03/06/2026
What if everything you needed for a meaningful home yoga practice was already in your house?
Props — whether traditional or improvised — cultivate alignment, build stability, and make yoga accessible across every stage of life, whether you're experiencing fatigue, pregnant, menstruating, aging, or recovering from illness or injury.
BKS Iyengar notes that the use of props serves to increase the duration of stay in an asana, build confidence, improve alignment, increase range of motion, and can help an achieve an asana that may not be possible otherwise.
You don't need a fully stocked home studio to practice meaningfully. Here are five poses and the furniture and every day household items that can support them:
1. PAVAN MUKTASANA — Use a long bench (or two chairs), bolsters, pillows, or folded/rolled blankets or towels to support the abdomen. Take additional height under the forehead as needed to ensure the head remains in line with the spine and does not drop below the shoulders.
2. CHATUSH PADASANA — Use a bench or coffee table to achieve this strengthening asana. With the shoulders resting on the support, allow the head to release and cervical spine to lengthen. Use a yoga strap, belt, necktie, or rolled hand towel to hold the feet.
3. UTTHITA ARDHA PADMANASA — Standing on a yoga block, short step stool, or stack of sturdy books, support the whole of the bent leg on the counter at or below hip height. Over time, bring the bent leg knee in line with the hip and work to extend forward.
4. ARDHA UTTANASANA — With feet apart, extend forward from the pelvic joint and rest the trunk and head on the table. You can also extend the arms forward to hold the table. Take enough height under the head so that it remains in line with the spine and does not drop below the shoulders. Prolonged sitting compresses the spine and tightens the back muscles. Practicing Ardha Uttanasana this way helps counteract this by broadening the lower back and lengthening the spine.
5. ARDHA CHANDRASANA — Use a countertop to support the back leg, and add folded blankets or towels under the foot to ensure it remains at hip height. Press the hand into a yoga block, stack of sturdy books, or a soup can to open the chest.
Understanding how to use props properly makes all the difference, and that's best learned under the guidance of a Certified Iyengar Yoga Instructor. Come join us at Hidden Wisdom Yoga Studio — we'd love to help you bring the benefits of a supported practice into your everyday life. 🙏
