How to Use Yoga Blocks — The Complete Guide for Every Level

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What are yoga blocks?

A yoga block is a firm, rectangular prop used to support the body during asana practice. Also called a yoga brick, the block functions as an extension of the arms and hands — bridging the gap between the body and the floor, providing height under the hips or back, and offering a stable surface to lean, rest, or balance against.

Blocks are not a concession to inflexibility. They are a precision tool that allows practitioners of every level to maintain structural integrity in a pose, access positions their body is not yet ready for unassisted, or deepen into postures with full support. In Iyengar Yoga — the tradition in which blocks originated — they are considered an integral part of practice, not a shortcut.

Standard dimensions are approximately 23cm × 15cm × 10cm (9″ × 6″ × 4″), though longer blocks (30cm) are available and better suited to taller practitioners or those with longer limbs. Every block has three usable heights:

• Low (flat): 10cm — minimal elevation, used in poses where a small lift is sufficient
• Medium: 15cm — the most commonly used height
• High (upright): 23cm — maximum elevation, used when significant ground clearance is needed

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A brief history of the yoga block

Yoga blocks were introduced by B.K.S. Iyengar, one of the most influential yoga teachers of the twentieth century. Iyengar developed his prop system (which also includes straps, bolsters, blankets, and chairs) as a direct response to the anatomical reality that bodies differ. Not every student can place their hand on the floor in trikonasana (triangle pose). Forcing that contact compromises the alignment of the spine, hips, and shoulders in ways that undermine the purpose of the pose entirely.

Iyengar’s insight was that a prop properly placed can allow a student to experience the full structural and physiological benefit of a posture even when their range of motion would otherwise prevent it. As he wrote: “The body is the prop for the soul. So why not let the body be propped by a wall, a block?”

Today, yoga blocks are standard equipment in studios worldwide, used across Iyengar, Hatha, Vinyasa, Yin, Restorative, and therapeutic yoga traditions.

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Types of yoga blocks — foam, cork and wood

Blocks are manufactured in three primary materials, each with distinct properties that make them suited to different styles of practice and student needs.

Foam (EVA foam)

Foam is most common block material in studios and for home practice. Foam blocks are lightweight (typically 200–400g), warm to the touch, and have a small degree of give under pressure. They are well-suited to restorative yoga where comfort of contact against the skin matters, and to beginners who are building confidence with props. Their limitation is stability — a foam block compresses slightly underweight, which can feel less secure in strong standing poses. Foam is usually the most affordable option and is available in a wide range of colours.

Cork

Cork blocks are denser and heavier than foam (typically 600–900g), with no compression under bodyweight. They provide a more stable, reliable surface for standing poses, arm balances, and any situation where the block is weight-bearing. Cork offers excellent grip even when wet, making it well-suited to vigorous or hot yoga practice. Cork is a naturally antimicrobial, sustainable material — it is harvested from the bark of cork oak trees without felling them. Cork blocks are the preferred choice of many experienced practitioners and teachers.

Wood

Wood is the original material used by Iyengar. Wooden blocks, typically bamboo, birch, or maple, are the heaviest and most durable option. They are completely rigid and provide an uncompromising surface, which makes them ideal for precise alignment work. Their limitations are weight (some practitioners find them tiring to hold for extended periods) and slipperiness when wet. They are less commonly found in modern studios but remain standard in traditional Iyengar practice.

Which material should you choose?

For most students and teachers: two cork blocks. They offer the stability of wood with better tactile comfort, perform well across all styles of practice, and improve with use as the surface texture develops grip. Foam blocks are a reasonable starting point if cost is a consideration. Avoid cheap foam blocks that compress excessively — they provide inadequate support in weight-bearing positions.

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The three heights and when to use each

Every pose where a block is used requires a choice of height. This decision should be based on the student’s current range of motion and the structural requirements of the pose — not on what looks right or what is most convenient.

Low (flat) — 10cm

Use when the hand, foot, or pelvis is close to but not quite at floor level. Common uses: a small lift under the pelvis in dandasana (staff pose) for students with tight hamstrings; a minimal elevation under the sacrum in supported bridge; a very slight extension of reach in seated forward folds.

