Have you ever felt like your body is just "weird" because a specific yoga pose seems impossible for you? We often get frustrated, thinking we lack practice or willpower, when in reality, we simply lack an understanding of our own unique architecture.
I was recently listening to a podcast featuring Rodrigo García Platas, creator of a fascinating method that links physiognomy and physiology with temperament. Platas explains how the length of our arms, the width of our hands, or our torso proportions predetermine not only our physical health but also deep traits of our personality.
As a life coach, this absolutely blew my mind. We tend to believe we are solely the result of our life experiences, but the reality is that we come into this world with significant biological "baggage." There is nothing "weird" about our structure; we arrive with a standard set of equipment that doesn't always need to be changed—it needs to be embraced.
Biology on the Mat: Why Your Practice is Unique
I apply this same coaching logic to my Iyengar Yoga practice. Depending on whether you have a more fibrous, strong body or a softer, more flexible one, your experience on the mat will be radically different.
Flexibility is not a universal measurement for the entire body. In fact, it is perfectly normal to be super flexible in some areas and not at all in others. For instance, I have very short calf muscles. No matter how much I practice, this makes it incredibly difficult for my heels to reach the floor in Adho Mukha Svanasana (Downward-Facing Dog). It’s not a lack of effort; it’s my anatomy providing clear data.
Similarly, because I have a long torso compared to my average-length legs and arms, grabbing my ankles in Chatush Padasana is a mechanical challenge of levers, not a lack of elasticity. My body isn't "wrong"—my proportions are just different from the person next to me.
Props: An Opportunity for Creativity
This is where the genius of B.K.S. Iyengar truly shines. The use of props is yet another opportunity for creativity. Simple tools such as blocks, blankets, and chairs not only help make asanas more accessible, but they do so by celebrating human variation.
If someone has a long torso and short legs, it makes good sense that they may need to practice differently than someone with a short torso and longer legs. Props allow yoga to adapt to the individual, validating every physiognomy instead of trying to force it into a standard mold. As expert Bernie Clark points out in his analysis of yoga proportions, the length of our bones dictates the mechanical "stop" of a pose. When our structure requires a bridge, that bridge is the prop.
Honor Your Original Design
Using a block or a strap isn't a crutch or a sign of weakness; it is a precision tool that says: "I recognize my unique structure, and I am using my intelligence to experience the freedom of the asana."
If you want to explore your practice through the lens of acceptance and biological intelligence, having your own supports is essential. Whether for your home practice corner or to equip your studio, having stable wooden blocks, firm cotton straps, or yoga chairs transforms the experience. It stops being a struggle against what you consider "weird" about yourself and becomes a celebration of your original design.
At our Ananda Hum shop, we have curated high-quality yoga props designed so that every body, regardless of its proportions, can find its perfect alignment.
Have you ever felt "weird" in a specific pose? I’d love to hear in the comments which part of your body has taught you to be more humble and embrace the use of props!
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