People practice asana for many reasons. Some want a “yoga bootie”; others seek cross-training with a sport or another fitness modality. Still others look to manage their stress, ease the strain of seated meditation, or quiet the mind by focusing on motion and the breath. All of these are worthy endeavors. However, what if someone does not have full use of the arms? Or if a particular asana is contra-indicated for one reason or another? Does this mean that a person has to give up physical practice entirely? Not at all — if we know how to alter a pose so that it becomes accessible. Here are some ideas to make this possible.
The primary way to adjust arm positions is to keep the hands on the ribcage or hips. This essentially takes the arms out of the pose, allowing the practitioner to focus on other aspects of the pose. For example, when learning Vrksasana, or Tree Pose, one would first work on keeping one leg long and steady to support the torso. After that, the opposite leg is bent and placed, the knee is turned out as much as possible, and the back is straightened. The arm movements can thus be eliminated entirely if need be, while the rest of the body is strengthened and stretched. The tree may not have many branches, but the practitioner is still able to access to balance and calming effects of this asana.
Another way to approach arm modifications: is keep the hands together at the chest, pulling the shoulders down into their sockets. While the arms aren’t raised above the head, the shoulders and chests are still working. In poses such as Virabhadrasana, or First Warrior, there will still be balance challenges — particularly in variations such as “Crescent”, where the back foot has the heel lifted off the ground.
Sometimes the issue isn’t with the arms but with the chest area. If scar tissue prevents full extension of the arms overhead, try using “goalpost” or “cactus” arms. Here, the shoulder muscles are firmly entrenched in its socket and the upper arms are stretched out to the side. The elbows bend at a ninety degree angle, and the fingers point towards the sky. From here, it’s possible to work on extending the range of motion by slowly lifting the elbow and partially straightening the arm in the direction of the ears. Moving back and forth in this way will strengthen the remaining muscles and may stretch the affected area out to a lesser or greater degree.
Problems with arm flexibility are similarly easy to address. When working with Garudasana, or Eagle Pose, one may have problems twisting the forearms to grab the hands. If this is the case, one can simply hug oneself! The back and shoulders will still get the indicated stretch.
A final arm modification may be needed when one practices twists. Often, the yogi/ni is instructed to place an elbow across the opposite thigh. If short arms make this unavailable, simply pull the elbow as far across the body as possible, bending the elbows and placing the hands in prayer position before twisting. This will still provide the twist to the upper body.
A final idea to keep in mind: vocabulary makes a difference. These changes can be thought of as ‘alterations’ or as ‘modifications’ – the latter implies that a practitioner isn’t doing the ‘full’ pose. Postures that are changed to fit a particular body aren’t ‘lesser’ yoga – they are variations that make it possible for more people to practice the technique of aligning breath to movement and readying the body for meditation. Isn’t that the point of asana, after all? As teachers and practitioners, we need to step away from the idea of idealized body postures, turning our attention instead to how our practice creates opportunity for turning inward, for uniting the different aspects of our corporeal experience, and for creating sangha, or community. “Modifications” can prepare us for more intense postures, while “alterations” can instead be the correct way for a particular person to practice, either at a particular time in one’s life or for good. Know thyself, and work accordingly.
Yoga Cielo Stellato 