When I first started practicing yoga, I avoided blocks. I was determined to do everything by myself, even if that meant sacrificing integrity in a certain pose, or even risking injury (Oh hey ego how are you?). Now that I’m a few years in, I’ve gotten over that (thankfully!) and happily reach for blocks at multiple points in my yoga practice.
Here are just a handful of ways to use blocks in yoga:
To give support to tight hips
For a lot of us, sitting cross legged at the beginning of class can be way more difficult than it looks. That’s where blocks come in. Sticking a block underneath your bum is a great way to get your hips higher than the knees, which puts less pressure on our hip flexors.
To bring the floor up to you
When we’re working on building flexibility, sometimes it’s useful to have a couple of blocks handy to literally bring the earth up to meet you when our hands can’t quite meet the ground, like in a forward fold or in triangle pose.
For extra support in standing balances
In poses like half moon, a block is kind of like a shortcut to the floor. Using one under your hand gives you extra stability when you’re still working on balance, or simply having a wobbly day.
To keep your legs engaged and active
Popping a block between your thighs in Tadasana, bridge pose, boat pose, downward dog and plank (to name just a few) help remind us to turn on our inner thighs and keep them active. It helps us work a bit harder, spend effort in the right places, and build even more strength.
To give us support in order to relax
Restorative bridge is by far one of my favourite yoga poses. Come into bridge as normal, then pop a block (at any height that feels really good for you) underneath your sacrum. Get comfy and breeeeathe here. 🙂
These are just a few ways you can use a block in your yoga practice. Next time you’re in a class, try and use one in a way that you never have before and see what opens up for you! 🙂
