How much do you know about Iyengar yoga? Developed by B.K.S. Iyengar, this is actually a form of Hatha yoga that focuses on proper alignment and precision of yoga postures. In this form of yoga, you have to use props like blankets, straps and blocks to align your body in proper positions. Regardless of your physical condition or ability, you can try this practice and improve your fitness. Find out how these props can help you to ensure safer, deeper and stronger practice during yoga sessions.
1. Better alignment and injury prevention
With the help of props, you can align your body in a better way. You can perform the poses safely and more efficiently. Due to the attention to detail, you can distribute forces properly throughout your body. You can reduce strain on your joints, tendons and muscles. According to research, the use of props in Iyengar yoga helps people, particularly those with rheumatoid arthritis, in performing yoga postures that they would not have been able to perform otherwise or would have experienced pain while performing. These props can relieve compromised areas of the body effectively.
When you use props during this type of yoga, you can align your body properly, even during advanced asanas. Bolsters, belts and bricks can support your body as well as guide you toward maintaining a better form. As Iyengar himself put it, ““these supports helped in certain areas to get a better action and at the same time the sense of ease. Thus, props helped me to teach well and create a quicker healing process.”
2. Building strength and flexibility safely
When you use props, you can also have better strength and flexibility. You can engage more deeply, without straining your body more than you need to. Props can let you stretch effectively and engage your muscles through proper positioning. You can perform each asana more easily. These things can be useful for yoga practitioners of any skill level.
3. Holding poses longer, building strength & depth
With the help of props, you can get the stability that you need to deepen your yoga poses and hold them for longer durations. This is central to the approach of Iyengar yoga.
With the help of long holds you can sink into a pose, get more focus, have poise and experience inner stillness. This is what Patanjali called citta prasadanam, the “even distribution of consciousness.” When you perform yoga in this specific style, you can hold poses for longer duration as compared to flow-based yoga. You can have better muscle relaxation, allow internal subtle shifts to happen and make your awareness flourish.
4. Improving stability and balance
During yoga poses that can challenge your body or even make you fearful of falling down or injuring yourself, you can feel more grounded with the use of props. You can feel more confident to explore challenging yoga poses safely. For instance, when you practice Sirsasana (headstand) against a wall, you can overcome the fear of falling. You can enjoy better stability, balance and alignment.
5. Adapting for injuries and limitations
Props can also make challenging yoga postures easier to perform for those with pain, limited mobility or injuries. If you suffer from such issues, these can offer customized support to you.
In a case study involving a 14-year-old with chronic pain, it was seen how the practitioner recovered significant function and resumed normal activities after a four-month Iyengar yoga program, where props facilitated therapeutic poses. A six-week Iyengar yoga intervention for young adults with rheumatoid arthritis was also found led to reduce pain, improve mood, decrease fatigue, and boost quality of life, without any reported adverse event.
6. Deepening relaxation and promoting recovery
Props can also help with soft, supported release during restorative poses. These can help your body to heal, release tension from your muscles and allow your mind to relax deeply. You can feel less stress, and have a sense of easiness in whatever you do. You can feel light and energetic. Props can help you to heal, reduce your fatigue and tone your body, just as you would want.
7. Increasing body awareness and mindfulness
The use of props can also encourage thoughtful engagement in your body. You can cultivate sensitivity, mindfulness and inner awareness of sensations and alignment. It can encourage subtle feedback from you, and make you more aware of your physical alignment. When you practice Iyengar yoga, you can feel more attentive to your alignment breath and body. It can foster full-body awareness and connection for you.
8. Supporting both body and mind
Iyengar yoga is not only about mobility and alignment. It has shown broader benefits for physical and mental health. In one study, those practicing Iyengar yoga saw significant reductions in depression—up to 50%—while attending two or three weekly sessions.
Those who practice Iyengar yoga have generally been found to experience major improvements in mood, physical health, fatigue, anxiety, quality of life, and alignment.
As Dr. Loren Fishman, rehabilitative medicine & yoga therapy specialist, puts it:
“Props allow individuals to experience the benefits of yoga in a way that is safe and sustainable, making it accessible to a wider population.”
Final Thoughts
If you feel that props used in Iyengar yoga are only helpful accessories, it is time that you think again. These are transformative tools that can be extremely beneficial for you in so many ways. You can feel more aligned, hold your posture for a longer duration, have more strength and flexibility, enjoy more stability, adapt your body to yoga postures even if you are suffering from injury or chronic conditions, feel more relaxed and have better awareness of your mind and body. If you want to perform yoga more safely and feel more mindful of your journey, these props can be essential for you. You can enter every pose with clarity, connection and care. Even as you get stronger and more flexible, these props will keep on helping you to enter into deeper levels of practice.
