Props – Chair and Wall

A Chair and a Wall

Parivrtta asana (twisting postures) have profound effects on the organic body; they are the means of cleansing the body. Twist bring us face to face with one’s self. BKS Iyengar offered props as a means to accessing and intensifying the asana.

We work with the wall and a chair to show ways to work in twisting and opening of shoulder and spine. The simple folding chair is  a standard prop in Iyengar yoga. In this class, a chair is used to explore revolved poses.  Explore, challenge, and detoxify with the support of a chair.

Working with the shortened muscles in upper back and neck: trapezius, sternocleidomastoid, and pectoralis; we use the wall and a chair to access the body. Often we are limited in the use of yoga tools available, so I show how to use the wall to affect the spine and shoulders. Looking at the same pose with different tools may give you room to create the openings you are looking for in a yoga asana.

As we add in other tools like a backless chair and bolsters, we can move slowly to work at our own pace. Slowing down allows us to find the small subtle alignments necessary to keep a long term practice healthy and happy.