You can think of yoga blocks acting as the ground, in their role as support. They give you something to press against, which provides stability.They raise the floor so you can get the movement from the appropriate body part.Recap: Yoga blocks make yoga poses accessible in two ways: Instead, go big and use the block and the appropriate height for you, in all its glory.Īs a bonus, by pressing firmly into the block, you make it a more stable surface and, therefore, safer for you. If your fingers can barely touch the block on the low setting, for example, it’s better to opt for the medium setting.īy being able to press your hand flat into the block, versus only using your fingertips, you “mechanically advantage” yourself, which is a fancy way of saying you can use the full force of your arm to help your posture.Īgain, the dispelled myth of “cheating” affects if we use the correct height. This is why you want to choose the right block height for you, low, medium, high, or what I like to call the “skyscraper” setting. But let’s underscore that you want to not only touch the block but be able to press into it firmly. We’ve already given the example of how yoga blocks can be used to raise the floor. Usually, what we are trying to press against is the floor. One more way blocks help you do the work of the posture is by giving you something to press against. Yoga Blocks Teach You to Engage and Provide Stability Your hips don’t move much, which is especially true if you usually sit for long periods during the day.įolding forward is just one example, but whether it’s a twist, backbend, arm balance, or other types of yoga poses, blocks can be used to make each more accessible. The reason you can’t touch your toes easily is often a lack of hip mobility or range of motion. If you didn’t just get off tour with Cirque du Soleil, it can be a challenge to fold yourself in half and reach your fingers to your feet. Take the simple, but not easy, act of touching your toes. Yoga blocks are essential to doing the postures skillfully. Yoga blocks allow you to practice yoga poses in a safer, more beneficial way.Īll that bending, twisting, and folding you do in yoga poses can be difficult, especially when you are newer. How To Use Yoga Blocks to Make Yoga Poses More Accessibleīut why do you need a yoga block in the first place?īecause they are freaking amazing. In Vinyasa yoga, and for most at-home yoga practices, you only need a mat and a yoga block. In certain styles of yoga, ahem, Iyengar, it’s typical to find a prop closet in a studio with straps, blankets, ropes, bolsters, and benches. And in cooking, knives are so critical that each chef has her own set she carries with her.Įach activity has specific gear, and yoga is the same. If you’re building a house, you use a hammer instead of your bare hands because ouch. If you’re climbing a mountain, you use special climbing ropes. Though they are commonly called props, I prefer the word tool because it’s more accurate.Īnd lots of activities come with their own sets of equipment. That’s right yoga blocks are pieces of equipment that help you get the job done. I’m not quite sure how this association came about but let’s set the record straight: So everyone’s doing it, and no one’s talking about it. It looks like a party when I teach a live-streamed class because of the different colored blocks in use. For instance, we have enough at the studio for every person to have two blocks, and often at the start of class, the block shelves are empty. Or worse still, they feel like they are not a real yogi.Īs someone responsible for both on-demand yoga classes and an in-person yoga studio, I can tell you first hand that people are using blocks–lots of blocks. People have this association that if they use a yoga block, they are somehow cheating. Yoga blocks seem to be the guilty pleasure of the yoga world, though they are often not mentioned in polite company. Yoga Blocks Are Tools To Help You Practice Yoga Once you understand these concepts, it will free you to know when and how to use a yoga block to enhance and enrich your practice. Yoga blocks are props, or tools, used to help yoga practitioners in three primary ways: to make yoga poses more accessible, to act as support, and to add a challenge to develop strength.Ĭonsider this as the theory of how to use yoga blocks. While it seems intuitive that you stand and do poses on a yoga mat, the question then becomes, what do you do with the yoga block? When you’re new to yoga, it can seem odd that there are so many yoga poses yet only a couple of basic pieces of equipment–a mat and a yoga block.
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