Yoga blocks are your friends

Do you use yoga blocks in your practice?

If you’ve come to my classes, you’ll know that I’m a big fan of yoga blocks. Here are some reasons why yoga blocks can help us in our practice.

First up, they help to create space. One of the biggest entry points into yoga is to create flexibility. By using yoga blocks correctly, they help us create space so we can open and move our body correctly. An example would be a seated forward fold. In this position we often try to touch our toes but tightness in the hips can prevent us from folding our body at the waist enough to reach our toes. By sitting on a block, we effectively raise our seat. The elevation creates more opening in the hip area so we can fold more and stretch our chest and arms forward to reach our toes.

Next up, blocks can help make challenging asanas more accessible. Take Ardha Chandrasana (Half Moon) for example. This asana requires us to balance on one leg whilst raising the other leg and lowering the body with the chest opening towards the ceiling. Here we can use a block to raise the floor so we can rest our fingers without collapsing our body.

And finally in relaxation. Yin yoga where we want to hold the asana for longer to improve flexibility or engage in deep relaxation. Here blocks can help support our body so we hold the pose and concentrate on our breath to feel the benefits.