Add a Yoga Strap to Your Yoga Practice

Posted on May 14, 2009
Filed Under Uncategorized |

No doubt, once you’ve tried one, you’ll find a yoga strap to be an indispensable “prop” in your yoga practice. But, before we discuss the benefits of using a yoga strap, let’s talk a little about Yoga, itself.

Yoga Mind/Body Benefits

Habitual yoga practice will awaken your mind as it energizes your body! As you empty your mind to give your complete attention to each pose, you cultivate your “inner body” awareness of the present moment. A committed yoga practice awakens, energizes, and strengthens the structure and flow of the body. The goal of yoga practice is to create a union between the body, mind and spirit.

It involves time and commitment, as well as a whole lot of patience, to master a yoga pose. Do not expect perfect poses in the beginning. But, slowly over time, as you practice and attempt to perform each pose correctly, without pushing yourself too far physically or beating yourself up mentally, you will find that you are developing flexibility, strength, and energy physically and feeling more peaceful and clear mentally.

The best environment for doing your practice is a clean, graceful place with a bare floor and practicable wall. Remove any distractions from your yoga environment. For optimum function, you should not eat for at least 2 hours before practicing. If you can’t go without eating, then try to eat something light, such as a piece of fruit, but no more than 1 hour before you start your yoga practice.

If you should experience pain or discomfort as you undertake a pose, pause or stop, then try again with more mindful movement.

Yoga props and yoga accessories, such as yoga mats, yoga bolsters, yoga straps, yoga blocks, yoga mat bags, and even yoga towels are perfect for aiding you in moving deeper into a pose, in performing a flawless pose, and in practicing in a healthful way.

There are many good reasons to give consideration to using yoga props, not the least of which is that they help in relieving discomfort, even pain, during difficult yoga poses.

Sometimes we all “push” rather than “easing” into a yoga pose, and injury may occur. Yoga props can offer the support and extensions needed to do a pose correctly.

Doing yoga releases rigidity, and using props assists with stress relief by providing the support necessary for you to relax (but not be lazy) in your practice.

The plumb line, that is, “head-over-heels” body alignment, is essential in doing yoga poses correctly. Yoga props encourage appropriate alignment.

Yoga props assist in augmenting movement. Certain props create space in the joints and allow the body more fluid movement without placing stress on a particular joint.

As we mentioned earlier, yoga practice is concerned with unifying the mind, body and spirit through the nurturing of a deeper awareness and the development of mindfulness. How will yoga props assist in this great goal? When you are able to simply focus your attention on doing your yoga poses flawlessly, rather than worrying about transitory limitations, you will go deeper into that balance of mind, body, and spirit.

Ready to Add a Yoga Strap Prop?

Whether you are a beginner and need a bit of help in your poses, or you merely want to get the most out of your yoga routine, a yoga strap is a great addition to your “yoga props.” An increase in flexibility is important in yoga practice. A rationalization for some people staying away from practicing yoga is that they think that they’re not flexible enough. That’s where a yoga strap can help a lot. It is by far the most serviceable yoga accessory for accelerating flexibility. In fact, without a yoga strap, some novices will find certain poses impossible.

A yoga strap allows you to grip your limbs (the ones you can’t otherwise reach) or to hold a pose longer. You can use a yoga strap for a variety of poses. For instance, if you hook it around your foot while your leg is held straight, your hamstring stretch will go a lot farther! If your hands are not able to typically clasp each other, bound poses, like cow face or Gomukhasana are hard to do without a yoga strap. A yoga strap can also be used to hold your leg in a Trikosana, to stretch your shoulder in the Shoulder Stretch Exercise, and a lot of other yoga postures.

Yoga straps are commonly available in substances such as nylon and hemp, and often have buckles on the end to assist in storage and transportation.

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