Medium — 15cm

The default height for most applications. Use in standing poses where the hand needs to reach the floor (trikonasana, ardha chandrasana, parivrtta trikonasana), in seated poses where the pelvis needs lifting forward, and in forward folds where the hands are working towards the floor. This is the height most teachers demonstrate first when introducing blocks.

High (upright) — 23cm

Use when there is a significant gap between the hand and the floor, when the student has tight hamstrings or shoulders that create a large range of motion deficit, or when maximum support is needed. Also used in restorative poses — a block at high height under the thoracic spine in supported matsyasana (fish pose) creates a deeper opening than a block at low height.

The key principle: the block height should be whatever allows the student to maintain correct structural alignment throughout the pose. If a student is reaching so far to get a finger to a low block that their shoulder collapses and their chest closes — the block is too low. Raise it. The block serves the pose. The pose does not serve the block height.

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What yoga blocks are used for

Blocks have five primary functions in asana practice. Understanding these functions, rather than memorising pose-by-pose instructions, allows a teacher or student to apply blocks intelligently across any situation.

1. Bridging the gap

The most fundamental use. When the floor is beyond the reach of the hand or foot, the block brings the floor up. This allows the practitioner to achieve the structural alignment of the pose without compensating through the spine, shoulder, or hip. Used in: trikonasana, ardha chandrasana, uttanasana, prasarita padottanasana, parivrtta trikonasana, parsvottanasana.

2. Supporting the pelvis

Placing a block under the sitting bones in seated poses creates an anterior pelvic tilt that allows the spine to lengthen and the hamstrings to release. Without this support, many students with tight hamstrings posteriorly tilt the pelvis in dandasana and paschimottanasana, causing the lumbar spine to round. The block corrects this immediately. Used in: dandasana, paschimottanasana, baddha konasana, and most seated forward folds.

3. Providing back support

A block placed under the thoracic spine (between the shoulder blades) in supine positions supports a passive backbend. The chest opens, the shoulders release, and the spine is gently tractioned without requiring any active muscular effort. This is a restorative application that activates the parasympathetic nervous system. Used in: supported matsyasana (fish pose), supported savasana variations, supported supta baddha konasana.

4. Supporting the hips in passive poses

A block placed under the sacrum in supported setu bandha sarvangasana (bridge pose) creates a supported inversion that decompresses the lumbar spine and provides gentle traction. Unlike an active bridge, the student can remain in this position for extended periods (3–10 minutes in a Yin context) with complete muscular release. Used in: supported bridge, supported viparita karani (legs up the wall variations).

5. Proprioceptive feedback and activation

Blocks placed between the inner thighs in standing poses, lunges, or bridge pose activate the adductors and create neuromuscular feedback that helps students find correct leg alignment. This is a teaching tool as much as a structural support — the sensation of holding the block creates body awareness that persists after the block is removed. Used in: tadasana, virabhadrasana I and II, setu bandha sarvangasana, utkatasana.

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Using blocks in standing poses

Trikonasana (Triangle Pose)

Place the block on the outside of the front foot at medium or high height. The bottom hand rests on the block rather than reaching for the floor, allowing the chest to open fully and the spine to lengthen without lateral compression. The block height should be whatever allows the torso to stack directly over the front leg with both sides of the waist equally long. Common error: placing the block too far forward, which causes the torso to pitch forward rather than rotate open.

Ardha Chandrasana (Half Moon Pose)

Place the block approximately 30cm in front of and 30cm to the outside of the front foot at medium or high height. The bottom hand rests on the block, creating a stable base that allows the standing leg to straighten and the lifted leg to extend without the hip collapsing. This pose is exceptionally difficult without a block for most practitioners — the block makes the balancing action achievable and the alignment accessible.

Parivrtta Trikonasana (Revolved Triangle)

Place the block inside or outside the front foot depending on the student’s rotation capacity. The block allows the twist to be accessed without the spine collapsing laterally. This is one of the poses where block placement requires the most individual assessment — the precise position varies considerably between students.

