Yoga blocks can transform your practice as a beginner but also as an advanced practitioner. Yoga blocks can help improve your body alignment in advanced poses such as Kapotasana, and Pigeon Pose, or assist you in having more support in other poses like Trikonasana, and Triangle Pose.
Yoga blocks can also help where your mobility might be limited from tight or tense areas in your body. They can provide the confidence you need to continue a pose where it might be difficult and you feel like giving up because it’s hard, painful or your alignment is suffering. Whether you’re a new yogi or an advanced yogi, if you’re not using yoga blocks, we definitely recommend you start. If you’re having trouble selecting a yoga block you can check out this article on how to choose a yoga block!
Without further ado here are ten ways you can use yoga blocks to get your yoga journey on its way or advance your already practice!
Sukhasana (Easy Pose)
How the blocks help:
Yoga blocks are going to help assist you in better body alignment making it more comfortable to be in this pose. The blocks may make it easier for you to cross your legs and sit up straight, helping with spinal alignment.
How to do the pose with the blocks:
Place one block under your sit bones with the block at its lowest height with your pelvis slightly in a posterior position.
Cross your shins, widen your knees, and slip each foot beneath the opposite knee as you bend your knees and fold the legs in toward your torso.
Take a deep breath and lengthen the spine, meaning sit up tall. Allow your hands to rest on your knees or thighs while your legs lay comfortably and relaxed.
You should be able to look down and see a triangle, formed by your two thighs and your crossed shins. Your ankles should have a decent gap between your feet and pelvis.
Yoga Block Variation:
Sit up against a wall, and place a yoga block between the wall and your lower shoulder blades
Pose Benefits:
Calming
Strengthens your back
Stretches your legs
Vajrasana (Thunderbolt)
How the blocks help:
Yoga blocks will help relieve pain in your ankles and knees making the pose more comfortable. It will take some weight off of your knees allowing you to sit more comfortably.
How to do the pose with the blocks:
Place a yoga block under your sit bones on whichever height feels most comfortable to you. You would normally sit on your heels with your toes flat but in this case, your feet will be just outside the block.
Sit up tall and breath
Yoga Block Variation:
Instead of placing the block between your feet, place the block on top of your heels and then sit down on the block. The block should be between your heels and glutes.
Try to keep your heels together and relax.
Pose Benefits:
Strengthens feet and ankles
Opens hip joints
Stretches quadriceps muscles
Improves circulation
Malasana (Yogi Squat)
How the blocks help:
The blocks will help you get into the position if you are restricted in the different areas of your body. They will also help if you tend to hunch your back and round your shoulders. If you have tight quads, hips, ankles, and/or hamstrings, the yoga block will help you get into the squat or Malasana a little easier.
How to do the pose with the blocks:
Use however many blocks you need in the lowest of heights for more stability and place them under your sit bones.
Sit on the yoga blocks with your feet as wide as your mat with your toes slightly turned out outwards; about 30-45 degrees.
Place your hands at heart center, as if you were praying.
Place your elbows/triceps on the inside of your knees. Try to push your elbows and knees out creating more space to open your chest and sit tall.
Straighten the spine and breath.
Pose Benefits:
Opens hip joints
Stretches legs
Improves circulation
Create bamboo legs as Ido Portal would say in his squat challenge
Baddha Konasana (Bound Angle Pose)
How the blocks help:
If your legs can’t lay flat in this pose the yoga blocks will help reduce stress in the hips. Yoga blocks are going to help you sit up straight if you have tight hips or a tight groin. They will also help you in having better alignment so that you can be more comfortable.
How to do the pose with the blocks:
Grab your yoga block and get into the butterfly stretch or Baddha Konasana Pose. Place the bottom of your feet together with your knees wide.
Place one block under each knee on whichever height feels best to your hip and groin flexibility. As time goes by you may be able to reduce the height of the blocks so that you can get into a deeper stretch.
Do not grab and pull your toes towards you (doing this overstretches your ligaments, promoting injury). Instead, grab your ankles for support.
