Let’s Give Props to Yoga Props
When I attended my first yoga class, I made the same mistakes many newbies make — I compared myself to others, and judged myself for not being able to get into or hold poses that other people (who appeared to be less fit than I) seemed to do easily. I pushed, I forced, I … well, I felt really totally demoralized, and when the instructor came by with a strap and a couple of blocks, I took it as an insult.
Fast forward 20 years or so and … yeah, I’m well aware that this is not how yoga is supposed to go. And when it comes to props? Oh my gosh, give ’em all to me, please.
Yoga isn’t about winning. Sure, it feels good to finally nail a pose you’ve been working toward, especially some of those fun balance poses, but yoga is more about experiencing the practice than achieving a certain level. It’s not like you earn a certain color mat once you can hold Crow, you know? And that means that it’s far more important to move into and hold poses correctly than to force yourself into a pose for which your body isn’t ready.
And that’s why props are so great! A block or two (here are our fave ones to use) can allow you to execute poses like Triangle (Trikonasana) or Half Moon (Ardha Chandrasana) properly. A strap lets you experience Seated Forward Bend (Paschimottanasana) without sacrificing form — but oh, trust me, you will still get plenty of stretch. Using a pillow, bolster, or folded up mat allows those of us with tight hips to settle into Pigeon (Eka Pada) and receive the glorious benefits without engaging balancing muscles that really have no place in the pose.
Are you picking up on a theme in the words above? Allow, let, receive — isn’t that so much more in line with the goal of yoga than forcing? Let it be easy, yo!
I’ve been really lucky to take classes with a number of truly excellent teachers, and you know what all the best teachers seem to have in common? They encourage the use of props — for their students of all levels. Even the strongest, bendiest yogi has days when they feel a little stiff, a little sore, or just want to take it a little easier, and props make it easy to adjust your practice from day to day.
So, let’s all give some props to our yoga props, shall we? I think they’ve more than earned it.
What are your thoughts on props? Do you have some feelings you need to get over, too? —Kristen
Comments
I like yoga very much. It gives me inspiration and forces in moments when it is very necessary. in stressful situations I practice yoga and it helps me a lot. surely you need daily practice in this direction
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Nice!! Health is most important expect which everyone should consider as a first priority. Our health is very precious and we should not waste it. In humans, it is the ability of individuals or communities to adapt and self-manage when facing physical, mental, psychological and social changes with environment. So fitness is very important and for that, we should always prefer good supplements. Its totally natural and does not contain any side effects to the body.
Yoga is not only about the body it also heals our soul.
A good Yoga teacher could help you rejuvenate your body. Great Post!
This is so true “Yoga isn’t about winning.” struggled for a month trying to nail a pose just for me to brag it to some of my friends but results wise it wasn’t doing me any good
Not only do props help you find more space, freedom and stability in your poses, they’re also great teaching tools with endless uses if you get creative. Dedicate some time to playing with props.I do yoga regularly for half an hour.
Thanks for sharing great information with us. Yoga heals our body as well as our soul too. I add Yoga in my life. It heal my stress also. Our health is very precious and it is our first priority. Hope to see more blogs as good as all your blog.
Will you plz suggest me more Yoga Posture???
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That is a great idea to spread the awareness about different poses of yoga. Yoga fills our body and mind. I love this post. I started to do yoga after finish my gym workout; today I am not tired.
Thanks for such helpful detail.
Fantastic info,its really helpful to all the fitness lovers.
it was very useful to me..tnx
Thanks, for sharing with us. Really this is a very important for us, and i am sharing with you best yoga teacher training program in Almora, India. This is so true “Yoga isn’t about winning.” struggled for a month trying to nail a pose just for me to brag it to some of my friends but results wise it wasn’t doing me any good
thank you for sharing this! Struggled by getting judgmental stares when i started doing yoga since there were only a few of us guys in the class
Yoga is a very ancient way to make yourself fit and healthy. It helps to prevent your body from different disease. Only 30 minutes of daily yoga gives you a healthy life.
Super informative, I’m just getting started and this made a lot of things more clear, thank you!
When practicing yoga, a loose, comfortable clothes allow the body to move freely, avoid the limitation of your body and breathing, let the body and mind relax, feel good, and enter the Yoga state more quickly. The soft and fit professional yoga suit fluctuates with the bending of the body movements, with moderate tightness, which shows your elegant temperament. Clothing is the highlight of culture and style, which makes the essence of Yoga embodied in the dynamic and static.
There is a growing variety of clothes on the market for sports. Texture, style, style, color and style are different. Everyone can choose their favorite clothes according to their own preferences. However, yoga is a kind of body-building way with gentle, stretching and focusing on one body. Therefore, it is suggested to refer to the following points in the selection of yoga clothes:
texture
Bamboo fiber is a new kind of natural fiber, which is made by combining physical and chemical methods. There are essential differences between natural bamboo fiber and bamboo pulp fiber. Bamboo fiber belongs to natural fiber and bamboo pulp fiber belongs to chemical fiber. The successful development of bamboo fiber marks the birth of another natural fiber, which is in line with the national industrial development policy. Natural bamboo fiber has good properties such as moisture absorption, air permeability, antibacterial, deodorization, UV protection and so on.
style
Simple, generous and neat. Don’t have too many ornaments (especially metal), ribbons or knots on the clothes to prevent chrome body from causing unnecessary injury. Should be able to stretch limbs, the whole body does not feel bound.
Don’t tie the cuffs tightly, but open them naturally; take the elastic mouth or tie the rope at the trouser legs, because there are some supine and backward turning movements in yoga, tightening the mouth can prevent the pants from sliding down. Winter clothing is mainly trousers and long clothes. In summer, it is mainly short clothes and trousers, which can be matched with trousers.
To highlight personality, you can choose clothes with Indian national style, loose and natural, and you will have a kind of elegant and free mysterious feeling; there is also a modern style of fitness clothes, which is tight and elastic, and can also set off a beautiful figure. It is more suitable to practice high temperature Yoga. You can choose according to your preference.
colour
Try to choose fresh, elegant color, solid color is the best, so that you can relax the visual nerve, so that you can quickly calm down. Don’t let the color jump, eye-catching, let you feel excited color try not to wear when practicing yoga. The best color is white.
nice article
Thank you for your help.
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