reflect the safe and sacred spaces you hold for others.

Here are my 10 favorite props for yogis to bring to a branding photo shoot—each one chosen with heart, soul, and intention.

1. Your Well-Loved Yoga Mat

Not just any mat. Your mat—the one that’s carried you through grief and grace, sweat and stillness! Bring it. This is your foundation, your portable altar, where your practice begins. The colors, textures, and wear patterns all tell a story. I want to see it.

Suggestion: If you have multiple mats you use for different offerings (i.e., a travel mat, a home practice mat), bring both for variety and alignment with different parts of your brand.

2. Props You Use with Intention: Blocks, Bolsters, and Straps

These aren't just tools—they're ways to help us rest, modify, expand. If your teaching emphasizes accessibility, mindfulness, or a deep restorative practice, these items can help to communicate that before you say a word.

Pro tip: Opt for natural fibers and neutral tones to keep the energy feeling soft and grounded.

3. Your Journal or Ritual Notebook

A well-worn journal, pages edged with scribbled mantras or sequence notes, speaks to your inner work, and people want to feel that they are in good hands. Including it in your session weaves in the energy of study, introspection, reflection, and looking inward.

Beautiful detail: Handwritten affirmations or a single mantra (maybe your current favorite?) can be a subtle but engaging touch.

4. Crystals, Mala Beads, or Other Energetic Tools

You don’t need a full altar (if you have one, amazing, I love it)—but a small collection of your cherished items can bring a depth and energy to your branding photos. A strand of mala beads worn during meditation, a crystal you use as you practice breathwork, or a special stone that travels with you—there are all symbols and tools of your deeper work. Let's show them.

Note: These work beautifully as flat lays or as quiet additions to your space- let's curate the scene together!

5. A Beloved Mug or Tea Ritual

Morning matcha. Herbal tea after practice. Maybe the way you prepare your tea is a part of your routine and a rhythm of grounding—and your community wants to feel and resonate with this. Bringing your favorite handmade ceramic mug and a bundle of dried herbs- it adds warmth and earthiness to your session! And maybe after we can drink some tea!

Pro tip: Choose a mug and teas/beverage that reflects your business aesthetic—maybe that's minimal, rustic, earthy, whimsical or maybe that's bright, energetic, and powerful.

6. A Woven Blanket or Wrap

A soft blanket is more than a cozy layer—it’s comfort, ritual, and r&r. It can be part of your savasana shots, wrapped around your shoulders in a moment of stillness, or even draped over a bolster in a detail shot. Wraps, scarves, or shawls add beautiful natural movement and texture that breathe life into your photos. It also gives you something to do//interact with.

Photographer’s note: Wool, cotton, or linen textures photograph beautifully and add a sense of grounded simplicity.

7. Books That Have Guided You

Yoga is lineage. If you return again and again to certain texts—whether classic sutras, poetry, or modern mindfulness guides—bring them. Books with folded pages and margin notes feel alive in your hands.

Visual idea: Hold the book in a meditative seat, or let it rest open beside your tea and mala for a lifestyle flat lay.

8. A Touch of the Natural World

Think: wildflowers gathered on your way to the shoot, a feather found on one of your morning walks, or maybe some driftwood from a spot that means a lot to you. These aren’t just props—they’re symbols of your connection to the land, to spirit, and to source wisdom.

Tip: You don’t need a huge selection—just one or two intentionally chosen natural items make a difference.

9. Sound Healing Tools

If you incorporate sound into practice, it’s definitely worth showing. Tibetan singing bowls, tuning forks, and wind chimes can add so much to a session. Including these shows how your work supports healing on multiple levels, and that you have a lot to offer.

How to use: We can capture a few craftfully candid shots of you using your propr—no need to pose, just feel into them.

10. Clothing That Reflects Your Energy

Bring layers that move with you and feel like home. Flowy cardigans, scarves, barefoot anklets, your favorite yoga pants—whatever makes you feel grounded, expressive, and true.

Photographer’s tip: Bring several options. Neutrals and earthy tones often photograph best outdoors, but color can be magic too if it's part of your brand.

Simplicity: How to Pack Mindfully

You don’t need to bring everything—just the essentials that hold energy for you.

Here’s a simple way to pack with intention:

One large basket, canvas tote, or woven bag
3–5 props max (trust that what you bring is enough)
A loose plan, but room for intuition and flow

As your photographer (and fellow yogi), I’ll hold space for your vision, but I’ll also gently guide when needed—so you can be instead of perform. I've been practicing for 18 years and am super familiar with poses, alignment, and can help adjust to get the shot just right!

Let Your Photos Reflect the Soul of Your Practice

Your yoga brand isn’t just your logo or your offerings. It’s the way you make people feel. It’s the energy you bring into a room. It’s your essence.

Through intentional props and sacred space, we’ll create images that feel like you—calm, clear, inspired, and rooted in purpose.

Whether you're a seasoned teacher, a new healer stepping into your voice, or somewhere in between, you deserve photos that honor your practice and support your business growth.

Ready to plan your shoot?

Let’s connect here or reach out via Instagram @owlsirisphoto. I can’t wait to co-create with you!