Yoga using props

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The German yoga teacher Petra Kirchmann demonstrating Sarvangasana using a chair, yoga mat, belt, blanket and bolster in a therapeutic use of yoga Schulterstand-mit-stuhl-iyengar-yoga-2020.jpg
The German yoga teacher Petra Kirchmann demonstrating Sarvangasana using a chair, yoga mat, belt, blanket and bolster in a therapeutic use of yoga

Props used in yoga include chairs, blocks, belts, mats, blankets, bolsters, and straps. They are used in postural yoga to assist with correct alignment in an asana, for ease in mindful yoga practice, to enable poses to be held for longer periods in Yin Yoga, where support may allow muscles to relax, and to enable people with movement restricted for any reason, such as stiffness, injury, or arthritis, to continue with their practice.

Contents

One prop, the yoga strap, has an ancient history, being depicted in temple sculptures and described in manuscripts from ancient and medieval times; it was used in Sopasrayasana, also called Yogapattasana, a seated meditation pose with the legs crossed and supported by the strap. In modern times, the use of props is associated especially with the yoga guru B. K. S. Iyengar; his disciplined style required props including belts, blocks, and ropes.

History

The yogapaṭṭa in sculpture

The practice of yoga as exercise is modern, though some of the asanas are ancient and many more are medieval. A band or strap of cloth was however used in ancient times, some 2000 years ago, to support the body in one asana in particular; this device was the yogapaṭṭa, a term defined in Monier Monier-Williams's Sanskrit-English dictionary. Such a strap is depicted in a relief sculpture on the Great Stupa of Sanchi in Madhya Pradesh, dated c. 50 BCE to 50 CE, in other sculptures from the 7th century CE at Mamallapuram and Ellora, and from the 14th century at Hampi. [2]

The sopāśraya asana

Textual evidence begins with the ancient bhāṣya commentary to the Yoga Sutras of Patanjali , which names an asana called sopāśraya, meaning "with support"; this was interpreted by medieval commentators such as Vācaspati's 10th century Tattvavaiśāradī and Vijñānabhikṣu's 16th century Yogavarttika as meaning the use of a yogapaṭṭa strap. [2] [3] The 19th century Śrītattvanidhi illustrates a seated posture named yogapaṭṭāsana, "the posture with yoga strap", with the band tied around the folded legs. Norman Sjoman states that this seems to have been an alternative meditation pose when the yogi's back needed additional support. [2] [4]

The stambha meditation crutch

In the 8th century Pātañjalayogaśāstravivaraṇa , [5] Shankara glosses the posture mentioned by Patanjali as "The One with Support is with a yoga strap or with a prop such as a crutch"; [6] later commentators such as Vācaspati, Hemacandra and Vijñānabhikṣu speak of the posture only as using a strap. The scholar James Mallinson however comments that a crutch (stambha or adhārī) is seen both in miniature paintings of yogis and in current use (in India). [6] [7] Mallinson states that the meditation crutch was in wide use amongst ascetics from the 16th century onwards; he has travelled India visiting hatha yoga practitioners, and describes the use of the crutch as "rare today, but not unknown", providing a photograph of a yogi at the 2010 Kumbh Mela at Haridwar in evidence. [7]

The 16th century Yogacintāmaṇī mentions sopāśrayāsana "Pose with Support" which uses a yoga belt as above, and describes two postures which use a crutch. One is Āsāvari "Best of the Crutches", which uses an āsā, probably meaning a T-shaped prop. Birch states that the yogi can place the prop under one armpit, or have it in front of the body with both arms resting on it. The other is Nidrāharāsana "Posture to prevent sleep", where a fine balance is maintained with the lower legs crossed in Padmasana and the body upright from the knees (a form of Gorakshasana ), and the hands again holding a T-shaped prop. [8]

Modern practice

For correct alignment

Schools such as Iyengar Yoga use props including blocks, blankets, and chairs to assist correct alignment, as here in Utthita Vasisthasana. Eyal Shifroni in Vasisthasana with props.jpg
Schools such as Iyengar Yoga use props including blocks, blankets, and chairs to assist correct alignment, as here in Utthita Vasisthasana.