Yoga Block Variation:
Place a yoga block under your sit bones, kind of like what we did in Vajrasana, Thunderbolt Pose.
Pose Benefits:
Opens hip joints
Stretches groin
Calming
Uttanasana (Standing Forward Fold)
How the blocks help:
If you aren’t able to touch the ground with your fingers while having a long straight back, in a forward fold, then you should think about using yoga blocks.
How to do the pose with the blocks:
Stand with your feet hip-width and parallel and place the blocks a little in front of your feet.
Use the blocks on whatever height you need to help you keep a straight, long back. Keep your knees slightly bent as you don’t want to lock them out.
Standing tall with your arms raised, bend at the waist keeping one straight line from the crown of your head all the way to your tail bone.
Try to keep your sit bones over your feet. Take about 10-20 good breaths and bring the body so it’s at 90º degrees, keeping everything straight.
Exhale and forward fold again. You may be able to adjust the height of your blocks now.
Pose Benefits:
Calming
Stimulates the liver and kidneys
Stretches and strengthens the legs and opens hips
Improves digestion
Utthita Parsvakonasana (Extended Side Angle Pose)
How the blocks help:
In this pose, the yoga blocks will help if you find that your shoulders are dropping down. This is a pose where blocks are great at bringing the floor closer to you. It’ll also help keep your back heel down a little bit.
How to do the pose with the blocks:
Take your yoga block and place it on the side of your foot where your pinky toe is. Per usual, use the yoga block at whatever height feels best to you.
Use the block as more of a support system with your hand on it, not a rest. Meaning avoid putting a ton of weight on it.
Pose Benefits:
Strengthens your legs, knees, and ankles
Stretches your hamstrings, adductors (groin muscles) and lats
Tones your abdominal muscles and pelvic floor
Ardha Chandrasana (Half-Moon Pose)
How the blocks help:
Similar to Utthita Parsvakonasana the foam blocks are going to help with balance, support, and alignment. The blocks are going to help with the rounding of your shoulders and allow you to open your chest a bit more.
How to do the pose with the blocks:
Take a yoga block and place it in front of your toes.
Per usual, use the yoga block at whatever height feels best to you.
Use the block as more of a support system with your hand on it, not a rest. Meaning doesn’t put a ton of weight on it.
Press firmly through your foot and reach high.
Eka Pada Rajakapotasana (One-Legged King Pigeon Pose)
How the blocks help:
In this hip opener, a yoga block is going to help with spine and hip alignment which is very important. It’s going to keep your hips square. If your butt is off of the floor you need to use the block and bring the floor to you.
How to do the pose with the blocks:
Get into pigeon pose how you normally would and place the block on its lowest height under the hip that is drooping. It’s most likely the hip/leg that is in front.
Pose Benefits:
Increases the external range of motion of femur in the hip socket
Lengthens hip flexors
Prepares the body for backbends
Prepares the body for seated postures
Setu Bandha Sarvangasana (Bridge Pose)
How the blocks help:
Yoga blocks in this pose can help a couple of different ways. It can help you engage your inner thighs or can help support your body so that you can relax your hip flexors and your spine.
How to do the pose with the blocks:
To help engage your inner thighs place the block between your quads and squeeze as you do the pose.
To support your back you’ll want to place the yoga block under your sacrum or lower back.
Pose Benefits:
Stretches the chest, neck, and spine
Calming
Stimulates abdominal organs, lungs, and thyroid
Improves digestion
Ustrasana (Camel Pose)
How the blocks help:
Blocks will help with some major alignment and compensation in Ustrasana pose. More specifically the engagement of your inner thighs, helps you push your hips forward from your thoracic spine and not your lower back.
How to do the pose with the blocks:
To help engage your inner thighs place the block between your quads and squeeze as you do the pose.
To help you open your chest, place the blocks behind you where you normally touch your toes. You’ll need both yoga blocks for this.
Pose Benefits:
Stretches the front body, the ankles, thighs and groins, abdomen, chest, and throat
Stretches the deep hip flexors (psoas)
Strengthens back muscles
Improves posture