How Modifications Can Make Your Yoga Practice Stronger

In yoga, the variety of asanas, or poses, can appear limitless. While there are 84 fundamental poses, some consider that the whole quantity will be within the thousands and thousands, given all the kinds of yoga and variations.  

Whether you’re new to yoga, otherwise you’ve been training for years, remember the fact that the objective is to not nail each pose like an Olympic gymnast. Instead, it’s all about expressing your self in ways in which received’t result in damage. 

Yoga therapist Paula Brown, C-IAYT, E-RYT 500, affords some tips for how one can make yoga poses extra accessible, and explains how that may make your apply a lot stronger total.  

What does it imply to ‘modify’ a yoga pose? 

“Yoga is an ancient tradition. Pictures generally show the ultimate version of what yoga poses look like. Some poses are very, very difficult and can take years to build up to,” says Brown. When you modify a yoga pose, she says you’re taking it and bringing it again to your degree of competence or achievement. 

“I like to refer to a modification as an ‘option’ because sometimes when people hear the word ‘modification,’ they may feel like it implies that they can’t do a pose. But honestly, if you understand the purpose of the pose, you have the option to do it in a way that’s comfortable for you,” Brown says. 

How are you able to inform if you could modify a yoga pose 

Well, should you get right into a pose and also you expertise ache, that’s your first indication.  

“If you’re in a pose and it feels a little bit uncomfortable or tight because maybe you’re trying to stretch, that’s OK. However, if something hurts, then you need to stop doing it. Don’t think that you can push past that point. If it hurts, then you don’t want to keep going. You want to modify that pose,” Brown advises. 

Yoga stretching tips for inexperienced persons 

Let’s return to these uncomfortable emotions. When you’re stretching, know that it takes time in your muscle tissues to chill out and get longer. Breathing performs an enormous half within the course of.

“If you push as far as you can right away, your muscles are going to tighten up, which is the opposite of what you want. It takes about eight seconds for the muscles to even realize what you’re trying to do,” explains Brown.

“When you’re stretching, start very minimal and gradually go deeper. You also want to breathe. There are two parts to your breath — inhalation and exhalation. The exhale is the releasing part, the relaxing part of your breath. So focus on that exhale and just go a little bit further.”

Yoga positions for inexperienced persons with modifications 

Whether you’re in a category or doing yoga at residence, don’t be afraid to make use of props. So, seize a chair, some blocks, a blanket and a bolster/pillow earlier than you begin your apply. They could make poses extra accessible for you. Here are some examples. 

Tree pose with a chair 

Tree pose, or vrikshasana, requires a substantial amount of stability. In this yoga pose, one leg stays rooted just like the trunk of a tree. Traditionally, you place your palms in your hips after which carry your different leg. Place the only real of your foot both in your interior thigh or interior shin. (Don’t put the only real close to or in your knee.) Once you’ve got your stability, you possibly can press your palms collectively and maintain them near your coronary heart (like prayer palms) or, you possibly can elevate your arms to the sky just like the branches of a tree. 

If you need to work on bettering your stability, use a chair as a prop till you’re extra comfy standing on one leg.

“Anytime you’re doing a balancing pose, have a chair next to you. Let’s say you’re doing tree and you feel like you’re going to fall out of the pose. If you hold on to the chair until you feel centered and then let go, your body naturally learns to right itself,” says Brown. 

Also, you don’t need to carry your leg excessive if it doesn’t really feel comfy or it throws your stability off extra. To start, simply place your heel above your ankle and maintain your toes on the ground. If you’re feeling fairly regular, you possibly can attempt transferring your foot increased. 

How to switch pigeon pose 

Pigeon pose, or kapotasana, will be fairly intense, notably when you’ve got very tight hips or hamstrings. The goal of pigeon is to open your hips. This pose includes having one leg bent in entrance of you along with your shin parallel to the entrance of your mat whereas your different leg is prolonged behind you. In this pose, remember the fact that each hips ought to be on the mat.  

You can all the time place a blanket beneath your hips for extra stability. Brown says that you could change up the place of your legs to make pigeon pose extra comfy.  

“To get the point of pigeon, both hips should be down on the mat. Most people can’t get their hips down so they’re holding most of their weight in their arms — and missing the whole purpose of the pose. So instead of having that back leg straight behind you in pigeon, bring the back knee forward so your legs are in a zigzag formation. Push the hips forward and you’ll still get the stretch in the front of your hip,” Brown explains.  

Use blocks for different balancing poses like triangle or half moon 

With poses that require you to bend down laterally towards the ground like triangle pose, or trikonasana, and half moon, or ardha chandrasana, Brown suggests utilizing blocks.  

“Anything that involves coming down laterally towards the floor, use a block as opposed to angling your body,” she says. “If you angle your body and try to touch the floor with your hand, you have lost the purpose of doing the pose — that lateral motion. By placing your hand on a block, you get the benefit of the pose and you have added support under your front hand.” 

And bear in mind, it’s about progress — not perfection 

Yoga is sort of a marathon, not a dash. Brown notes that it may well take years to grasp a pose. So, take your time, don’t pressure your physique into uncomfortable positions and use yoga props each probability you get.  

“Yoga meets you where you are. People say that, but what does it mean? It means whatever level you’re at right now, you can do yoga,” encourages Brown.

“If you’re not standing on your head at all, it’s totally fine. Maybe you can bring your head down below your heart level and get the same benefit. Whatever option you choose, yoga is still a beautiful expression and it should be done at your level of comfort. That’s what matters the most,” says Brown.