Iyengar Yoga and the benefits of using props

What is a yoga prop? Some of the most traditional props used in Iyengar
Yoga are belts, bricks, blocks, bolsters, blankets, chairs and ropes. However, if
one understands the correct function of the prop (which may vary according to
the asana, sequence and person), one realizes that almost every object and
material can become a prop: the wall, the floor, a book, a part of ones own
body, etc.
Why to use them? Props are useful because they offer alternatives to the
more classical postures, providing new ways of working suitable for the various
bodily conditions that people may have. As I explained in a previous post (see
Modern Yoga Practice: Vices or Virtues), props are central in making possible
the democratic aspect of Iyengar Yoga, since they offer specific ways in which
every person could learn how to perform asanas correctly and therefore be able
to be affected by their benefits. Props are of valuable not only for people who
may have difficulties such as specific pain conditions or injuries (back, neck or
knee pain for example), but also for particular medical conditions such as
hypertension, diabetes, hypothyroidism, etc. This is not to say that the use of
props is limited to the treatment of a particular problem or medical condition,
and this is something that is normally misunderstood, since many practitioners
think that they dont need any prop because they dont have any physical
problems. I can do the posture, so why should I use a prop? I have heard this
idea many times in my classes. This emerges from the ignorance about the real
potentiality of props, for what they dont know is that props dont only can
help in the cure of problems but they contribute to the openness of body and
mind enhancing their awareness and therefore bringing more learning and
wisdom into our yoga practice.
Where to start? Within the growing Yoga industry youll see many props in
online specialized and non-specialized shops. Here I recommend some basic
props and explain some asanas in which they will be useful.

Belts: Belts are very useful for beginners or practitioners who are stiff
helping them to extend muscles and develop more flexibility in their
joints. For instance, the belt can help in poses such us Supta
Padangusthasana (see the photo) or Gomukhasana when the
practitioner cant hold his/her hand or foot. Belts are also very practical
for practitioners regardless of their level, since they can help to maintain
some parts of the body closer to each other such as in Supta Baddha
Konasana where the heels need to come as close as you can to your
pubis, or in Salamba Sarvangasana where you need to maintain your
elbows shoulder-width.

Belt

Bricks

Bricks: They are great both for beginners and more advanced
practitioners. They facilitate sitting and standing postures for beginners,
especially if they are stiff in their leg muscles. For instance, the use of a
brick for the lower hand in Utthita Trikonasana (see the photo) will help
to maintain the correct alignment of the pose by opening the hips and
chest and extending the spine. In this way without the need of touching
the floor with the hand, the pose can be done in a correct way and
therefore gaining all its benefits. There are plenty of other postures in
which bricks can be useful, see for example the photo of Uttanasana and
Parsvottanasana.
Blocks: They have a similar function as the one offered by the bricks.
The difference is that they provide a bigger and more stable surface,
which can be used as a valuable height to lift the spine and protect the
neck in poses such as Salamba Sarvangasana, or as an adjustable base
in sitting and forward bend poses where depending on the person the
height needed for the hips will vary in order to help the elongation of the
trunk and spine.
Blankets: They can support different parts of the body in lots of
postures. For instance, they offer support to the head in supine poses
such as Supta Baddha Konasana and Savasana, as well as in forward
bends such as Adho Mukha Virasana and Paschimottanasa. They are
particularly good for therapeutic uses, since they offer a softer and more
malleable support than the one provided by bricks and blocks.

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Blocks

Blankets