Supporting your mind and body with yoga props
Originally published The Body Book
Two weeks after one of my best friends died suddenly and tragically, I hurt my shoulder in the yoga pose Urdhva Dhanurasana/full wheel pose. The shoulder is symbolically connected to the heart and I knew what this injury was revealing to me. Even though physically my alignment could have been incorrect, I was fatigued emotionally ~ my heart was broken. Now, three years later as my healing process is still unfolding, I finally revived my full wheel pose with the support of props; two blocks for each foot while I held the ankles of another student. It felt glorious, it felt alive and vibrant with my friend’s presence. Props resurrected my backbend to re-connect with my heart and to my friend whose memories will forever light my spirit
This is why I love yoga props. These accessories help build yoga poses so they are more accessible, versatile, beautiful, and safe! They are supportive objects born from the creativity of the well-known yoga teacher BKS Iyengar to facilitate the yogi to achieve the maximum benefits of a yoga pose.
These tools guide you to:
Observe and discern the various habits stored in your body.
Navigate the territories in your body that might be forgotten and need re-education, or are injured and need healing.
Find courage when you are fearful of a pose.
Release tension and stress.
Support you in an intimidating backbend or heart opener.
Empower you. Heal a broken heart.
Connect you to your vulnerability of being upside-down in Headstand or Handstand and out of your comfort zone.
Offer feedback to challenge you to work harder and longer, and support you in a way to make thoughtful changes in your poses.
Help re-wire, re-connect and undo stubborn habits in your body. Balance effort and strength with softness and tenderness. Push your boundaries.
Yoga props are objects that create a boundary, a dividing line, a point that defines where two things or objects become different. Like a river or a fence it clarifies where one area ends and another begins. A clear edge is formed for the body and mind to distinguish proper alignment with gravity. Also the sensory input of your skin is the boundary of the body to the external world and the elements it is exposed to. The skin is our intelligent outer layer of protection with around 1,000 nerve endings in an average square inch. The muscles are able to engage or relax depending on the pose as your skin sends messages to the brain to translate the new alignment. Through this feedback the body and mind process the information and sensation to feel and to heal. The poses become more animated and profound to decipher your limits and stretch your boundaries without violating them.
Yoga props for the yogi are tools much like a level is useful for a carpenter. They are necessary tools to help assemble and equalize the structure of the yoga pose. There are many types of props, but the most popular are: the wall (my favorite), block/brick, strap, bolster, backless chair, another person and blanket. Also I believe your mat is a prop. It is your magic carpet, your blank canvas to explore your boundaries, your breath, your emotions, the movement of your body and the adventures of your heart.
I love to accessorize with props in my own practice and with my students in order to be an active, responsible participant to understand when to work and understand when to relax, to feel and to be present. You have the choice to use a prop, to learn and to make mindful decisions through the awareness of sensation. Props aren’t a symbol of weakness or that you are “a beginner.” Quite the contrary! When you choose props you support yourself in a way that is powerful both physically and emotionally. They intensify boundaries, they allow your body to speak to you and your mind to listen.
