I was teaching a short Great Yoga Wall workshop at a local studio. One of the participants had brought a friend, who had only done yoga a few times in her life, and never on the Great Yoga Wall. When it came time to go upside down, she was pretty hesitant, understandably. She didn’t really know me, yoga, or the Great Yoga Wall.
So, I met her where she was and gave her space to make her own decision about it. After I guided the other participants into Sirsasana (Headstand) on the Great Yoga Wall, making sure everyone felt absolutely safe to do so, she decided to give it a try.
I double and triple checked to see that she was sure, and then spotted her as she went into the pose. Though she didn’t stay long, her whole demeanor had changed when she exited the pose. She had the biggest smile on her face. Her tone of voice was so excited. Her eyes lit up like festive fireworks, and she stood taller and way more confidently than when she had walked in the door.
The number one question people ask me about the Great Yoga Wall is some variation of “how do I use the Great Yoga Wall safely?”
Feeling safe doing something new is a very subjective, individual thing. We all have different definitions and versions of safety, and different things that help us create and feel it. Though finding a sense of inner safety is up to each of us individually, several external factors can help, including practical tips and knowledge.
In no particular order, here are my top 9 keys to practicing with the Great Yoga Wall safely.
Key #1: Proper Assembly and Installation of the Great Yoga Wall
Would you willingly drive a car that wasn’t assembled properly? Or ride a bike with the handlebars in the wrong place? Probably not. I know it seems obvious, but assembly and installation matter. The father of Great Yoga Wall training, Bryan Legere, put the prototype through independent rigorous safety testing prior to bringing it to market. None of that matters, though, if you cut corners with your yoga wall installation.
Key #2: Learning Great Yoga Wall safety principles
There are certain things you need to know that are specific to using the Great Yoga Wall, like being sure to double check that the wall belt attachment is properly seated in a wall plate. If not, the belt attachment could jerk into place suddenly when you bear weight on it and cause you to lose balance, or worse, come out entirely.
Key #3: Knowing what poses to do with the rope wall and how to do them
Many pictures you find online feature daring inversions and backbends on the Great Yoga Wall. There’s SO MUCH more you can do in various pose categories, including standing poses, seated postures, forward bends, twists, inversions, backward bends, and supine and restorative poses. Because of the versatility of the Great Yoga Wall, you often can practice a single pose in several different ways as well.
Key #4: Knowing what NOT to do on the Great Yoga Wall
There are 3 categories of what not to do on the Great Yoga Wall. First, you would still follow pose contraindications, like not inverting if you have glaucoma. The second category includes variations of poses with the Great Yoga Wall that might be contraindicated for someone, even though they wouldn’t be without the yoga wall, like Adho Mukha Svanasana (Downward Facing Dog) with a pelvic swing for a pregnant woman. Finally, some Great Yoga Wall safety principles include not doing certain things, like taking your feet higher than your hips when you’re hanging in Uttanasana (Standing Forward Bend) with your feet on the wall.
Key #5: Proficiency with rope wall modifications and adjustments for different bodies and abilities
One of the advantages of the Great Yoga Wall over an old-school rope wall is the ability to adjust the length and placement of the belts, making it a lot easier for people of varying abilities and body types to do the postures in the ways that most benefit them. To do this with the Great Yoga Wall, you need to know how long to make the belts, where to put them on the wall, where to place them on your body, where to put the buckle to adjust while you’re in the pose, when to come completely out of the pose to make modifications, tricks to adjust for a deeper stretch based on where you place yourself, etc.
Key #6: Familiarity with sequencing a yoga kurunta (Rope wall) practice
Sequencing with the Great Yoga Wall depends on what you’re trying to accomplish with your practice and whether you’re using the Great Yoga Wall as a prop (its original purpose) or as the main attraction.
Key #7: Incorporation of Yama (Restraints) and Niyama (Personal Observances)
Given the depth and power of the openings that the Great Yoga Wall provides, the importance of practicing the Yama (Restraints) and Niyama (Personal Observances) increases so you can keep yourself safe. For example, Svadhyaya (Self Study) can help you learn to observe and listen to your body so that you don’t stretch beyond what would be beneficial for you in that moment. Tapas (Perseverance) and Ahimsa (Peace or Non-Violence) work together so you find the balance of sticking with something that’s challenging but not to the point of doing harm to yourself.
Key #8: Training with a qualified teacher
Just like when you learn a new language, getting some training makes the process so much easier. You get the benefit of the instructor’s expertise and years of experience, as well as an organized method for taking in and integrating new knowledge.
Key #9: Practice
Getting an infusion of someone else’s knowledge is one thing. It’s a completely different endeavor to integrate that knowledge into your own body and mind. With practice, your body experiences a physiological change that roots the experience in the body and muscle memory in a way that’s different than listening or watching someone else do it. It takes time practicing to embody that knowledge with the Great Yoga Wall, especially with all the different variations of poses.
The payoff is big.
When you have fun playing on the Great Yoga Wall, and when you do things you didn’t think you could do, your energetic state shifts and your confidence skyrockets.
Ultimately, no one can “make” you feel safe doing anything. You are responsible for creating your own safety. These keys for working with the Great Yoga Wall can help you establish your own sense of safety in a practical, secure way that gives you what you need to make the best choices for your own practice and body.
If you’d like to learn more about how to use the Great Yoga Wall safely, sign up here to be the first to know when we’re holding our next training, land more rope wall tips and tricks, and get inspiring tales of people doing things they didn’t think they could with the yoga wall.
Affiliate disclosure: As of the time of writing, if you buy a Great Yoga Wall through any of links in this post, I do not get any compensation for it. However, the company refers people to me for training. If you look for training on the Great Yoga Wall website, you will see a link to my site and my training.
This information is for educational and informational purposes only and solely as a self-help tool for your own use. I am not providing medical, psychological, or nutrition therapy advice. You should not use this information to diagnose or treat any health problems or illnesses without consulting your own medical practitioner. Always seek the advice of your own medical practitioner and/or mental health provider about your specific health situation.