Yoga using props

Props used in yoga include chairs, blocks, belts, mats, blankets, bolsters, and straps. They are used in postural yoga to assist with correct alignment in an asana, for ease in mindful yoga practice, to enable poses to be held for longer periods in Yin Yoga, where support may allow muscles to relax, and to enable people with movement restricted for any reason, such as stiffness, injury, or arthritis, to continue with their practice. One prop, the yoga strap, has an ancient history, being depicted in temple sculptures and described in manuscripts from ancient and medieval times; it was used in Sopasrayasana, also called Yogapattasana, a seated meditation pose with the legs crossed and supported by the strap. In modern times, the use of props is associated especially with the yoga guru B. K. S. Iyengar; his disciplined style required props including belts, blocks, and ropes. The practice of yoga as exercise is modern, though some of the asanas are ancient and many more are medieval. A band or strap of cloth was however used in ancient times, some 2000 years ago, to support the body in one asana in particular; this device was the yogapaṭṭa, a term defined in Monier Monier-Williams's Sanskrit-English dictionary. Such a strap is depicted in a relief sculpture on the Great Stupa of Sanchi in Madhya Pradesh, dated c. 50 BCE to 50 CE, in other sculptures from the 7th century CE at Mamallapuram and Ellora, and from the 14th century at Hampi.

File:048 The Sama Jataka (32999350973).jpg|Yogi (top right) using a strap, in relief sculpture of the [[Syama Jataka]], the [[Great Stupa of Sanchi]], c. 50 BCE to 50 CE|alt=photo of Sanchi temple sculpture showing ancient use of yoga strap File:Mahabalipuram Caves (detail of yogi using strap in yogapattasana).JPG|Yogi (centre) using strap around waist and legs, [[Mahabalipuram]] Caves, c. 7th century|alt=photo of Mahabalipuram rock sculpture showing ancient use of yoga strap File:7 La statue de Narasimha Hampi Vijayanagar Karnataka India April 2014.