Manduka | Foam Yoga Block | Made From Recycled EVA Foam | Sage

Why it's worth it

Manduka's recycled foam block is firm enough to stand on but light enough to toss in a tote, with contoured edges that don't dig into your palms. It's sold one at a time, so plan on buying two — and you'll probably still have them in five years.

This is the rare foam block that behaves like cork. Manduka builds it from high-density recycled EVA, and owners consistently describe it as stiff rather than squishy — the kind of block that doesn't compress when you load it in Half Moon. If you've used the soft blocks at a gym and felt one buckle under your hand, that's exactly the problem this one fixes.

Weight is where it pulls ahead of cork. At under a pound, it won't drag your bag down on the walk to class, and it won't hurt if it topples onto your foot. Manduka's own cork block weighs more than twice as much. For a beginner who practices at home on weeknights and hauls gear to a studio on Saturday, that difference adds up fast.

From our review of 7 yoga blocks and props for beginners, by Eleanor Vance, Health & Beauty Editor

What we like

• +This is the rare foam block that behaves like cork
• +Weight is where it pulls ahead of cork
• +The foam is 50 to 75 percent recycled content, which matters if you'd rather not add a fresh brick of virgin plastic to your…
• +One small thing that matters daily is the shape of the edges

What to know

• –It's sold one block at a time
• –And it really is firm