Yoga Blocks vs. Yoga Bricks: Understanding Their Differences and Uses

What's the difference between yoga bricks and yoga blocks?

While often used interchangeably in casual conversation, yoga bricks and yoga blocks are distinct props with specific dimensions and applications designed to enhance, support, and deepen your yoga practice, primarily differing in their size, shape, and typical material density.

Understanding Yoga Props

Yoga props are invaluable tools that make postures more accessible, provide support, aid in alignment, and allow for deeper stretches, ultimately enriching a practitioner's experience regardless of their flexibility or experience level. Among the most common and often confused props are yoga blocks and yoga bricks. Understanding their unique characteristics is key to leveraging their full potential in your practice.

Yoga Blocks: The Foundation

Yoga blocks are the more ubiquitous of the two, designed as versatile extensions of your limbs and stable supports.

• Description:
  • Dimensions: Typically larger and more rectangular, common dimensions are around 9 x 6 x 4 inches (23 x 15 x 10 cm). They usually have three distinct height settings due to their rectangular shape, allowing for varied levels of support.
  • Materials: Most commonly made from high-density EVA foam, cork, or wood. Foam blocks are lightweight and softer, offering a gentler feel. Cork blocks provide more firmness and stability, while wooden blocks are the most rigid and heaviest, offering maximum support and grounding.
• Primary Uses:
  • Extending Reach: They effectively shorten the distance between your hands and the floor in standing poses (e.g., Triangle Pose, Half Moon Pose), making poses accessible without compromising spinal alignment.
  • Support and Stability: They provide a stable base for sitting poses, headstands, and arm balances, offering lift and reducing strain.
  • Deepening Stretches: Used under the sacrum in restorative backbends or between the thighs to engage adductor muscles.
  • Balance Aid: Offers a point of contact for hands or feet to assist with balance.
• Common Poses:
  • Trikonasana (Triangle Pose): Hand resting on a block to maintain length in the side body.
  • Ardha Chandrasana (Half Moon Pose): Hand on a block for stability and lift.
  • Seated Poses (e.g., Sukhasana, Padmasana): Placed under the sitting bones to elevate the hips, facilitating a neutral spine.
  • Setu Bandhasana (Bridge Pose): Supporting the sacrum for a restorative backbend.

Yoga Bricks: The Specialized Support

Yoga bricks, while similar in function, are typically smaller and denser, offering more targeted support and a different kind of stability.

• Description:
  • Dimensions: Generally smaller and often flatter than blocks, with typical dimensions around 8 x 4.5 x 3 inches (20 x 11.5 x 7.5 cm). They are often characterized by a more compact, brick-like shape, sometimes with rounded edges.
  • Materials: Historically, bricks were made from wood, making them very firm and heavy. Modern versions can also be found in high-density cork or extra-firm foam, though they retain a greater density than typical foam blocks.
• Primary Uses:
  • Targeted Support: Their smaller size and greater density make them ideal for more precise support, such as under a specific part of the foot, hand, or even between the shoulder blades.
  • Intensifying Stretches: They can be used to create a more challenging stretch or to engage muscles more deeply, for instance, in standing forward folds or when placed under the heels in squats.
  • Balance Challenges: Their smaller footprint can offer a more demanding balance challenge compared to a larger block.
  • Restorative Practice: While blocks are common in restorative yoga, bricks can offer very specific, firm support for certain alignment needs.
• Common Poses:
  • Paschimottanasana (Seated Forward Fold): Placed under the sitting bones for a subtle lift, or against the soles of the feet to deepen the stretch.
  • Malasana (Garland Pose): Placed under the heels for support if the heels lift off the floor.
  • Adho Mukha Svanasana (Downward-Facing Dog): Can be placed under the hands for wrist support or to emphasize shoulder engagement.
  • Balancing Poses: Used under a hand or foot for a more advanced balance challenge.

Key Differences Summarized

Understanding these distinctions is crucial for selecting the appropriate prop for your specific needs and practice style.

• Dimensions & Shape: Blocks are generally larger and more rectangular, offering three distinct height options. Bricks are smaller, denser, and often flatter or more compact.
• Material & Density: While both can be found in foam, cork, or wood, blocks often prioritize versatility with lighter foam options, whereas bricks are typically designed for greater firmness and density, even in foam versions. Wooden bricks are traditionally very heavy and robust.
• Primary Function/Application: Blocks excel at extending reach, providing broad support, and making poses accessible. Bricks are better suited for targeted support, intensifying specific stretches, and offering precise elevation due to their smaller, firmer nature.
• Targeted Practice: Blocks are a fantastic all-rounder for general practice, restorative yoga, and making poses more comfortable. Bricks shine in practices requiring precise alignment, deeper engagement, or more challenging balance elements.

Choosing the Right Prop for Your Practice

Deciding between a yoga brick and a yoga block depends on your individual needs, flexibility, and the specific demands of your practice.

• Consider Your Flexibility Level: If you're a beginner or have limited flexibility, the larger surface area and various heights of a yoga block will likely be more beneficial for extending your reach and providing stable support.
• Consider Your Practice Style: For restorative yoga or practices focused on gentle stretching and accessibility, yoga blocks are often preferred for their broader, more forgiving support. For more alignment-focused practices or those seeking to deepen specific stretches with firm support, yoga bricks might be more effective.
• Consider Your Goals: Are you aiming to make poses more accessible, or are you looking to challenge your balance and deepen your stretches? Blocks are excellent for accessibility, while bricks can offer a more intense or precise application.
• Recommendation: Many practitioners find value in owning both. A set of versatile yoga blocks is often a foundational purchase, while yoga bricks can be added later to provide more specialized support as your practice evolves.

Conclusion - Enhancing Your Yoga Journey

Both yoga blocks and yoga bricks are powerful tools that can significantly enhance your yoga practice by promoting proper alignment, increasing accessibility, and allowing for deeper exploration of postures. While their names are sometimes used interchangeably, their distinct sizes, densities, and applications mean that each prop serves a unique purpose. By understanding these differences, you can intelligently select the right prop to support your body, challenge your limits, and ultimately enrich your journey on the mat.