When you are a member of the Maria Pontillo fitness family at STUDIO1 you will gain access to a whole new world of fitness programming focused on improving quality of life. Something that has gained more popularity recently is the practice of yoga in its many forms. Yoga was already a popular fitness and mobility workout choice prior to the pandemic starting, but since then it has skyrocketed in demand as people work, teach, learn, and exercise all from within their homes. As such, I felt it would be good to talk about the use of props and other tools within your yoga practice to aid you through your flows.
PROPS PROPS PROPS
Yoga is inherently a simple activity to do, requiring nothing more than your own body and breath. Where things can get tricky is when you are looking into doing some new or more advanced poses and your body can’t quite get into the proper position. Maybe you start noticing some aching, burning, or otherwise uncomfortable feeling in various parts of your body. This is where props can become extremely useful. Yoga props include blocks, towels, straps, blankets, and bolsters, or anything that can be used to assist you with successfully regressing a pose. Perhaps you are going for that downward-facing dog pose, but your calf and hamstring muscles feel “super tight” and your do not touch the mat fully. One of my favorite suggestions to assist with getting the heels to touch is placing your hands on yoga blocks! Its common to think the blocks are used for balance or sitting postures, but using them to help lift the floor a bit higher is a game changer. This allows you to focus on the entirety of the pose, and the soak in the spinal decompression benefits!
PROPPING UP YOUR PRACTICE
At Studio1, I want you to feel empowered to accomplish your goals and feel successful in every yoga class! If you have props at your disposal, I believe that you will greatly enhance your yoga practice while maintaining integrity. Many yogis have said that poses do not start until you feel challenged in holding them, and for that, you will want to ensure you have proper use of props to keep you safe and able to reap all the amazing benefits that the practice of yoga provides! Check out my Yoga Album in STUDIO1 and look for my Beginner Flow for some great ideas on using yoga props.
