Yoga Blocks: Purpose, Placement, and Effective Use

How Do You Place Yoga Blocks?

Yoga blocks are versatile props used to extend, support, and deepen yoga postures by providing accessible ground, enhancing stability, and allowing for greater comfort and alignment across various poses and body types.

The Purpose of Yoga Blocks in Practice

Yoga blocks are invaluable tools for both novice and experienced practitioners, serving to bridge the gap between your current physical capabilities and the ideal form of a pose. Their primary functions include:

• Extending Your Reach: Blocks effectively lengthen your limbs, allowing you to maintain proper spinal alignment in poses where your hands might not otherwise reach the floor (e.g., forward folds, standing balances).
• Providing Support and Stability: They offer a stable base, reducing the effort required to hold a pose and enabling you to focus on form, breath, and muscular engagement rather than straining to maintain balance.
• Modifying and Adapting Poses: Blocks make advanced or challenging postures more accessible, allowing you to gradually work towards full expression without compromising safety or form.
• Enhancing Comfort and Restorative Practice: In restorative yoga, blocks can support the body in passive stretches, promoting relaxation and deeper release by cushioning joints and supporting limbs.
• Deepening Engagement: By providing a tangible point of resistance (e.g., squeezing a block between the thighs), they can activate specific muscle groups, improving proprioception and strength.

Understanding Yoga Block Dimensions: The Three Heights

A standard yoga block typically has three distinct dimensions, allowing for varied heights and levels of support. Understanding these "faces" is crucial for effective placement:

• Lowest Height (Flat): When the block lies flat on its widest side, it offers the least elevation. This is ideal for subtle lifts, gentle support under the head, or when you need a slight extension of the floor. It provides the most stable base.
• Medium Height (Side): Placing the block on its medium-width side provides a moderate lift. This is often the go-to height for supporting hands in standing poses, under the hips in seated postures, or for a more significant elevation for the head or shoulders in restorative poses.
• Highest Height (End): When the block stands on its narrowest end, it offers the maximum elevation. This is used when significant ground extension is needed, such as in challenging forward folds, or for deep support in certain restorative or therapeutic applications. This position is generally less stable and requires more mindful placement.

General Principles for Yoga Block Placement

Effective block placement is intuitive once you understand the basic principles:

• Under the Hands:
  • Purpose: To bring the floor closer to you, maintain a long spine, and reduce strain in hamstring or back flexibility.
  • Examples: Forward folds (Uttanasana, Paschimottanasana), Downward-Facing Dog variations, Triangle Pose (Trikonasana), Half Moon Pose (Ardha Chandrasana).
  • Placement: Directly under the shoulders, slightly wider than shoulder-width, or in line with the front foot, depending on the pose.
• Under the Sit Bones or Hips:
  • Purpose: To elevate the hips above the knees, making seated postures more comfortable, especially for individuals with tight hips or hamstrings, and enabling a more upright pelvic tilt.
  • Examples: Easy Pose (Sukhasana), Staff Pose (Dandasana), Hero's Pose (Virasana), Bound Angle Pose (Baddha Konasana).
  • Placement: Directly under the ischial tuberosities (sit bones), ensuring a stable and even base.
• Under the Head or Neck:
  • Purpose: To provide gentle support and alignment for the cervical spine, promoting relaxation and reducing strain, particularly in supine (lying on back) postures.
  • Examples: Savasana (Corpse Pose), Supported Reclined Bound Angle Pose (Supta Baddha Konasana).
  • Placement: Often at its lowest height, tucked just under the occiput (base of the skull) or the curve of the neck, allowing the head to relax naturally.
• Under the Shoulders or Upper Back:
  • Purpose: To gently elevate the chest, facilitating passive backbends, opening the heart space, and promoting deeper breathing.
  • Examples: Supported Bridge Pose (Setu Bandhasana), Supported Fish Pose (Matsyasana variation), Restorative Chest Openers.
  • Placement: Typically at the medium or highest height, placed horizontally across the mid-back (thoracic spine) or vertically along the spine, ensuring the head is also supported or can relax comfortably.
• Between the Thighs or Knees:
  • Purpose: To engage adductor muscles (inner thighs), promote midline awareness, and stabilize the pelvis or knees in certain postures.
  • Examples: Mountain Pose (Tadasana), Chair Pose (Utkatasana), Downward-Facing Dog, Bridge Pose.
  • Placement: Squeezed firmly between the inner thighs or just above the knees.
• Under the Feet or Ankles:
  • Purpose: To provide elevation for balance, increase the stretch in specific areas (e.g., calves, hamstrings), or support the ankles in certain seated or supine positions.
  • Examples: Standing balance poses (toes on block), seated forward folds (heels on block), restorative poses with elevated legs.
  • Placement: Varies greatly by pose; ensure stability.

Key Considerations for Effective Block Use

To maximize the benefits and ensure safety when using yoga blocks:

• Prioritize Stability: Always ensure the block is placed on a flat, stable surface and that it feels secure before putting your full weight onto it. If it wobbles, adjust its position or height.
• Listen to Your Body: Blocks are meant to support and enhance, not force. If a placement causes pain or discomfort, adjust or remove the block. The goal is to create space and ease, not tension.
• Experiment with Heights: Don't be afraid to try all three heights for a given pose. What feels right one day may be different the next, and individual flexibility varies widely.
• Consider Material: Blocks come in foam, cork, and wood.
  • Foam blocks are lighter and softer, offering more cushioning, ideal for restorative practices or sensitive joints.
  • Cork blocks are denser and firmer, providing more stability and a solid feel, often preferred for active poses where firm support is needed.
  • Wood blocks are the firmest and heaviest, offering maximum stability but minimal cushioning.
• Placement is Personal: What works for one person may not work for another due to anatomical differences. Use the general guidelines as a starting point and adapt them to your unique body.

Conclusion: Empowering Your Practice

Yoga blocks are more than just props; they are extensions of your body, designed to make your practice more accessible, sustainable, and beneficial. By understanding their various uses and how to place them effectively, you can unlock new depths in your postures, improve alignment, prevent injury, and cultivate a more profound connection with your body. Embrace these tools as a means to empower your yoga journey, making every pose an opportunity for growth and comfort.