Uttanasana (Standing Forward Fold)

Two blocks at medium or high height, placed shoulder-width apart, allow the hands to rest without rounding the spine. Students with very tight hamstrings who cannot hinge forward from the hip without posterior pelvic tilt benefit significantly from elevated hand support here. As hamstring flexibility increases over months of practice, the block height can be progressively lowered.

Parsvottanasana (Pyramid Pose)

Two blocks at medium height, one on each side of the front foot. This allows the spine to extend forward from the hip without the characteristic rounding that occurs when students reach too far for the floor. The blocks here function identically to those in uttanasana but in a split-stance position.

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Using blocks in seated and floor poses

Dandasana (Staff Pose)

Sitting on one or two blocks at low or medium height immediately resolves the posterior pelvic tilt that tight hamstrings cause in dandasana. The elevated pelvis allows the spine to stack vertically without effort. This is the foundation for virtually all seated forward fold work — if a student cannot sit upright comfortably in dandasana without rounding the lumbar spine, all seated poses that follow will be compromised. The block fixes the foundation.

Paschimottanasana (Seated Forward Fold)

Same block support as dandasana, plus optional additional blocks under the hands or forehead as the student folds forward. The goal is a forward fold with a lengthened spine — not a rounded spine reaching for the feet. A student folding forward over a block under the sitting bones, with the spine long, gains infinitely more benefit from the pose than one forcing their nose to their knees with a fully rounded back.

Baddha Konasana (Bound Angle / Butterfly Pose)

A block under each knee supports students whose hips are tight and whose knees lift high when the feet are drawn toward the pelvis. The blocks prevent the hip flexors and adductors from working against gravity to hold the legs up, allowing the connective tissue and fascia to release. This is a particularly important block use in Yin Yoga, where the intention is long-duration passive loading of the connective tissue — which cannot occur if the muscles are gripping.

Virasana (Hero Pose)

Sitting on a block (or two blocks stacked) between the feet in virasana reduces the knee flexion angle and makes the pose accessible to students with tight quadriceps, knee sensitivity, or ankle restrictions. As these areas open over time, the block height can be progressively reduced. Never force virasana without support — the knee joint is load-sensitive and excessive flexion under bodyweight can cause ligament strain.

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Using blocks in restorative yoga

Restorative yoga relies heavily on props — blocks, bolsters, blankets, and straps — to support the body completely so the muscles can release and the nervous system can shift into parasympathetic dominance. Blocks play specific roles in this context that differ from their alignment function in active poses.

Supported Matsyasana (Fish Pose)

Place one block at medium or high height under the thoracic spine (between the shoulder blades, approximately at the level of the heart) and a second block at low height under the skull. The body drapes over the blocks in a passive backbend. This pose creates a significant opening in the anterior chest and shoulders and can be held for 3–10 minutes. The height of the thoracic block determines the intensity — lower is gentler, higher is deeper. Students with thoracic sensitivity or recent spinal issues should use the lowest possible height.

Supported Setu Bandha Sarvangasana (Bridge)

Place a block under the sacrum — not the lumbar spine — at medium height. The legs extend, the arms rest alongside the body, and the student experiences a gentle supported inversion with complete spinal decompression. This is one of the most therapeutically valuable restorative poses and particularly beneficial for students who spend long hours seated. Duration: 5–15 minutes.

Supta Baddha Konasana (Reclined Bound Angle)

Two blocks at medium height support the outer thighs in this supine hip opener. As with baddha konasana in a seated position, the blocks prevent the muscles from holding the legs against gravity, allowing the deeper structures — the inner groin, psoas, and pelvic floor — to release passively. Duration: 5–10 minutes.

Viparita Karani (Legs up the Wall) variations

A block at medium or low height under the sacrum in this pose creates a mild supported inversion that shifts venous return from the legs, decompresses the lumbar spine, and activates the parasympathetic nervous system. The legs can rest against the wall or extend freely. This is one of the most restorative poses in the Hatha repertoire and accessible to almost all students when properly supported.