Chairs and other props are used widely in some schools of modern yoga as exercise. The use of props was pioneered in Iyengar Yoga, to enable students to work with correct alignment both as beginners and in more advanced asanas with suitable support. [10] Iyengar Yoga was created by B. K. S. Iyengar, a pupil of the yoga pioneer Tirumalai Krishnamacharya, and described in his authoritative 1966 book Light on Yoga . [11] The scholar of religion Andrea Jain observes that the book "prescribed a thoroughly individualistic system of postural yoga", [12] one that was "rigorous and disciplined", [12] requiring props such as "belts, bricks, and ropes". [12] The props served to guide the practitioner rather than to provide support. [13]

For example, in Iyengar Yoga, Sarvangasana, shoulder stand, can be practised under suitable supervision with the shoulders on a bolster, the buttocks supported on the seat of a chair and a blanket, and the legs resting on the top of the chair's back. [9]

For ease in practice

A pair of blocks can support the body, such as under the knees in Butterfly (Baddha Konasana). Cork yoga blocks.jpg
A pair of blocks can support the body, such as under the knees in Butterfly (Baddha Konasana).

The founder of the OM Yoga Center, Cyndi Lee, describes the use of props as part of a practice of Mindful Yoga. She wrote that students accustomed to vinyasa yoga "would rather strain and grunt" trying to touch their toes, endangering their backs, rather than use props such as a yoga belt or block to reduce the strain or elevate the pelvis. [15] The students ignored her, thinking that "ease in their practice ... meant easy and that was wimpy. Not enough challenge, boring, too slow." [15] She found that this gradually changed as the students recognised duhkha , which she defines as the pain that comes from ignoring the reality of a situation. In her view, using yoga props was a form of ahimsa, the yogic practice of nonviolence, in this case avoiding having the will or ego fighting the body. [15]

For Yin Yoga

The teacher of Yin Yoga Bernie Clark wrote that many yoga students see props as "cheating", [14] perhaps feeling that since they are used in restorative yoga sessions, they are not suitable for other students. Clark counters that props offer multiple benefits, including increasing or decreasing stress in specific areas; creating length and space; making certain positions accessible; providing support and thus enabling muscles to release; and increasing comfort, enabling postures to be held for longer durations. These benefits are especially noticeable in a slower practice such as Yin Yoga. [14] Clark cites the founder of Insight Yoga, Sarah Powers, as writing that "when the bones feel supported, the muscles can relax". [14] He comments that highly experienced practitioners can easily miss out on this benefit, feeling that they have no need for props, but that even they may discover in "Butterfly Pose" (the Yin Yoga version of Baddha Konasana) that supporting the knees on blocks allows muscles they did not know they were engaging to relax, transferring the asana's stress to the fascia. [14] He lists a wide variety of props beyond those most commonly used, and suggests uses for them. [14]

To go deeper into a pose

Props can be useful to the advanced student, such as for inverted poses like Vrischikasana (Scorpion), allowing longer holds without fear of falling. Vrischikasana using props.jpg
Props can be useful to the advanced student, such as for inverted poses like Vrischikasana (Scorpion), allowing longer holds without fear of falling.

The leading Iyengar yoga teacher Dean Lerner, in Yoga Journal , stated that the benefits of props depend on the experience, maturity, and ability of the practitioner; a mature student can use props to enable "refined penetration into the pose and one's being". [16] Students may be afraid, he notes, of an inverted pose such as Shirshasana (yoga headstand); by practising against a wall, the student can learn to master the fear of falling, and can then continue practising there to develop stability, right alignment, and refined balance. [16] He adds that props can also be used to enable poses to be held for a longer duration, developing stability of mind and body, as well as poise and concentration; these, he states, enable the mind to draw inward and develop objectivity and humility, a step on the journey towards the Self. [16]

To prevent slipping

The yoga mat has become ubiquitous in the practice of yoga as exercise, to the extent that it may not even be thought of as a prop. [17] Its main function is "stickiness", [18] to prevent slipping, though it also provides a more comfortable surface such as for kneeling poses. [18] The mat may equally mark out a territory in a crowded class, or create a ritual space as it is unrolled to begin a session and rolled up at the end. [19] [20]

When movement is restricted

A class practising yoga in chairs Followinghandaround.jpg
A class practising yoga in chairs

Alice Christensen's Easy Does It Yoga, first described in 1979, uses "chair exercises", alongside others on floor or bed, and in later editions also in swimming pools, for older practitioners with restricted movement. [21] [22] Lakshmi Voelker-Binder created an approach named Chair Yoga in 1982, on seeing that one of her pupils, aged only in her thirties, was unable to do floor poses because of arthritis. [23] [24]

Yoga as therapy is the use of asanas as a gentle form of exercise and relaxation, applied specifically with the intention of improving health. This may involve meditation, imagery, breath work (pranayama) and music alongside the exercise. [25] A 2013 systematic review found beneficial effects of yoga on low back pain. [26]

