BLOG: Mysore Yoga Strap – Beginner level

Great For Inversions, Supported Poses and General Flying Fun

Mysore Yoga Strap: A versatile prop great for yogis at all levels

The Mysore Yoga Strap brings the potential for all sorts of possible uses. Restorative and supported poses that alleviate discomfort and make poses easier may be the most popular ways this versatile prop is employed. It will give you a soothing massage to your back or internal organs while helping you to stretch in entirely new ways. Below you will see 5 beginning poses plus instructions for getting into them. More advanced postures that make using the strap more interesting and fun are found in the Intermediate and Advanced blog entries. Rigging is very important. This strap is designed for users weighing 300 pounds or less. The old version of this strap was only rated up to 200 pounds but too many people could not use it so we have made it sturdier. Take special care each time you use the strap to make sure all rigging is secure and shows no signs of damage or wear. Where you rig is very important and we suggest that before mounting fittings you have an engineer evaluate the location and materials you intend to use. Mounting pieces are available here both with the strap and separately. People who are advised not to try this form of yoga exercise are those with headaches, high blood pressure, heart disease, menstruation, and late-term pregnancy. All users are advised to check with their physicians before strenuous physical exercise of this nature.

Mysore Yoga Strap: A Simple Convenient Way to Traction the Spine

The Mysore Yoga Strap affords numerous ways to gain relief from back pain or strain. This is achieved by simply hanging upside down and reversing the gravitational pull on your head, neck, and spine. Your muscles will relax while the spaces between your vertebrae will open. And here’s an added bonus. It feels great!

Mysore Yoga Strap: Backward Hang

To achieve this deeply relaxing posture, adjust the strap so it hits you at the lower back and top of the hips. Lean back into the strap and let it hold your hips. Now you may tip to where your feet are off the floor, keeping both hands firmly on the strap. This is a good place to pause and take a few breaths. If you are comfortable you may continue down by bending the knees and bringing the feet in front of the strap. Once they are locked in place like Mark in the photo at the top of the page you may release your hands. Meghan pictured at left is holding her elbows. Alternately you may let your hands flop onto the floor. When ready to come out you just extend a leg behind, reach up to strap with your hand and you will begin to tip back up. Move slowly for the greatest comfort.

Mysore Yoga Strap: Suspended Rag Doll to Forward Hang

This pose requires the strap adjusted to start at the crease between your thighs and your pelvis. You simply fold over the strap as you would for a full forward bend. When you get to a certain point your feet will come off the floor and you will be suspended. This may be enough for you. Going further into the Forward Hang requires raising the legs so the body can hang perpendicular to the floor. Be sure to bend your knees so your legs stay on the opposite side of the strap from your hips. Be careful here not to push against the floor vigorously with your hands. This could dislodge the strap from your pelvic crease and leave you with all your weight on your arms. This pose gives a soothing massage to the lower viscera while tractioning the spine.

Mysore Yoga Strap: Supported poses that help you deepen your stretches and your relaxation.

One of the downsides of traditional yoga is that so much exertion is required to hold the poses. By using the Mysore Yoga Strap to support you, you can truly relax into postures in ways that you never have before. You can also develop the strength and stamina required to hold the full poses or hold them longer.

Mysore Yoga Strap: Supported Wheel Pose

To achieve this posture you must lower the strap much closer to the ground than for the full hanging poses. There are various ways to set the strap and work on your Wheel Pose. If the strap is in a high position it may be easy to bring your hands to the ground but your feet may be left dangling. This position is wonderful for stretching the thighs and ilia-psoas. Also since you must push hard to get your feet down and extend through the arms it is great for enhancing the flexibility of your upper back, shoulders and neck. Setting the strap a little lower you will find it supports your full version of the pose while making it easier to hold. Experimenting with walking the hands toward the feet and visa versa deepens the stretch.

Mysore Yoga Strap: Supported Down Dog Pose

Setting the strap a bit higher than for Wheel and lower than the hangs, supported Down Dog can be a beautiful thing. Have you ever had an instructor pull your hips back to help you extend forward and arch fully. Now you can have much the same experience whenever you like ;–)

Mysore Yoga Strap: Supported Half Moon Pose

To achieve this posture you simply turn to the side with the strap on your hip. Support yourself with your arm and relax the legs. You can experiment with different heights. I like it close to the ground so I can relax my upper body too. The deep release in the upper thigh, hips and lower back you will experience is intense and exquisite.

Mysore Yoga Strap: Link to Intermediate Poses : Link to Advanced Poses

To keep this page compact, I’ve posted intermediate and advanced pose information on my blog at the links above. Below you will find rigging, safety and purchase information.

Mysore Yoga Strap: Easy to Hang in Numerous Ways

As a back pain sufferer who had an inversion table in my living room, till I got a girlfriend and needed to decorate more stylishly, I really appreciate the portability and “small footprint” of the Mysore Yoga Strap. Right now I have 3 hanging in my home studio and when one is not in use it can be easily tied up or removed. Below you will see the two styles of fittings we are making available and some general safety tips on using the Mysore Yoga Strap.