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Advanced uses — blocks aren’t just for beginners

A common misconception is that blocks are a beginner tool to be graduated from. Experienced practitioners and teachers use blocks for purposes that beginners rarely access — not because they lack flexibility, but because the block serves a different function at an advanced level.

Deepening passive stretches

In Yin Yoga, a block can be used to increase the depth of a passive load. In dragon pose (a deep hip flexor stretch), a block under the back knee can progressively be lowered as the pose deepens, increasing the range of motion over time in a controlled way. In saddle pose (a deep quadriceps and lumbar stretch), a block behind the lower back supports the spine at whatever degree of recline the student can access.

Arm balances and inversions

In bakasana (crow pose), a block under the feet at the start of the preparation allows students to experience the forward weight shift and arm positioning without needing full hip flexor engagement. The block is progressively removed as the balance develops. In supported headstand preparation, blocks can be placed against the wall to create a stable structure for the shoulders and head to orient against.

Proprioceptive cuing in teaching

As a teacher, a block held between a student’s inner thighs in tadasana or virabhadrasana creates immediate sensory feedback about adductor engagement and leg alignment that verbal cuing alone cannot replicate. This is an advanced teaching application — the block becomes a feedback instrument, not a structural support.

Strengthening and core work

A block squeezed between the inner thighs in bridge pose activates the adductors and prevents external rotation of the femur — a common compensation that reduces the effectiveness of the pose for glute and hamstring development. A block held overhead in utkatasana (chair pose) or virabhadrasana I cues shoulder alignment and scapular depression. These are not beginner applications — they are refinement tools for teachers and experienced practitioners.

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Using blocks as a yoga teacher

For yoga teachers, a thorough understanding of block use is not optional — it is a core component of the ability to adapt and modify poses for students with different bodies, injuries, and experience levels. Several principles guide effective block use in a teaching context:

Offer proactively, not reactively. In a class setting, normalise block use at the start of class so that students feel no stigma about reaching for them. A brief statement at the beginning — “blocks are available for anyone who wants them, and I’ll be suggesting specific uses throughout” — removes the self-consciousness many students feel about using props. Use them with purpose and remember they are not to be placed into or put undue press on any joints. They offer support, extension and alignment opportunities. They are not the same as a foam roller or massage ball and while they can help place the body into positions that offer release, the block itself is not a massage tool.

Prescribe the height, not just the presence. Telling a student to “use a block” without specifying the height or placement is incomplete instruction. The same student may need different heights in different poses, and the wrong height can be as unhelpful as no block at all.

Observe before placing. Before placing a block for a student, observe the actual alignment issue. A student who appears to need a block under the hand in trikonasana may actually need a block under the pelvis in dandasana — the downstream alignment issue begins at the hip, not the hand.

Understand the goal of the pose. Block placement should serve the anatomical and energetic intention of the pose. In trikonasana, the intention is lateral extension of the spine and rotation of the thorax — a block placed at the right height serves this. A block placed at the wrong height can cause the student to achieve hand contact at the cost of spinal compression, which defeats the purpose entirely.

These principles are taught as part of Zama Institute’s 200hr Yoga Teacher Training and developed further in the 350hr program, which includes clinical yoga therapy and teaching modification for specific populations.

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How many blocks do you need?

Two blocks. A single block is sufficient for some poses but creates unnecessary limitations in others. Seated forward folds, supported fish pose, restorative bound angle, standing poses with both hands on blocks — all require two. Purchasing one block is a false economy that often results in purchasing a second shortly after.

For home practice: two cork blocks at standard size (23cm × 15cm × 10cm). Cork outlasts foam significantly and provides better stability across a wider range of pose types. If budget is a constraint, high-density foam blocks are preferable to low-density foam — they hold their shape under sustained weight.

For studio use: studios typically stock two blocks per student for class capacity, plus a reserve. Cork or high-density foam are both appropriate for studio use — cork requires less frequent replacement.

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Frequently asked questions