suffering from plantar fasciitis, a symptom of tight tendons in the soles. You can use it for the spine as well, basically like the foam roller, but since the ball’s surface isn’t nearly as large as the roller’s, be careful when using it near the spinal column. Don’t push it directly against the spine; just roll it on either side. You can also tape two tennis balls together so that they can roll in tandem up and down each side of the spinal column.
Eye Pillow
Choosing an eye pillow is sort of like the story “Goldilocks and the Three Bears.” You may like an eye pillow that covers the entire forehead. Or perhaps you want one that covers only the eye lids and the bridge of the nose. Or perhaps you want one that falls somewhere in between. Why not have a collection of all sizes so that you can use them as you wish? If you are handy with a sewing machine, you can make these yourself. Eye pillows are typically filled with a mixture of flax seeds, lavender buds, and peppermint and/or chamomile leaves. The smell of this mixture can be very calming and soothing. If you do make any for yourself, please be sure to make them with a removable and washable cover to avoid eye infections from the dirt and dust that accumulate from continued use.
HOW TO USE: I consider eye pillows wonderful little gifts from yoga heaven. They can be used to block out the light, give a little bit of weight to the forehead or the palm of your hands, or provide a cool support under the back of your neck. They support a meaningful turning inward.
GOING DEEPER: THE RIGHTNESS OF PRACTICE
Much of an intelligent and creative yoga practice is getting yourself to see the wisdom of what you are doing and why. It is up to you to bring the kind of awareness to your practice that will clarify what you choose in order to make your practice meaningful. You will never know what comes from your practice if you don’t practice with devotion, concentration, and faith.
Learning a Skill
The right prop support can teach a skill necessary for experiencing a balanced approach for doing, being in, and breathing in a yoga pose. Some solutions for addressing difficulties in a pose may often be found in other poses that require less. And solutions will always include a soft breath and a calm mind — in essence, a yielding body and mind. Yoga poses require not only strength, stability, flexibility, and mobility but also skills such as proprioception (the unconscious perception of movement and spatial orientation arising from stimuli within the body itself), somatic movement (movement that relies on an awareness, desire, and ability to become more self-determining; somatic refers to your ability to sense the processes going on “within” you), and a mind that doesn’t react to its own fluctuations. If one or more of these skills are significantly impaired, the benefits are that much harder to achieve. For instance, let’s use a simple back bend as an example.
Back bends require the chest muscles to stretch, the mid and upper back muscles to contract, shoulder mobility, and the fibrous tissue between the mid and upper back vertebrae to move forward. Muscles that are too tight and joints that are too stiff end up relying on help from other areas of the body that aren’t meant to play a significant role in the pose. In a classic back-bending pose, this can put strain on the lower segment of the spine and disrupt proper rotation of the shoulder joints. These imbalances, if not addressed, make it difficult to open and lift the chest with strong back body support, a skill necessary for a safe back bend. Therefore, safe and enjoyable back bends are often inaccessible to many students.
The photo above demonstrates a simple chair-supported Ustrasana (Camel Pose). This variation (see page 51) allows you to breathe and soften in the pose and explore areas that otherwise would not safely be available in a back bend. With the chair, you can investigate the skill necessary to stretch and contract the muscles needed to support a healthy back bend without additional load on the lower back. Benefits abound.
Acceptance — Meet Yourself Where You Are
I am reminded of a workshop I taught for yoga teachers at a body/mind conference. We covered a lot of pose breakdowns, which is always rewarding. Troubleshooting solutions for different body types is a little like being in a lab. You never know how one insight will lead to another, so it is important to be open to the process. The only formula I know for this is meeting students where they are. I practice this acceptance on the mat. It’s not always easy, but it is always inspiring.
Throughout my travels, I’ve had the privilege of working with yoga instructors and students from all over North America and Canada. My experience in general is that too many practitioners feel bad when they run across a yoga pose they cannot execute well. What’s worse, I have perceived embarrassment and almost shame. I hear rumblings like, “My shoulders aren’t as flexible as Eric’s.” Or teachers share their concern when they aren’t as mobile as some of their students. My advice: welcome acceptance.
NEWS FLASH: There may be poses that you will never be able to practice well without accepting additional support. Or you may come to the realization that some poses aren’t right for your body type. Don’t feel defeated. Instead, consider this as a giving moment to embrace what is present. Adjust to the utter kindness of accepting support and letting go into what’s happening now. Strategic yoga prop support can help you learn how to safely and efficiently leverage your strengths, play with weaknesses, and explore them with a soft breath and calm mind. Sweet relief.
When you step onto your mat, do you ask, “How can I grow today?” or “How can I be more of myself today?” The time on our mat can be used to address these deep questions by recognizing and attending to our individual needs at the moment. Meeting ourselves where we are shines a light on what may be a missing ingredient in many yoga practices: acceptance and mindfulness of what is happening now. Learning how to efficiently use the body and breath as resources to focus, grow, or transform can bring attention to opening and integrating the Light that lives within.
I have a history of tight hamstrings and calves and a tight mid and upper back. This makes forward bends of all kinds my least favorite poses. The variation of Paschimottanasana (Seated Forward Bend Pose) shown in the photo above (and explained on page 91) offers the kind of support needed to move gently into the stretch of my tight legs and back. Yes, it’s a lot of support, but I’m not too proud to accept it. Over the years of my practicing this variation from time to time, it has helped me to make great leaps in my forward bending. It has improved my flexibility, and more important, it has taught me how to be more patient in a pose that I previously considered to be my nemesis.
Make It Calmer
Support also comes in the form of feeling that you are so well taken care of that you can completely surrender. Ahhh — nothing quite like it. The body and mind may require a level of healing in a yoga pose that can be offered only when properly supported.
Tom has had a couple of bad bouts with his lower back giving out. One evening he walked into my house for a casual dinner party I was hosting for friends. I watched him walk with a strong lean to one side, like a crab walking on the ocean’s uneven sandy bottom. After a visit to the doctor and some yoga therapy, his back healed. But there’s nothing more satisfying to someone who has been dealing with back pain than to voice an audible “ahhh” when put into a supported yoga pose that provides both physical release and mental relief.
A well-supported Balasana (Child Pose) — just what the doctor ordered.
STRATEGIC
