HOW WE USE PROPS
with Abbie Galvin

February 3rd 2020

I'm going to talk about props. Our practice uses a lot of props. Think of props as scaffolding on a building. You put scaffolding on a building to help support its structure. And then, after a while, you take the scaffolding away and the building really stands substantiated on its own, which is very much like a body.

We use props in our practice to facilitate good technique. Think of a blanket as a throne to sit on so that you can change the angle of your pelvis, so you can sit up higher, so that you can change the way that you sit and have the experience of being substantial in your pelvis, of being capacious in your torso, and of being visionary with an antenna.

The next prop is a sandbag. Sandbags duplicate muscle: a sandbag is heavy. You can drape it over an ankle, you can put it on your lap, or you can put it on your back. We use sandbags for substantiation. Sandbags also make you feel safe and grounded. We use sandbags for lots of things.

Next are blocks. Blocks are like bone. They support structure. We can use them by putting them under your legs, putting them between your legs, or putting them over your head in “King of the Mountain.” Blocks are surfaces of good measure. You can use them to measure a right angle. We use blocks for lots of things. We will demonstrate in further little segments like this just how to use them, how to manipulate yourself with them, and how they make your practice more informed.

Next: straps. Straps are like ligaments that you put through a joint. Also, you can hold people with a strap so that you don't have to use your hands. There are lots of ways to use straps that facilitate folds. Think of origami folds or folding a piece of paper and creasing your thumb across the fold. Straps go into a fold.

And finally, we use these balls from a Pilates practice. You can sit on them, you can put them in your back against a wall, you can put them into your armpit for greater volume of your lungs -- giving you side view mirrors.

As you can see, all of these props are multipurpose, many of which we're going to be demonstrating in upcoming segments. We love our props.