From the Spring 2025 Issue – Yoga for Every-BODY
The term ‘modification’ typically stirs up thoughts of inadequacy—this connection to ‘something less than’ is often seen in education and many areas of life. For example, recipes are modified to suit individuals with specific diets. Instruction and tests are modified to suit learners with special accommodations. In yoga, props are often seen as modifying a pose or sequence if one has physical limitations. Yet, the definition of ‘modification’ is unrelated to any inadequacy. The definition of ‘modification’ is quite the opposite. “Something that is changed slightly, especially to improve it or make it more acceptable or less extreme” (Cambridge Dictionary). The term modification is simply a scaffold to make something much more widely accepted by many with ease and comfort. Understanding the definition dispels the myth of modifications being negative or that a pose/sequence needs to be performed differently because of shortcomings or limitations.
God has made His children perfect and unique. Instead, it is all about changing the mindset of modifications. Yoga modifications are similar to learning scaffolds found in education, which are described as techniques that support students in helping them learn new skills or complete new tasks they might not be able to do on their own. The goal is to help students achieve learning outcomes independently. When examined against this backdrop, modifications are viewed as a positive, providing the support one needs to accomplish something independently.
Dr. Donna Jagielski
Dr. Donna Jagielski is the founder and CEO of Blessings Balance Breath Yoga, a nonprofit 501c3 organization based in Phoenix, Arizona. The mission of the organization is to make yoga accessible to populations who are underrepresented, underserved, marginalized, and justice-impacted. Dr. Jagielski has been leading the yoga program at the Maricopa County Juvenile Detention Center for over three years. The Yoga for Empowered Women, a yoga and journaling program for justice-impacted women has been awarded several funding grants. Dr. Jagielski serves as the Health & Wellness teacher at New Freedom a behavioral health and re-entry organization and as an adjunct professor of education