Aladastra Yoga Blocks enhance your practice by offering support, balance, alignment and an assist on stretching and back-bending. A yoga block can be a super useful tool for beginners and more experienced yogis as well. Cork blocks have a resilient solid, dense and firm structure than foam blocks, allowing more support, grip and safety.
6 Ways to Lengthen your body using Yoga Blocks:
1. Trikonasana or Triangle Pose
There is a misunderstanding that practicing a “full” Trikonasana means you have to reach your hand down to the floor. But, if your stance is narrow, your legs long or your hamstrings tight, reaching your hand to the floor may compress your Trikonasana.
This is the main reason why sometimes, when you reach what you think is your “fullest expression” of Trikonasana, you find it becomes hard to breathe freely, or you may feel collapsed or contracted.
Placing a Yoga Block under your hand, on the outside of your front foot, can expand your Trikonasana, which frees your breath and energizes your body.
2. Adho Mukha Svanasana or Downward Facing Dog Pose
This is a foundationanl yoga posture that can help to build better balance and flexibility throughout your whole body but either you are a beginner or experienced yogi, you need to be sure to practice it with care and attention.
If you have stiff hamstrings or shoulder or even if you are too flexible, placing a Yoga Block under each hand in Adho Mukha Svanasana will help you avoid collapsing in your lower back and shoulders.
3. Parsvottanasana or Pyramid Pose
Parsvottanasana is a deep forward fold that helps to stretch hip muscles and hamstrings and lengthen the spine. Its tight parameters asks you to mindfully cultivate stability, strength, and integrity in the pose.
If your hamstrings or shoulders are tight or you feel strain in your front leg or feel unstable, place your hands on Yoga Blocks instead of bringing your palms together behind your back. Position the blocks on either side or in-front of your front foot in a way that will allow you to straighten both legs. Engage the quadriceps in your front leg, enabling a gentle release of your hamstrings. Use inhalations to lengthen your front body and exhalations to lengthen your back body.
4. Ustrasana or Camel Pose
The most challenging part of Ustrasana is not the backbend itself but going into the pose gently to reach for the feet. Many yogis fear stretching backwards without supporting the back or neck.
Using Yoga Blocks in this pose can be an alternative way to get comfortable with the movement into a backbend, and build confidence, awareness, and flexibility. Placing them under your hands, besides acting as a support, reduces the fear and allows you to go gently into a backbend.
Practicing Camel Pose with blocks is very restorative, as it lengthens and stretches the back, the neck, the abdomen and the diaphragm.
5. Ardha Purvottanasana or Reverse Table Top Pose
The practice of Ardha Purvottanasana helps stretch the front part of the body along with the isometric contraction of the back muscles, keeping the spine active while in a neutral position. Although, it can be challenging for the neck, and the head as you must hold head and shoulders aligned.
Same as in Ustrasana, using Yoga Blocks offers a support for your hands and gives you a boost height-wise, making it more comfortable to find stability and alignment.
6. Paschimottanasana or Seated Forward Bend Pose
Finally, another foundational pose, Paschimottanasana stretches and lengthens the entire back of your body, enhances your physical flexibility and brings mental calm.
If your hamstrings are tight or you find it difficult to focus on your breathing. If your abdomen feels compressed and you find it difficult to take full, deep breaths. Or if you suffer from chronic back pain or disc issues. Try placing a Yoga Block between your legs (under the knees), relax your neck, bow your head on top of the block, gaze at a place below the tip of your nose, and focus on the even length, sound and movement of your breath.
Discover our Arcana Yoga Blocks Collection, made of high-quality sustainable cork and laser engraved by artisans in Athens, and shop your favorite!
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