It’s not easy to stick to the rigorous textbook steps of yoga asanas all the time, especially if you are suffering from an injury or illness. That’s when ‘modification’ comes to the rescue. Read to know about 10 common yoga modifications.
Finding it hard to keep up with your daily asana goals? That’s a common story. The difficulty may set in owing to the issues of flexibility, an injury, or just plain exhaustion. Whatever it is that’s constricting your range of movement and abilities; you need to move past them with a positive attitude and a little help of modification tips from the book. Unless it’s an extreme condition of illness or irreversible injury in which asanas may get contraindication, there is absolutely no need to stay off of your beloved mat. Study the science of asana modifications at the best Yoga courses in India.
Take a permit chit from your doctor to feel confident and give your daily dose of asanas these gentle modification twists—
Bending Knees is Okay- For Downward Dog and Other Forward Folds
Sounds brazenly against your yoga room instructor? But it’s worth noting how much ease you can create in your low bends with a mild bend of the knee, and without losing much of any actual impact.
Give yourself this leeway when exhaustion in the body is way so much that it hurts to strain further but you can really use a nice low back stretch.
Drop the Knees When Doing the Lunges
Knee bending degree is again an important factor in lunge yogasana exercises. It reduces the effort to drop the knee of the back leg when doing the runners or Crescent Lunge. The stretch to the hip flexors still remains in effect, but you are not so stained out.
Blocks are Good for Resting your Hands On
The best gift for a yogi on her target mission is definitely a pair of blocks for the hands to rest upon. Be it the easy-peasy Downward Dog you are so into or the heftier High Plank or Warrior III that you are keen on trying out for a greater degree of challenge, blocks for the hands to rest on really take a chunk of the stress away!
Thigh Support On Blocks in the Bound Angle Posture
No sort of infirmity or exhaustion can ever take your bliss away when you have the blocks at your disposal for an extra support base. Attempt your favorite restorative yoga stance of the Bound Angle seated position with two blocks beneath your thighs for a slight prop-up and see how the tension melts away from your lower back.
Table Topping Before the High plank Posture
Here is a modification idea to get your alignment right in the High Plank pose challenge. Assume a table-top position, starting on all fours with your shoulders flung back, aligned over your wrists and the weight of the upheld torso distributed on your wrists, hips, and knees.
3 Convenient Evasion of Postures In Some Sequences
Wrist tenderness is a common issue, and it makes three pose evasions from common sequences of yoga totally justifiable—
- Leave out the Chaturanga Dandasana in Sun Salutations and move directly to the Downward Dog from the Plank Pose.
- Replace the Upward Dog with Low Cobra.
- Don’t move all the way down to the ground in Sun Salutations. Just stay on your feet like in the Warrior Pose.
Using Straps for Binds and Up Pulls
Free yourself from the repetitive back-rounding motion and use a strap for binds. Utilize it for pulling your feet up. It also works great for hand-to-the-back stances like in the Noose Pose, and the Mariachi I.
Replace the Standard Cobra Posture with ‘Baby Cobra’
Tone down the Cobra by limiting the torso lift from your face-down position on the mat only to your shoulders and chest.
Nestle in the Child’s Pose Longer than the Pose Warrants
Incorporate the Child’s Pose between two seated forward folds as often as you can and nestle in the calming momentum of the posture. Breathe deep and easy, and let all negative thoughts melt away from your headspace.
Drop the All-Out Approach, Give Only 50% Push Effort in Postures
Stop beating yourself up in achieving the nuances of asanas. Invest not more than 50 % of your force.
Always, mindfully conserve your energy.
Author Bio- Manmohan Singh is a passionate Yogi, Yoga Teacher and a Traveler in India. He provides Yoga Teacher Training in India. He loves writing and reading the books related to yoga, health, nature and the Himalayas.
