Deepen Your Yoga Practice With Props
Props are not just for beginners; they are essential tools to explore new depths, support your body, and safely build your practice. Whether you use a wall, blocks, or a wheel, these simple additions can transform your alignment and confidence.
Ever evolving. This video shows how I use a yoga strap to help open my shoulders in a standing backbend, a great prop-assisted stretch.
Some weeks should just start with a deep stretch. Using a yoga wheel and blocks to support a deep backbend is a fantastic way to open the spine, improve posture, and release tension.
Attempting Vrschikasana (Scorpion Pose) with props. Here I use a yoga wheel and blocks for support as I work on the deep backbend and balance required for this advanced inversion.
The things you want require consistency and patience. Working on my backbend flexibility using a yoga wheel for support. It's a great tool for safely exploring deeper postures like Kapotasana.
About Using Props to Deepen Your Practice
When I work with props, my goal is never to force my way into a pose. Instead, I use tools like yoga wheels and blocks to create stable support, which allows me to engage the correct muscles and find space in areas that usually feel tight. In my sessions, we will use whatever you have at home—cushions, sturdy belts, or even a wall—to help you safely unlock deeper stretches or balance work, regardless of your current flexibility.
Many students hesitate to use props because they feel it implies they are 'cheating' or not doing the pose the right way. My approach is the opposite. Props are a bridge. When you use a strap to reach your foot in a seated forward fold, or place blocks under your hands in a lunge, you are actually finding better alignment. This lets you breathe into the posture rather than fighting against your own anatomy.
Why Props Matter
- Blocks: Perfect for bringing the floor closer to you. They are essential for triangle pose or supporting the spine in backbends.
- Straps: Use these to safely deepen your stretches without overextending. They help you keep your spine straight in seated poses.
- Wheels: These have become a favorite in my own practice for supporting backbends and opening the chest, especially if you spend long hours working at a desk.
- Walls: The most underrated prop. I use the wall constantly to find balance in inversions or to align my hips in standing poses.
My Philosophy on Props
I teach both Ashtanga Vinyasa and Hatha, and I often see students struggle to find their 'center' in these flows. Using props allows you to hold a pose for those extra few breaths needed to reap the benefits. Whether we are working on Vrschikasana (Scorpion Pose) or just a simple restorative stretch, the focus is always on Kaizen—getting one percent better every day. We don't rush, and we certainly don't ignore our body's limits. If you are joining my online small group batches, expect me to guide you on how to set up these props so you get the most out of your practice at home.
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