Yoga at the Wall

5 Key Takeaways for Returning to the Centre of the Room - By Mellara Gold

Reading time: 3 minutes

Using a rope wall and props has always been the medicine that brings me closer to knowing the deeper me. Yet it wasn’t always this way. Most of us come to practice yoga for more flexibility, health and physical fitness. Yoga for mental health is another reason why folks are practicing.

For me it was a diagnosis of five lower back discs that were degenerated enough to produce debilitating pain, yet not enough and at 17 years old to go into surgery. So after my physical therapy sessions had run out I knew I had to find something that I could do to help heal and support myself. In came Iyengar Yoga where yoga at the wall became my foundational practice.

I remembered viewing the wall just like another prop, like another tool that could be used to improve and heal my back rather than something that just made poses easier. And the great thing about a wall practice is that we don’t need to be a yoga expert to become a better friend to our body.

Sometimes I like to view the wall as another form of physical therapy that we can rely on. Yet not to replace the support of doctors and physical therapists. The guidance and silent ‘inside’ feedback that we receive from the wall is valuable and not just limited to a few of us. It is there for any of us that wish to pay more attention and listen in deeply to what the body is informing us. Be it a tighter side waist, a stronger muscle and even our overall inner and outer balance.

Wall yoga* can also assist us in feeling much less afraid of any back pain flare ups as we trust in ourselves and the process to be our own best healer and guide. Experience has taught me that everything is impermanent and that so too is my pain and it too will and does change where we can always begin again.

If having an injury wasn’t your gateway into yoga you are in good company as most of us come to the practice to improve our flexibility and strength. Yet through my many years of teaching I have also noticed changes of heart in my students and in their primary reasons for practicing. While most come to yoga for exercise and stress relief, a lot stay for deeper reasons. like connecting to their heart, spirituality and some even experience a deeper connection with their own faith of choice.

Throughout the years yoga has personally taken me on an epic inner journey, sometimes roller coaster rides through self-reflection, self-compassion, self-realisation, acceptance and back again to the physical form.

Without a doubt the health benefits are very real too as yoga helps us to not only touch our toes, it also decreases our cholesterol and our blood pressure too. And don’t get me started with the brain, because while we can feel that yoga reduces our depressive feelings and anxiety we also know that yoga changes the brain for the better.

A May 2015 study published in the Frontiers in Human Neuroscienceuses magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) of the brain to show that yoga protects the brain from the decline in gray matter brain volume as we age. People with more yoga experience had brain volumes typical for much younger people. In other words, yoga could protect your brain from shrinking as you get older.

Yet lets get back to Yoga at the Wall and how it’s benefits allow for us to be ready for practice in the middle of the room; be it a power, vinyasa flow or restorative yoga class.

Here are 5 reasons why it might be worth your while checking out your own local yoga studio that offers wall yoga.

Making use of the wall facilitates better alignment and posture by offering a tangible reference point for appropriate technique.
This method makes it simpler to maintain balance and avoid injury by enhancing stability and confidence in a variety of poses.
By providing resistance and support, the wall can also deepen stretches and increase flexibility.
Wall-assisted postures also help practitioners become more focused and aware of their bodies, which can lead to more mindful practices.
The wall acts as a safety net for more difficult poses, allowing exploration without the worry of falling. By using the wall as a reference, you can raise your awareness of the movements and alignments of your body. This is the mind/body connection that feels as if we landed right back inside of ourselves, feeling embodied and less stressed with any life situation and/or outer world challenges. Essentially we feel into an increase of our conscious awareness that can result in a more deliberate and efficient practice in the center of the room.

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