Beginner's Guide to Yoga Props - Part 2: Straps, Blankets, Bolsters,Sandbags

If you read my previous post about yoga props, you already know what I think are the two most important props to consider for your practice: a yoga mat and a block.  The following props are also useful to make your practice more comfortable, and you'll find these in many studios, too!

Straps

I like to jokingly tell my students, "Straps make your arms longer."  :) Meaning a strap can bring something within reach of your hands, usually your feet.  Many postures have a grip of hand to foot as part of the posture, but many of us lack the flexibility required to get the hand to the foot, or to do it without straining the back.  When I first started practicing, I could barely reach past my knees when trying to bend forward and touch my toes!  This is not an exaggeration!  So using a strap allowed me to get a grip on my feet and use a pull on the strap to lengthen my spine and fold forward with a healthier alignment.

A strap allows you to get a grip on your foot in
big toe balance if you are not able to
grab your big toe.

Seated forward fold without a strap can cause you to round
the spine in a effort to reach the feet.

Using a strap for seated forward fold allows you to reach
your feet with your spine long and in a healthy alignment.

Rotated head to knee pose without a strap can cause you to
collapse forward in an effort to reach the foot.

Rotated head to knee pose with a strap allows you to roll
the heart open toward the ceiling while still grabbing the foot.

For this particular use of the strap, you could substitute several household items, like a belt, an old tie, an old extension cord, or a scarf that isn't too stretchy.

Big toe balance with an extension cord.  :)

The other use of the strap is to hold some part or parts of your body in a particular position.  For this use of the strap, you will need to use a yoga strap and not a substitute prop.  :)  Yoga straps come with an adjustable loop to hold parts of your body.  If you are considering buying a yoga strap, I'd suggest getting one with a pinch buckle clip rather than a D ring.  The clip allows you to get in and out of the loop more easily.  Also, the most versatile straps are the longer ones; 8 foot straps are plenty long for many different sizes of bodies and many different arrangements of the straps.  This is the one I use in my studio.

Supta baddha konasana with a strap holding the legs in place.
The strap lengthens the low back and gently presses down
on the thighs to open the groins a bit more.

Supported fish with a strap holding the arms and serving
as a hammock for the head.

A strap harness to open up the shoulders
and chest.

Blankets

Blankets provide support for the body in various positions.  The most common use for a blanket (or two or three...) is to elevate the hips in seated postures.  This allows the spine to be in its neutral curves and the knees to settle in line with the hips or slightly below.

Sitting on the floor can cause roundness in the spine and knees
 to be above the hips if your hips are not used to sitting this way.

Sitting on a blanket elevates the hips, allowing the knees to
settle in line with or below the hips, and the spine to be upright.

Blankets are also used as supports or padding for various parts of the body.  They provide a soft and comfortable way to keep your body in a certain position.  The blankets can be folded or rolled up in various ways to support many seated and reclining postures.

Shoulder stand with 3 blankets
supporting the upper spine so the neck
stays safe.

Supported fish with a blanket under the upper spine.

Blanket padding the knees in table pose.

You can also use them to keep warm, of course.  :)

Stay warm in savasana!  :) And you can use them to pillow your head!

If you do not have your own yoga blanket, you can substitute a beach towel or bed blanket, just make sure the blanket you choose is thick and supportive and doesn't "squish down" too much when you put weight on it, especially if you are using it for shoulder stand as in the picture above.  I use these Mexican blankets at my studio.


Bolsters

A bolster's basic purpose is also to support the body in a certain position, but it is larger and thicker than a blanket, so it can provide more support.  I call bolsters the Lazy Boy of the yoga props, as they make a very nice "recliner" for your body.  :)  This one is really nice.

Savasana with a bolster under the thighs helps make it more
comfortable for your low back.

A restorative yoga spine twist, supported by the bolster.

Supta baddha konasana, supported by the bolster.

Sandbags

Sandbags are a nice little bonus prop, as they are not "required" for any posture, but their extra weight - around 10 pounds - can make certain postures feel more grounded, or can give you an extra bit of stretch.  You can get them online, then fill them with "play sand" from the hardware store.

