Pranayama

One of the first bolster-type pillows that Hugger Mugger made back in the 1980s was the pranayama pillow. Made to BKS Iyengar’s specifications, the pillow is designed to support the spine and expand the chest for free respiration in supine pranayama practice. Until the 20th century, pranayama was always practiced in a sitting position. BKS Iyengar discovered that not all his students could sustain this position easily for long periods of time. Using props, he designed a way for practitioners to practice lying down instead. This allowed students of all body types to practice pranayama with a neutral spine. Placing...

Supine Pranayama with Pranayama Pillow and Blanket The Yoga Sutras of Patanjali outline an eight-limbed framework for yoga practice. These limbs, in their written order, include: Yama: Ethical precepts, including non-harming, truthfulness, non-stealing, wise use of sexuality and non-greed Niyama: Daily practices, including cleanliness or simplicity, cultivation of contentment, commitment to practice, study of self and sacred texts, dedication of your practice to something bigger than oneself Asana: Physical postures Pranayama: Refinement of the breath Pratyahara: Releasing attachment to the senses Dharana: Concentration Dhyana: Meditation Samadhi While the limbs are not hierarchical—all of them operate simultaneously to feed into...

How Nadi Shodhana Taught Me to Listen Don’t you hate it when people talk about something that seems like a metaphor but you’re not sure if it is? Like listening to your body? Or trusting your gut? I sure do. When I was starting my yoga practice in the late ’90s, I had no idea that the instruction to “listen to your body” was an actual thing. I thought it was a lovely metaphor, something that yoga teacher types liked to say because it sounded good. So I carried on, trying to wedge myself into poses that my belly...