A few months ago, I noticed a student struggling to interlace his fingers behind his back in a deep stretch class. As most yoga instructors would do, I grabbed a strap and nonchalantly placed it in his hands to make the pose accessible. No brainer, right? Wrong.
The student approached me after class, thanking me for the adjustment. It was the first time he’d been able to move into a standing forward fold with his hands bound behind his back. He could feel more openness in his chest and shoulders already!
Over the years, I’ve always assumed that most yogis not utilizing props in their practice are riding the mini ego wave. The, “Oh, I can get into that pose (even if it’s super difficult and I’m on the hardcore struggle bus), so I don’t need any props.” I get it. I was one of those yogis for a really long time. Confession: Sometimes I’m still one of those yogis.
But now? I’m beginning to think it’s because people don’t know how to incorporate props into their regular practice in a way that truly benefits them. I’m finding a lot of yogis don’t understand is that not only are props a way to make challenging asanas accessible, but props are a vehicle for growth and change. They can further your flexibility and actually move you more deeply into a pose.
As a result, I’ve designed a series of workshops to explore increasing your flexibility. Our bodies are unique. We’re going to have different trouble areas, strengths, and needs. We’ll move through modifications and variations which can be adapted and incorporated into many practices. Space is limited for these workshops so that we have time to breakdown the mechanics of poses so that you, as an individual, are getting the most out of each asana. Each workshop will have an area of focus: heart-openers and backbends, hips and hamstrings, and shoulders, neck, and upper back.
Check out the workshop dates and times held in Little Rock at Barefoot studio. I’ll be posting Memphis dates soon!
MEGAN BETTIS 