Props are one of the most effective tools at reforming your body if you know how to use them well.

If you’re asking the question, “why do I need to reform my body?” Well…

It is inevitable. Being a human means you have acquired habitual ways of moving in your body that have allowed you to get around your circumstances. These habitual ways of moving lead to muscular imbalances. These imbalances then lead to tension, pain and stagnation.

Perhaps it is a dominant arm or leg, maybe you have a hobby that requires you to use muscles asymmetrically, or you may have simply learned a behavior at a young age from people in your surroundings. Whatever the reason, almost every human has some kind of tension entangled in the body from asymmetrical movements.

An effective yoga practice seeks to unwind this asymmetrical tension so you can liberate your body from unnecessary pain and suffering. But here’s the thing: if you focus on a muscular based yoga practice, you actually perpetuate imbalances in your body because your muscles remain stuck doing what they already know how to do.

That is why not every practice will reform your body. In fact, many practices perpetuate the tension you feel in your body because you will be doing the movements from your over-dominant muscles. They will lead the way and until you learn to move your body differently, nothing will actually change.

So how can you actually reform your body? It is truly quite simple: props and measurements. The focus here is on props and this prop work is specific. The props that work on reforming your body are wooden blocks, poles, sandbags, straps, a yoga chair, and firm bolsters. They are used in a very specific way and if used appropriately, you will see your body transform. For my complete prop list, see below.

The props you use matter, but more importantly how you use the props determines how effective you are at reforming and re-patterning your body.

Props are formal boundaries. When you place your body on props they act as support. They hold your structure so your muscles can unwind. Reformative prop work shifts the bones back to their most efficient positioning, the way they were designed. Your over dominant muscles can then release and this is important because they were holding the bones out of alignment to begin with. This is when change happens.

Let’s go through some of my favorite props, and how you can use them to reform your body today.

Wooden blocks are effective at moving the bones of your body, unlike soft foamy blocks which have more give. When you want to reposition your ribcage, if you are developing a hunchback for instance, you would place wooden blocks behind your back, supporting your lungs, as in a reclined backbend pose or supported fish pose. It is one of the best ways to bring the breath forwards in the body which unwinds tense back and shoulder muscles.

The wooden pole is effective at framing your lungs by giving you a tool to measure the geometry in your arms. When you hold the pole between your two hands, in a triangle shape, and raise it above your head you are creating a framework that reveals exactly how you are positioning your arms. If you do this while looking in the mirror you will quickly see the asymmetries between your arms and shoulders and you can reposition to hold yourself in greater symmetry, thus restructuring your upper body. This is broken down in my Shoulder Alignment Crash Course.