For aerial yoga

An aerial yoga class practising Flying Pigeon Pose, the aerial variant of Rajakapotasana Aerial Yoga.jpg
An aerial yoga class practising Flying Pigeon Pose, the aerial variant of Rajakapotasana

Aerial yoga, a yoga hybrid, requires the use of a silk hammock with straps attached by carabiners to support chains, to permit practitioners to perform variants of yoga poses without weight on their hands or feet. [27] Difficult mat-based yoga postures may prove easier to perform through aerial yoga, while the hammock's movement adds variety to the aerial workout. [28]

See also

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Iyengar Yoga</span> School of modern yoga

Iyengar Yoga, named after and developed by B. K. S. Iyengar, and described in his bestselling 1966 book Light on Yoga, is a form of yoga as exercise that has an emphasis on detail, precision and alignment in the performance of yoga postures (asanas).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Lotus position</span> Cross-legged sitting meditation pose

Lotus position or Padmasana is a cross-legged sitting meditation pose from ancient India, in which each foot is placed on the opposite thigh. It is an ancient asana in yoga, predating hatha yoga, and is widely used for meditation in Hindu, Tantra, Jain, and Buddhist traditions.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Hatha yoga</span> Branch of yoga focusing on physical techniques

Hatha yoga is a branch of yoga that uses physical techniques to try to preserve and channel vital force or energy. The Sanskrit word हठ haṭha literally means "force", alluding to a system of physical techniques. Some hatha yoga style techniques can be traced back at least to the 1st-century CE, in texts such as the Hindu Sanskrit epics and Buddhism's Pali canon. The oldest dated text so far found to describe hatha yoga, the 11th-century Amṛtasiddhi, comes from a tantric Buddhist milieu. The oldest texts to use the terminology of hatha are also Vajrayana Buddhist. Hindu hatha yoga texts appear from the 11th century onward.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Asana</span> Postures in hatha yoga and modern yoga practice

An āsana is a body posture, originally and still a general term for a sitting meditation pose, and later extended in hatha yoga and modern yoga as exercise, to any type of position, adding reclining, standing, inverted, twisting, and balancing poses. The Yoga Sutras of Patanjali define "asana" as "[a position that] is steady and comfortable". Patanjali mentions the ability to sit for extended periods as one of the eight limbs of his system. Asanas are also called yoga poses or yoga postures in English.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Downward Dog Pose</span> Standing posture in modern yoga

Downward Dog Pose or Downward-facing Dog Pose, also called Adho Mukha Svanasana, is an inversion asana, often practised as part of a flowing sequence of poses, especially Surya Namaskar, the Salute to the Sun. The asana is commonly used in modern yoga as exercise. The asana does not have formally named variations, but several playful variants are used to assist beginning practitioners to become comfortable in the pose.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Yoga as therapy</span> Yoga in the use of physical and mental therapy

Yoga as therapy is the use of yoga as exercise, consisting mainly of postures called asanas, as a gentle form of exercise and relaxation applied specifically with the intention of improving health. This form of yoga is widely practised in classes, and may involve meditation, imagery, breath work (pranayama) and calming music as well as postural yoga.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Cobra pose</span> Reclining back-bending postures in hatha yoga and modern yoga

Cobra Pose or Bhujangasana is a reclining back-bending asana in hatha yoga and modern yoga as exercise. It is also performed in a cycle of asanas in Surya Namaskar, Salute to the Sun, as an alternative to Urdhva Mukha Svanasana, Upward Dog Pose. The Yin Yoga form is Sphinx Pose.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sarvangasana</span> Inverted posture in yoga as exercise

Sarvangasana, Shoulder stand, or more fully Salamba Sarvangasana, is an inverted asana in modern yoga as exercise; similar poses were used in medieval hatha yoga as a mudra.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Shavasana</span> Relaxed reclining posture in hatha yoga

Shavasana, Corpse Pose, or Mritasana, is an asana in hatha yoga and modern yoga as exercise, often used for relaxation at the end of a session. It is the usual pose for the practice of yoga nidra meditation, and is an important pose in Restorative Yoga.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Viparita Karani</span> Inverted posture in hatha yoga

Viparita Karani or legs up the wall pose is both an asana and a mudra in hatha yoga. In modern yoga as exercise, it is commonly a fully supported pose using a wall and sometimes a pile of blankets, where it is considered a restful practice. As a mudra it was practised using any preferred inversion, such as a headstand or shoulderstand. The purpose of the mudra was to reverse the downward flow of vital fluid being lost from the head, using gravity.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Yin Yoga</span> A slow-paced school of modern yoga as exercise

