Sitting on the ground in a yoga or meditation practice isn’t naturally comfortable for us all. We all have different skeletons and history’s of injury or stress within our bodies which might just make it not possible. This shouldn’t be something that puts you off practicing yoga or taking up meditation, it’s instead about finding ways to make these postures comfortable.
This is where props come in handy because they can be used to sit up on and placed underneath the body to bring support and ultimately comfort.
Curious? I’ve pulled together six ways props can help you get comfortable in yoga
1. Use a meditation cushion to raise your hips
A meditation cushion is gently sloped, wider at the back than the front and this slope helps to tilt the pelvis. This in turn lengthens out the lower back and opens the hips
If you find yourself leaning back when you sit cross legged, this could be the option that will help you
2. Sit on the edge of a yoga bolster
Sitting on the edge of a yoga bolster lifts you up away from the floor. This brings your bottom higher than your knees in cross-legged which is usually more comfortable for us
If you don’t have a bolster you can also sit on a couple of blocks piled up, just make sure they are sturdy
3. Pop a mini bolster under your knee
Are your knees uncomfortable when you come to sit in a cross legged postion?
Placing a mini bolster or block under your knee will give it some support, lessening the stretch down the outer edge of your knee and giving you the time and space to find ease
4. Use a bolster to sit in hero pose
Cross legged might just not be the position for you. My personal favourite way to sit for meditation or breathwork is hero pose and in particular using a bolster for support in that pose.
Pop your bolster between the knees and bring yourself down onto it in a kneeling position. This is also a lovely position to be in for seated twists
5. Pop a meditation cushion between your bottom & heels
If your knees are happy with a relatively deep bend while sat in hero pose and you don’t need the height of a bolster, then a great way of propping is to bring something between your bottom and heels.
This gives you a bit of support but isn’t quite as lifted as the option of bringing a bolster between your knees
6. Support your ankles with a mini bolster
Are you comfortable kneeling for your practice apart from your ankles or keep getting cramp in your feet? Propping your ankles with a mini bolster or rolled blanket could be the answer
By doing this the tops of the feet aren’t totally tucked under but they are also still passive
I hope that you’ve found a tip there that will make your seated yoga practice more comfortable. Did you know that I share more of this content on Instagram? You can also explore all of my tips and tricks for practice on the Yogipod journal