Given that I have studied yoga therapy and work with clients in a therapeutic manner, I’m a little embarrassed to admit that I used to reject yoga posture modifications in all forms. My ego was convinced that I didn’t need to modify any pose. After all, why modify when you can force your body into a posture (I guess the ego boost you get from getting into a posture soothes some of the pain you get from injuring your body to get into it)?

Perhaps it’s wisdom that comes with age — or with lots of yoga practice — or it’s studying yoga philosophy and learning about ahimsa and how it applies to your yoga practice as well as daily life or perhaps it’s simply the understanding that yoga, like life, should feel GOOD. Of course this means shutting down the “if it feels too good that means it’s not beneficial because you have to suffer to get to the good stuff” voice. You also have to let go of the attachment to achieving all sorts of fancy yoga postures to prove that you’re a serious student (and/or teacher) of yoga. Yep, it’s heady stuff.

Some sort of perfect storm of all of these things occurred for me somewhere along the way and I realized that modification is good. This realization led to years of training in the world of therapeutic yoga. Now I’m attached to a different idea — that asana should be modified to the individual. I tend to get a little soapboxy about this, so I won’t expand upon this. Suffice to say, I wanted my body to feel good, not bad, during and after my yoga practice.

Every day I do things that don’t make my body feel so good. Whether it’s hunching over a desk and working at the computer or lifting heavy items improperly or overdoing it with landscape maintenance. My body has developed habits and compensates for imbalances and weaknesses. Pushing myself in my yoga practice only strengthens these patterns and tightens the knots I’ve spent years tying. After years of training, I realized that yoga can be used to loosen these knots and change these negative body habits/patterns. Eureka!

Now it’s not unusual for me to alter uttanasana by practicing it with one arm (alternating) rather than two when I have neck stiffness. Yes, there’s still a little part of me that’s screaming “Yoga wussy!” I smile when I hear the taunt from my inner yoga bully, ignore it, and continue with my modified practice. Over time it’s gotten me less pain, more flexibility, and less “I can get myself into all sorts of fancy postures” bragging rights. I’ll take that trade.

If you’re looking to unwind your body’s knots, I highly recommend three wonderful resources from one of my favorite yogis, Susi Hately Aldous. With these three resources, you can drain the strain from your entire body:

1. Yoga for the Hips, Hamstrings, Butts and Backs. 
2. Therapeutic Yoga for the Shoulders and Hips.
3. Yoga for the Desk Jockey.

Remember — modifications and/or practicing yoga in a way that is different than the push-your-body-type-A-yoga you may be practicing currently isn’t a bad thing. It’s a healing thing. Your inner yoga bully may scream “You are a yoga wuss!!!” but don’t listen.

Movement for the joy of it sometimes gets lost in our yoga practices because we get so caught up in getting a posture right or doing what everyone else in the class is doing. One way I shook loose of the push it mindset was to move joyfully in my yoga practice. I took 10 minutes at the end of my practice to practice my own little brand of free-flow yoga. I followed my body’s lead and didn’t care so much about how I looked on my mat.

Another way I did it was through dance. I wasn’t the little girl who begged her mom to enroll her in dance class. I never dreamed of being a ballerina. What I did enjoy was the freedom of movement when I felt a bit more restricted in my yoga practice. Putting on music and moving was a nice way to get out of the mindset of “I must move this way.” The lovely Blisschick wrote a guest post on this very topic that’s wonderful and I highly recommend it. Click here to read it on Suburban Yogini’s blog. 

Now for the yoga public service announcement of the day — modification and feeling good are good things.

Namaste!