Yin Yoga is a slow-paced style of yoga, incorporating principles of traditional Chinese medicine, with asanas (postures) that are held for longer periods of time than in other yoga styles. Advanced practitioners may stay in one asana for five minutes or more. As conceptualized in the Taoist and Dharmic traditions, the sequences of postures are meant to stimulate the channels of the subtle body, known as meridians in Chinese medicine and as nadis in Hatha yoga.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Kukkutasana</span> Hand-balancing posture in hatha yoga

Kukkutasana, Cockerel Pose, or Rooster Posture is an arm-balancing asana in hatha yoga and modern yoga as exercise, derived from the seated Padmasana, lotus position. It is one of the oldest non-seated asanas. Similar hand-balancing poses known from the 20th century include Pendant Pose or Lolasana, and Scale Pose or Tulasana.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Gomukhasana</span> Seated posture in hatha yoga

Gomukhasana or Cow Face Pose is a seated asana in hatha yoga and modern yoga as exercise, sometimes used for meditation.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Meditative postures</span> Body positions used in meditation

Meditative postures or meditation seats are the body positions or asanas, usually sitting but also sometimes standing or reclining, used to facilitate meditation. Best known in the Buddhist and Hindu traditions are the lotus and kneeling positions; other options include sitting on a chair, with the spine upright.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Yoga as exercise</span> Physical activity consisting mainly of yoga poses

Yoga as exercise is a physical activity consisting mainly of postures, often connected by flowing sequences, sometimes accompanied by breathing exercises, and frequently ending with relaxation lying down or meditation. Yoga in this form has become familiar across the world, especially in the US and Europe. It is derived from medieval Haṭha yoga, which made use of similar postures, but it is generally simply called "yoga". Academic research has given yoga as exercise a variety of names, including modern postural yoga and transnational anglophone yoga.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Gorakshasana</span> Seated posture in hatha yoga

Gorakshasana is a seated asana in hatha yoga. It has been used for meditation and in tantric practice.

Restorative Yoga is the practice of asanas, each held for longer than in conventional yoga as exercise classes, often with the support of props such as folded blankets, to relax the body, reduce stress, and often to prepare for pranayama. The practice was foreshadowed by Iyengar Yoga's use of props in its deliberate style of asana practice.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Standing asanas</span> Yoga poses with one or both feet on the ground

The standing asanas are the yoga poses or asanas with one or both feet on the ground, and the body more or less upright. They are among the most distinctive features of modern yoga as exercise. Until the 20th century there were very few of these, the best example being Vrikshasana, Tree Pose. From the time of Krishnamacharya in Mysore, many standing poses have been created. Two major sources of these asanas have been identified: the exercise sequence Surya Namaskar ; and the gymnastics widely practised in India at the time, based on the prevailing physical culture.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Yoga brick</span> Block used as yoga prop

A yoga brick or yoga block is a smooth block of wood or of firm but comfortable material, such as hard foam rubber or cork, used as a prop in yoga as exercise.

