The Significance of Yoga Bricks in Yoga Practice
In our daily yoga – related activities, the yoga brick is an essential and frequently – used auxiliary tool. Despite its simple appearance, being a rectangular object slightly larger and lighter than a regular brick, it plays a remarkably extensive role in yoga and is an excellent yoga aid.
Yoga bricks are suitable for both beginners and long – term yoga practitioners. For novices, it helps them execute asanas that are otherwise out of reach in their normal physical state, without over – straining their bodies. For those with long – standing yoga experience, yoga bricks can help them delve deeper into yoga asanas, offering a unique experience during the practice process.
Using a yoga brick can enhance the practitioner’s enjoyment of the yoga process. So, what are the specific benefits of using yoga bricks, and how can we use them during practice?
The Benefits of Using Yoga Bricks
1. **Add Extra Length**: When you first start practicing yoga and your body is stiff and inflexible, unable to complete many asanas according to the standard distance and position, yoga bricks can be used to adjust your posture and compensate for the length. For instance, in the downward dog pose, using yoga bricks can increase the length, thereby improving the quality of practice.
2. **Help Find Balance**: Among numerous yoga asanas, many require balance. Many people are not good at maintaining balance at the beginning of yoga practice. At this time, yoga bricks can be used for assistance. Asanas like the half – moon pose and the anti – triangle pose can be better completed with the help of yoga bricks to keep the body in balance.
3. **New Experience in the Same Asana**: Besides beginners, long – term yoga enthusiasts can also use yoga bricks to deepen their practice of yoga asanas. For example, the horse riding pose and the bridge pose can be deepened through yoga bricks, allowing them to gain different experiences and practice effects in the same asana.
4. **Better Relaxation**: During yoga practice, using yoga bricks can also make us more comfortable and relaxed. Thanks to yoga bricks, we can more easily forget fatigue and rejuvenate our bodies faster. For example, the supine bundle angle pose and the supine twist pose can be assisted by yoga bricks to make the body more relaxed.
7 Yoga Brick – Assisted Exercises
Given the many benefits of yoga bricks, here are 7 yoga brick – assisted exercises for you to experience the functions of yoga bricks in stretching, strengthening, and challenging difficult asanas.
No.1 Exercise Arm Strength: Kneel on the ground with legs together and tense the back of the feet. Place your hands on the yoga block, keep the abdomen inward to protect the lumbar spine. Bend the elbows with the chest forward and down, then straighten the elbows and push up the body downward. Repeat 10 times.
No.2 Stretch the Shoulders: Kneel on the ground with the back of the feet straight and hands on the sides of the body. Place a yoga block in front of the body, lower the upper body and place the hands on the yoga block. Keep the head down, arms straight, armpits spread, and chest down, and hold for 30 – 60 seconds.
No.3 Stretch the Back of the Legs: Start in a kneeling position with the back of the foot tensed. Step forward with the left leg, with the lower leg perpendicular to the floor. Place yoga blocks on either side of the left foot and put hands on the blocks. Keep the right leg straight, calf to the ground, entering the crescent pose. Move the hips back, bend the right leg, and use the left palm to hook the leg straight. Then return to the crescent pose and repeat 10 times, switch sides.
No.4 Stretch the Front Side of the Leg: In a kneeling position with the back of the foot tensed, step forward with the left leg, with the lower leg perpendicular to the floor. Place a yoga block on the back of the left foot and hands on the block. Keep the right leg straight, calf to the ground, entering the crescent pose. Bend the right knee and pull the back of the foot backwards with the left hand close to the hip. Hold for 30 seconds and switch sides.
No.5 Divine Monkey Pose: Kneel on the floor with hands on the sides of the body. Extend the left leg straight forward and hook back, and extend the right leg straight back. Pay attention to the external rotation of the left leg and the internal rotation of the right leg. Move the left – side hip back and the right – side hip forward. Sit on the yoga block with the left hip, brace your hands on the ground, and keep the spine extended. Hold for 30 – 50 seconds, switch sides.
No.6 Double Angle Pose: Stand upright with feet apart and hands at the side of the body. Place hands on the yoga block, fold the upper body forward and down from the waist up, extend the spine forward and straighten the hands. Repeat 5 times.
No.7 Crane Zen Pose: Stand on a yoga tile and hold your hands forward on the ground. Place both elbows against the inside of both knees and open both knees. Raise the hips and point the toes at the yoga block. Bend elbows, shift the weight forward, and lift the feet off the block one after the other. Hold for 10 seconds, repeat 5 times.
Have you mastered the use of these yoga bricks? You can draw inspiration from these exercises and apply the yoga block in a broader range of scenarios to maximize its utility.
