To Prop vs. No Prop, by Kristin Doubet, RYT 500
By admin | February 17, 2012
To prop or not to prop that is the question. When I was asked to write an article on this subject the first thing to come to my mind is a statement I hear often from students, “using props is cheating’. That statement always takes me back a bit because I was not raised in yoga with that thought process, yet I understand it. I was fortunate and was raised in a classical yoga studio with blankets, straps, bolsters, chairs, blocks, wedges, sandbags, “the whale” (used for backbends), yoga ropes and more. I often wonder what my practice would look like without the aid and support of these props. I love using props and have seen my practice flourish as a result.
When my body is not in a place where I can fully attain a pose without a prop then the prop is a useful tool to assist my body. My body begins to open at its own organic pace without the imposition of a goal oriented practice, but reminds me to stay in the process. This process of allowing my body to open of its own natural accord is the very essence of yoga. Yes I can like most of us, lose the process and get into the attainment, but it is here that I find that my practice and the “attainment” of a pose moves me further away, and frustration and impatience set in.
Many times when I teach with props the students’ find the value of props. This allows them the space and support they need to work comfortably in an asana, where they can breathe and explore the pose further. Students tend to give up on yoga and leave because they cannot find comfort and happiness in their practice or in their bodies. The use of props allows them to perform asanas safely and efficiently. Yaappana means the support and extension of life. That is what I think of often when using props – the support and extension of my practice, the support and extension of my life.
To learn more about the Yaapana yoga therapy 500 hour program and how to see and teach students, not just lead poses, go to leeanncareyyoga.com to find a master intensive near you.
