Prop-er Yoga?

'What belts?'

'My yoga belts. I bought them with my own money abd brought them in for my students.'

'Told you, they're a no-go. Read the denial tehy're non-essential; too much liability potential. Seems to me you're doing fine without them, anyway.'

'No, they are essential to our practice. Can't we keep them locked up?' (p.128)

Like most Yoga teachers Lucky uses props to make sure that the pose can be held for a longer time and she tries her best to convince Warden Capps that belts were essential to Yoga practice. Naturally, being a potential weapon, the use of belts is denied and Lucky wonders how she can go ahead with the class.

Nowadays, with all the props floating around : belts, bricks, chairs, benches, ropes, sticky mats, bolsters,blankets, wedges, bars, and a list getting longer by the day, yoga class is almost beginning to resemble a workshop of sadists with people stretched out over back benches, or people in sarvangasan with hips resting on chair seats with arms clenched tight to the chair legs, bodies contorted in impossible twists made possible with belts and of course the good old shirsana practitioners who hang upside down on ropes!

Honestly,I miss those good old days when all that was required was a plain old towel.

A towel which doubled up as a mat for the head and shoulder stands and supported knees in a camel pose, or a roll under the knees for a virasan and finally spread out into a carpet for the shavasan.