References

  1. ↑ "Das Studio" (in German). Yogashala Munchen. Archived from the original on 25 July 2021. Retrieved 25 July 2021.
  2. 1 2 3 Powell, Seth (June 2018). "The Ancient Yoga Strap". The Luminescent. Retrieved 20 June 2021.
  3. ↑ The commentary is on Yoga Sutra 2.46, that an asana should be steady and comfortable.
  4. ↑ Sjoman, Norman E. (1999) [1996]. The Yoga Tradition of the Mysore Palace. Abhinav Publications. p. 85, and plate 20. ISBN   978-81-7017-389-2.[ permanent dead link ]
  5. ↑ Birch, Jason (2024). "The Ujjain Yogacintāmaṇi". Āsanas of the Yogacintāmaṇi: The Largest Premodern Compilation on Postural Practice. Paris and Pondicherry: École française d'Extrême-Orient and Institut français de Pondichéry. p. 182 note 341.
  6. 1 2 Maas, Philipp A. (2018). "'Sthirasukham Asanam': Posture and Performance in Classical Yoga and Beyond". In Baier, Karl; Maas, Philipp A.; Preisendanz, Karin (eds.). Yoga in transformation: historical and contemporary perspectives. Göttingen: Vienna University Press. pp. 49–100. ISBN   978-3-8471-0862-7. OCLC   1077772000.
  7. 1 2 3 Mallinson, James (2020). "Yogi Insignia in Mughal Painting and Avadhi Romances". In Orsini, Francesca; Lunn, David (eds.). To be published in: Objects, Images, Stories: Simon Digby's historical method (PDF). Oxford: Oxford University Press.
  8. 1 2 Birch, Jason (2024). "The Ujjain Yogacintāmaṇi". Āsanas of the Yogacintāmaṇi: The Largest Premodern Compilation on Postural Practice. Paris and Pondicherry: École française d'Extrême-Orient and Institut français de Pondichéry. pp. 173, 182–183.
  9. 1 2 Mehta, Silva; Mehta, Mira; Mehta, Shyam (1990). Yoga: The Iyengar Way . Dorling Kindersley. pp. 118–119. ISBN   978-0863184208.
  10. ↑ Mehta, Silva; Mehta, Mira; Mehta, Shyam (1990). Yoga the Iyengar Way: The new definitive guide to the most practised form of yoga. Dorling Kindersley. pp. 70–71, 80, 108, 118–119. ISBN   978-0863184208.
  11. ↑ Goldberg, Michelle (23 August 2014). "Iyengar and the Invention of Yoga". The New Yorker . Retrieved 20 November 2018.
  12. 1 2 3 Jain, Andrea (July 2016). "The Popularization of Modern Yoga". Oxford Research Encyclopedias. doi:10.1093/acrefore/9780199340378.013.163. ISBN   978-0-19-934037-8 . Retrieved 20 March 2019.
  13. ↑ Peters, Leslie (December 2006). "Proper Props". Yoga Journal (December 2006): 119–122. Retrieved 25 July 2021.
  14. 1 2 3 4 5 6 Clark, Bernie (7 January 2015). "The Why, What & How Behind Using Yoga Props". Elephant Journal. Retrieved 18 April 2021.
  15. 1 2 3 Lee, Cyndi (2004). Yoga Body, Buddha Mind. Riverhead Books. pp. 145–146.
  16. 1 2 3 Lerner, Dean (28 August 2007). "The Nature and Use of Yoga Props". Yoga Journal . Retrieved 18 April 2021.
  17. ↑ Upham, Becky (10 September 2019). "Yoga Mats, Straps, Bolsters, and Other Props to Aid Your Practice". Everyday Health. Retrieved 25 July 2021. Medically Reviewed by Lynn Grieger, RDN CDCES
  18. 1 2 YJ Editors (12 April 2017). "Test Your Mat Savvy: 5 Teachers' Favorite Yoga Mats". Yoga Journal . Retrieved 9 May 2019.
  19. ↑ Jain, Andrea (14 August 2015). "Five myths about yoga". The Washington Post .
  20. ↑ Korpelainen, Noora-Helena (2019). "Sparks of Yoga: Reconsidering the Aesthetic in Modern Postural Yoga". Journal of Somaesthetics. 5 (1): 46–60.
  21. ↑ Christensen, Alice (1979). Easy Does It Yoga for Older People. San Francisco and Cleveland: Harper and Row; Light of Yoga Society.
  22. ↑ Christensen, Alice (1999). The American Yoga Association's Easy Does It Yoga: the safe and gentle way to health and well-being. New York: Fireside Book. pp. 63–91 and throughout. ISBN   978-0-684-84890-7. OCLC   41951264.
  23. ↑ "About Lakshmi Voelker". Get Fit Where You Sit. Archived from the original on 10 March 2021. Retrieved 8 April 2019.
  24. ↑ Lehmkuhl, Lynn (2020). Chair Yoga for Seniors : stretches and poses that you can do sitting down at home. New York, New York: Skyhorse Publishing. Introduction, page 8. ISBN   978-1-5107-5063-0. OCLC   1134762765.
  25. ↑ Feuerstein, Georg (2006). Jonathan Shear (ed.). The Experience of Meditation. St. Paul, Minnesota: Paragon House. p. 90.
  26. ↑ Cramer, Holger; Lauche, Romy; Haller, Heidemarie; Dobos, Gustav (2013). "A Systematic Review and Meta-analysis of Yoga for Low Back Pain". The Clinical Journal of Pain. 29 (5): 450–460. doi:10.1097/AJP.0b013e31825e1492. PMID   23246998. S2CID   12547406.
  27. ↑ Macmillan, A. (2014). "Quick Tips: What is Antigravity Yoga?". howstuffworks . Retrieved 25 July 2020.
  28. ↑ Singh, Ayesha (21 February 2015). "New Yoga Sutras". New Indian Express . Retrieved 25 July 2020.
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