Yoga with Props: Deepen Your Asana Practice in Koramangala

Using a chair for a deep backbend like this variation of Urdhva Dhanurasana provides stability and allows the practitioner to focus on opening the thoracic spine. It's a perfect example of how props can transform and deepen your asana practice.

Here, I demonstrate how to use a chair to build strength for Shalabhasana, or Locust Pose. The chair supports the body weight, allowing you to focus on engaging the back muscles and lifting the legs, preparing you for the full, unsupported expression of the pose.

The chair can also be a tool for building arm balance strength. This is a preparation for Mayurasana, or Peacock Pose, where the chair provides a stable base to practice lifting the legs and finding your center of gravity.

Our students practice Ardha Chandrasana, or Half Moon Pose, using blocks for support and ropes for stability. This setup, inspired by Iyengar yoga, helps maintain alignment and balance, allowing for a fuller and more stable expression of the pose.

Inversions using the rope wall are a signature part of our practice. This supported version of Sirsasana, or Headstand, helps decompress the spine and improve circulation without putting pressure on the neck, making inversions accessible to more students.

Using blocks under the hands in Urdhva Dhanurasana can help create more space for the shoulders and upper back to open. This modification is excellent for those working on shoulder flexibility and building the strength to press up.

This video shows how a strap can be used to work towards deep backbends. By securing the feet, the strap helps to intensify the stretch in the quadriceps and hip flexors, which is key for poses like this variation of Bhekasana (Frog Pose).

A demonstration of how to use a strap and the wall to deepen a backbend. This supported practice helps to open the shoulders and upper back safely, building the flexibility needed for more advanced postures.

Here I am demonstrating Poorna Bhujangasana, or Full Cobra Pose, with the aid of a strap. The strap helps to draw the feet towards the head, deepening the spinal extension while maintaining control and engagement.