Art of Sequencing: Asana Modifications by Melina Meza

by Nina

“Another reason that modifications are dear to my heart is simply the fact that they help more people practice yoga!” — Melina Meza, from Art of Sequencing: Asana Modifications

I’m sure you’ve all realized by now that we here at Yoga for Healthy Aging are huge proponents of modifying asanas. In my post 7 Reasons Why You Should Love Yoga Props, I listed the many reasons why using props is so beneficial. And in my post Making Yoga Accessible, I explained that we had started including four different versions of every pose we feature with the intention of making the poses accessible to as many people as possible.

So I was very excited to see Melina Meza’s beautiful new book, Art of Sequencing: Asana Modifications, which she has just released. Because her book contains only photographs (no instructional text), Melina was able to include a huge number of modifications of a large range of classic poses within a single book. There are over 1,000 photographs! As an example, here are the modifications she provides for Noose pose (Pasasana).

How wonderful to have all these photographs! As a long-time yoga teacher, Melina’s reasons for focusing on modifications are the same as ours. In her introduction she writes that she realized there is a wide array of people who can benefit from having a repertoire of modifications at their disposal, including those who never learned use of props and modifications in the first place, those who have an injury and need new ways to practice now, those who are teaching and need new ways to help students, and those who just like to try new things. I’d add to her list people like us who are aging and find they need to modify their yoga practice to adapt to age-related physical changes. She herself used modifications to recover from a back injury that left her with pain and restricted movement.

In addition to the pages showing modifications, the book also includes sequences for you to practice. Baxter himself reviewed the entire book before publication to ensure the modifications and therapeutic sequences were generally safe and beneficial for those with the specified conditions. He wrote the forward:

“Whether you are a student new to yoga, or one with some experience but wanting more for your personal practice, this book will help you to understand how to adjust your poses for an optimal fit. For new teachers or those working with functional challenges or age-related bodily changes, this book will dramatically expand what you can offer your students.”

To order this new book which is the third volume in her “Art of Sequencing” series, go to melinameza.com. 

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