A sandbag helps keep the knee grounded on the floor and increases the thigh and hip flexor release in half supra virasana.

A sandbag on the hips during savasana feels nice and grounding.

Add a sandbag to the top arm of
gommukasana to get an extra release
of the shoulder.

A sandbag on the feet in legs up the
wall helps to release the low back, and
feels really nice on the feet!

And the grand finale...  :D

Supta baddha konasana with all the "toys."  :) Two blocks
under a bolster, strap around the legs, sandbag on the feet,
and blankets under the knees!

Everybody needs this posture...

...in my humble opinion, that is.  :)  If I had to pick just ONE posture that everybody would learn and practice, whether they have a regular yoga practice or this is the ONLY posture they do, it would be Supported Fish. (Matsyasana)  It feels great to open the spine, shoulders and chest, especially since we live in a culture of sitting: sitting in cars, sitting in front of computers, sitting on couches to watch TV, etc.  All the sitting we do puts our spines into a forward bending, slumped position frequently, or in some cases constantly!  We can end up with neck pain, back pain, shoulder pain, or all of the above due to our spines being in a perpetual slumped position.  Our rounded spines also do not allow our respiratory, digestive and circulatory organs to function at maximum efficiency. (try taking a deep breath in a slouch, then try again sitting up tall and feel the difference!)

Supported fish is a passive way to counteract the slouchiness of our spines and help bring them into healthier alignment.  It is great to do first thing in the morning to wake up your body, or to refresh your body after a long day at work.  There are MANY variations of supported fish, but today's examples will be the most gentle variations using a yoga blanket or a towel. I'll post more intense variations next week.

Variation 1 - folded blanket

A folded blanket is the most gentle variation of supported fish, as it provides the least amount of lift under the upper spine.  Less lift is great for your first time in supported fish, or if you have particularly tight shoulders or upper spine, or if you have frequent neck pain.  If you don't have a yoga blanket, these blankets are what I use at my studio (Ananda Yoga, come visit me! :) ), or you can substitute a towel as demonstrated below.

Place the folded blanket under your spine so the bottom tips of your shoulder blades are just over the edge of the fold.  Lie down on your back and let your head rest on the floor.   Extend your arms straight out from the shoulders with palms facing up.

This is the approximate position of the blanket once you are lying down.

Supported fish with a small blanket fold.

Make sure your neck and shoulders are comfortable, lengthen out the back of the neck rather than tilting the head back and compressing the back of the neck.

Try not to tilt your head back and compress the back of the neck.

Rather, lengthen the back of the neck.

If you do not feel "anything" in this position, you probably need a little more height under the spine.  You can fold the blanket to be thicker as shown below, or stack two blankets one on top of the other...

From the previous variation, I folded the blanket in half to make a larger fold.

...or you can move to the next variation.

Variation 2 - rolled up blanket

A rolled up blanket extends the upper spine a bit more.  You can adjust the roll size to find the amount of stretch and opening you would like to feel.  Once again, the neck and shoulders should be comfortably stretched.

Start with the blanket folded like this. 

You can roll the blanket partially.

Or roll it up all the way!

You can also fold the blanket back in half again so it looks like the pic below, and roll it up from that point to create an even bigger roll, like a mini yoga bolster!

Roll from this point for the highest variation of a blanket roll.

Your roll will look like this.

Variation 2.a  - rolled up beach towel

If you don't have a yoga blanket at home, you can substitute a rolled up bath towel or beach towel! If you want a larger roll, use two towels and roll them up together!

One beach towel...

Or two!

Once you have picked a variation you like, allow your body to soften into the posture for anywhere from 10 breaths to 5 minutes!  Try it every day for a week, so how much better your back, neck, and shoulders will feel!

Update: My next article details the use of a block instead of a blanket to further release the spine and shoulders.  Also, check out this foam roller variation, Supported Fish Arm Variations and Supported Fish Leg Variations!