I have been practicing yoga for over 30 years and props have been my faithful companions all these years.

Why do we use props?

They make the poses more accessible (i.e. bring the floor higher) and they allow us to go into the poses more deeply. Both of these help to reap the benefit of the pose(s).

I encourage my students to use props, it is an art to use them correctly.

What props do I use?

Yoga mat

A mat with good grip is important so we can place weight through our hands (dog stretch) and feet ( for standing & balancing poses).  A soft, generic exercise mat is not ideal as your ankles won’t feel steady.

You can roll up a yoga mat and lay over it or place the rolled up mat under your thighs when you are relaxing in savasana.

See the photos below for some applications of the various props, sometimes I use more than one.

Chair

A foldup chair is very handy.

Some uses:

If someone is not able to practice on the mat (maybe knee or hip issue) poses can be modified for chair.

For standing poses the student can rest one or two hands on the back of the chair or on the seat of the chair.

One can sit on the floor in front of a chair and rest the forehead on the chair (use blankets or towels so your head  and neck are comfortable.

Some people use chairs to do shoulder-stand.

Blocks (try to have two or three)

They bring the floor up and it is helpful in standing poses to rest one or two hands on them.

They very good support under the sacrum for supported mini backbend.

You can sit on them and work your hips.

I use three blocks for headstand preparation. The block on the top helps to straighten the spine.

Strap

Strap can help you to bend forward more (remember to sit on folded blanket so you move from your hips). The boat pose requires abdominal strength and balance and a strap is useful when learning this pose.

Bolster

Mostly used for restorative poses, like the laying over it to open the chest.

Enjoy your practice and use your props when you need them!

Yoga Australia’s former vice president was on the opinion that the most important thing is finding the right teacher – someone you relate to, someone who’s professionally trained, who keeps up with professional development and has professional risk insurance.

In addition to finding the right teacher one also needs to consider the following:

• Location of the class, close to home or work, ease of getting there,
• Day and time of the class, it needs to fit in with your lifestyle,
• The other yogis in the class.

In my case I didn’t need to do a research. My lower back problem led to a physiotherapist who, as a bonus, was also a yoga teacher. After a couple of private classes she encouraged me to join her yoga class. This was in 1986 (yes, a long time ago!) Through yoga I learnt to keep my back in working order.

Yoga teachers specialize in areas which are close to their heart i.e. cancer survivors, diagnosed with diabetes, pre-natal and post natal yoga, fat yoga, yoga for mental health management. For me it is seniors, using props and a bit slower pace than younger cohort.

Please see my bio: https://tranquability.com/about/

If you are over 50, senior, not so supple or a younger person wanting to give yoga a try – please contact me: https://tranquability.com/contact/

Yoga helps us to become a better version of ourselves!

Chanting the sound of AUM in yoga classes is popular. Have you ever wondered what does it mean?

AUM is considered to the symbol of divinity. It is a sacred mantra and is to be repeated constantly. It is called pranava, which stands for praise of the divine and fulfilment of divinity.

What are the benefits of chanting the AUM?

Practicing AUM clears the blockages in the vocal cords and throat chakra (wheel of energy) and then begins to clear the whole physical body, the other chakras and the auric field.

Three syllables are A & U & M plus the crescent and the dot.

The three sounds are universal. One of the interpretation of this trinity is: past, present and future. On your travels you might have visited temples where there are three main buddha sculptures, which are identical with the exception the hand gestures or mudras. The mudras represent the past, present and future.

For more examples of the trinity please scroll down to the table.

Did you know that putting your legs up the wall for a few minutes is a powerful and restorative pose?

It helps with sending blood flow to your core, eases stress, helps you sleep, calms your nerves, relieves swollen ankles, relieves varicose veins, relieves headaches, and improves digestion.

This powerful, yet incredibly simple to do restorative pose is beneficial to the health of your heart. It gives your heart a rest so it doesn’t have to pump as hard and helps to slow down your heart rate. The ‘legs up the wall’ pose will leave you feel relaxed with a calmer mind.

I practice this pose when I am tired and still have a lot to do.  This my ‘go to pose’ at night before going to bed. It helps me sleep well. The ‘legs up the wall’ is recommended for people with insomnia.

Spend five minutes with your ‘legs up the wall’ and notice the natural rhythm of your breath and see what happens. Try increasing the time gradually. Twenty minutes of restorative yoga a day will make the world a better place!

Enjoy it!

My blog on Long Covid had a lot of likes. I am glad it was useful for some of you, see the link below if you missed it.

https://tranquability.com/2022/02/19/yoga-and-long-covid/

Since I wrote that article I had IT, Covid-19 that is.  I would like to share my experience.  My recovery included western and eastern ‘tools’.

Find the balance between accepting you have Covid, resting and doing some form of gentle exercise. We lose muscle tone very quickly.

I was in isolation for nine days (which is longer than the seven day rule set by our Government).  I was weak for another couple of weeks after that.  Talking to others the latter is common, it takes a while to ‘get back to normal’.

My symptoms were numerous and included runny nose, sore throat and elevated temperature for a day or so.  My Doctor recommended I treat the symptoms by using nasal spray, sore throat gargle, vaporizing ointment (which works two ways: by inhalation or by rubbing directly on the skin, usually on the chest).  Similar to your cold and flu season remedies.

It helps if you keep a reasonably well stocked pantry so you do not have to worry in the first couple of days, which might be the worse. I ordered groceries online and the delivery was contactless.

In the initial few days of the isolation I did some gentle yoga, mainly mobilizing the joints.  Think of neck, shoulders, fingers, wrists, hips, knees, ankles and toes. 

By day five I was able to join my Teacher’s online class and apart from the standing poses I managed to participate fully.

Most nights my evening routine includes one restorative pose before going to bed. 

The favourite one is a variation on the ‘legs up the wall’ pose. Lay on the floor with buttocks close to the bed. Be warm. Let the calves rest on the bed or a chair. If your legs are short and the bed or chair is too high, place a folded blanket or towel under your sacrum to lift you up to a height where your calves and ankles are resting. See photo below:

Another relaxing pose is bending forward. Sit on the floor on a folded blanket or big towel. Lengthen the torso upwards before bending from your hips. In this pose we create space for the lungs. Resting the forehead quietens the busy mind. See two options below:

If you do not have bolsters to rest your chest on, you can do the forward bend by standing in front of your kitchen table and bend forward to rest your chest. You may place a towel or pillows on the table to make you more comfortable. Turn your head one way for a while then change to the other side.

Keep in touch with your social network, read a good book (a good crime will fill several your iso days). Once your are out of isolation go for walks, start with shorter ones.

If your symptoms do not subside please consult your Doctor.

Wishing you a full recovery!

If you have time during Easter please coming along to our class. See feature photo.

Class info and what to bring: https://tranquability.com/classes/