Mysore Yoga Strap: Tree Rigging

Each Mysore Yoga Strap comes with two oval quick links each rated to carry over 1800 pounds of load. Though indoors we suggest using two quick links on two separate fittings you can rig it by looping one coupling through all 4 d-rings as shown. It is simple to rig this way on a sturdy tree at home or in a public park. Here we used a piece of climber’s webbing or slackline which mountaineer’s trust with their lives and a waterman’s knot. If you do try this in a public area be prepared to share your sling with the curious onlookers you will attract. Here is a Facebook photo album of friends old and new who tried the Mysore Yoga Strap at the Gathering of the Vibes Festival a few years back.

Mysore Yoga Strap: A Few Words About Our Offered Fittings

If you have ceiling beams or studs that are strong enough to support this kind of load these fittings may work for you. I cannot evaluate your situation. Only an experienced builder or engineer can do that. I am sharing what I like as a fitting to make it easier for you to obtain these things if the expert advice you have suggests that they would be appropriate in your situation. I only sell them in pairs since I think they should be used in pairs. Though the strap will work rigged on a single fitting, I like the comfort, stability and spreading of the load associated with rigging on two points.

Mysore Yoga Strap: Preferred Everlast 100 LB Fitting (Deluxe Fitting)

This fitting is made specifically to attach an Everlast 100 pound heavy punching bag to the ceiling. I recommend using two and limiting the use to 200 lb people and lighter. I’m guessing the stresses on a bag used for boxing and kickboxing will far exceed the stresses us yogis put on it. But here is what I really like about this fitting. There are 4 lag screws that go into the ceiling beams. If for whatever reason one of them gets loose, its mate on that side will still be supporting you so you can notice and fix it without incident. It is a little more work to put up and a little more money to purchase but this is not the place to skimp.

Mysore Yoga Strap: EVERBILT 3/8 in x 4 1/2 in Screw Eye Lag Thread Zinc Plated (Basic Fitting)

I went to both Lowe’s and Home Depot looking for a reasonably priced solution to attaching the Mysore Yoga Strap to the ceiling. At Home Depot I found these. I saw that they were rated at 230 lbs each. The workers in the store agreed they would be perfect for my use and I took them home. Later I noticed some other type too small to read without my glasses: It says Warning: Do not use for overhead lifting of a load, support of human weight, athletic or playground equipment. I’ve been using it for months and it seems fine. My salesmen at EVERBILT told me my use sounds fine. However, you should know there is a warning label attached when you get it and your experts may prefer you use a different fitting.

Door Hanger Accessory:

The ceiling sized Mysore Strap can also be rigged to hang from a door. These hanging straps make it easy. There are instructions for rigging with these HERE. Doing a full hang using this rigging will not be possible without one’s head reaching the floor if the user is 5′ 8″ or taller. That is why we made a shorter strap for door rigging. However, the longer strap is good for most everything else you might want to do on a door.

Sherpa Strap Cover:

The Sherpa Strap Cover is not necessary. Most people find the padding on the strap sufficient, however, the extra loft give by this cover is very comfortable and makes using the strap more fun.

Mysore Yoga Strap: Every Time You Use Your Strap Do A Safety Check First

Physical things do not last forever and though this strap design has been thoroughly tested and you may have taken great care in mounting the strap you never know if something is amiss unless you check. A mouse may have nibbled through something while you weren’t looking. Be sure to proceed with caution at the beginning of every session on the strap.

Mysore Yoga Strap: The Pre-Flight Check Part 1

Keep a chair or step ladder handy so you can inspect the quick links and make sure they are securely fastened. Tug up and down, side to side and at odd angles to make sure the fittings are doing their job and are securely attached to the ceiling. Visually inspect the entire strap to be sure it is not frayed, cut or ripped. Check the plastic buckles for any sign of damage or stress fatigue. If everything seems in order proceed to step two.

Mysore Yoga Strap: The Pre-Flight Check Part 2

Pictured at right you will see two good ways to put your full weight on the strap while watching for any adverse reactions in the ceiling like loose screws or grit coming down. Hold the strap with both hands, one on each side, then put one foot on the strap and step up a few inches or hold each side firmly and pull up till your feet leave the floor. All the while one or both feet are only inches from the floor so you are completely safe. I like to swing a bit in the Pre-Flight Check giving it more stress than I normally do while doing my inversions and other postures. Also be sure to spend some time with your full weight in the center of the strap. Sitting in it like an actual swing is a good way to do this. Continue with your practice once everything is checked and is in order.

Mysore Yoga Strap: Built to Last

The Mysore Yoga Strap is ethically manufactured to international standards, following all local ecological and labor laws in the Guangdong Province of China. The Main strap is 100% cotton webbing, the pad is a durable nylon mesh with a resilient foam insert. Never use this strap with Loads at or over 300 lbs. While the strap is well made you must check for any signs of wear, fatigue or damage before each use. When suspended always keep your weight evenly in the center of the strap.

Links to Purchase:

Ceiling Mysore Yoga Strap

Door Wall Mysore Yoga Strap

Mysore Strap Door Hangers

Mysore Strap Sherpa Cover

2 Everlast-fittings

2 3-8in x 4.5in eye screws