Yoga Props

and other fun household items:)

“Necessity is the mother of invention.”

-Plato

“I don’t think necessity is the mother of invention. Invention, in my opinion, arises directly from idleness, possibly also from laziness - to save oneself trouble.”

-Agatha Christie

When do you need props?

Early on on my yoga journey, I remember priding myself on not needing props in any pose - I thought, I must be so flexible, strong, and aligned that I can just go fully into any pose.

Guess what? It’s not true any more and I don’t care. I didn’t need props back then because I spent hours a week doing yoga. Now as a mom of two, my life is busy and I fit in my asana practice when I can and while my flexibility and strength aren’t what they used to be, I know that bodies are fluid and this is a moment in time. Sometimes yoga is about riding that waxing and waning ability with grace.

That is why props can be so helpful: you need props when you need some support and help in being more comfortable in a posture. There’s nothing wrong with that, and I’d venture to say that you’ve really advanced in yoga when you can recognize that a prop is necessary.

It’s a little bit like motherhood and knowing when to ask for help. There will be times when you need help and life can be so much better when you ask for and accept help.

Props help you go deeper

Props aren’t only for when you feel you “can’t” do a pose. I put “can’t” in quotes because I’d argue that even if you don’t go into the deepest expression of a pose, you’re still doing it. Then again, what does it really mean to go deeply into a pose? If you’re sweating and shaking as you struggle to touch your toes, does that mean you’re striving to go deeper?

We can go more deeply into poses on more than just a physical level. In yoga, we have the concept of the koshas, which are the layers of our being. Kosha is Sanskrit for sheath or covering. We operate on all these levels and yoga helps us to observe and work with these different parts of our being.

So when I say we can go deeper on more than just a physical level, I have these koshas in mind. We can dive deeper into a pose when we take a longer inhale or exhale, notice our thoughts, acknowledge and release stressful emotions, or just appreciate the little things our bodies can do. This all becomes more possible when we are comfortable, which is not to say we should never challenge ourselves in a pose, but that we should avoid pushing ourselves so hard that we create more stress.

Props help us to stay embodied so that we can breathe and relax even as we challenge ourselves in a pose. I’ll go into specific uses of props in subsequent posts here, but for now I just want to plant the seed that props can not only be helpful, but add challenge and variety to your yoga practice. They can help us explore poses in new ways.

Props are everywhere

The next little seed of inspiration I’d like to plant is that props are everywhere. Sure, you can go on Amazon and buy yoga blocks, straps, bolsters, and other knick-knacks you might find at a yoga studio. These can be so helpful, but sometimes you can turn everyday items into props.

Maybe Plato was right, that necessity really is the mother of invention. Maybe we need our yoga blocks but the kids hid them in the toy bin, so instead of going on a search for them, we grab a stack of books or a box and use that instead. Or, perhaps Agatha Christie was also right, that out of idleness and laziness we invent things. For instance, while I was idle and just waiting for the pasta water to boil, I stopped to stretch at the kitchen counter.

A door can be a yoga prop; a kitchen counter, a wagon, a chair, even some toys can be props. Use your imagination. Know that you don’t have to buy all the fancy yoga paraphernalia or even set up your mat and practice for a full hour. One moment supported in a pose at the wall or kitchen counter might not feel profound the way an hour-long yoga session does, but I’d like to suggest that brief yoga moments like these practiced every day can help you go deeper into your life and practice in a way that is more integrated.

I’ll leave you with that thought, which I’ll continue in the next post. But for now, I wanted to remind you that tomorrow I’m offering a class online for The Longest Day, a fundraiser for the Alzheimer’s Association. See the previous four posts in this newsletter for more information and some other tips on yoga posture variations and modifications that I’ll touch upon in tomorrow’s class!

Check out my fundraiser page here for the details. Here is the link to the Facebook event that will link you to the live class tomorrow, July 2nd, 2023 at 5pm Central.