What The Deuce… Are Stretch Blocks?
First published 6th December 2019
Long-time collaborator and friend of MASAJ, Bex Gillam is a London-based wellbeing writer, brand consultant and qualified yoga and meditation teacher who likes baths, crystals, running with her pup Gustav and making un-boring vegan-ish food.
There’s no better person to explain the wonders of a MASAJ Stretch Block!
We’re proud of our beautiful cork stretch blocks, but we’ve been hearing you don’t know quite what to do with them! Yoga humans will probably have some idea but, if you’re not quite sure, read awn.
Here’s a comprehensive guide to getting stretchy with your block buddy:
To open up the shoulders (in supported fish), lie on the floor and position the block so the end of it is in-line with where a bra would sit and it’s positioned lengthways between your shoulder blades. Then let the body relax and the shoulders open around it, breathing deeply.
For a gentle back bend (in supported bridge), to counter the hours slouching over at a desk, lie on the floor and bend the knees, bringing the feet towards the hips. Make sure they’re close enough that you can touch them with your fingertips. Then push up through the feet and bring the block, on any setting, widthways below the pelvis/tail bone (but being very careful to avoid the lower back). Breathe deeply, feeling into the body. For a more intense stretch, slowly walk the feet away from the hips and bring the legs straight.
To avoid crunching over a laptop, just pop your jazzy little block underneath it to give it a little boost and to give your neck a little breather.
Stretch out the back and hamstrings by sitting on the block (and ensuring your sit bones are in contact with it, rather than rolling back onto the sacrum). Inhale, stretching the arms up towards the ceiling, and exhale, folding the body forward from the hips, keeping the spine and neck in a straight line. Don’t pull yourself down, it doesn’t matter where your hands get to on the leg or feet — but, if you can reach comfortably, you can bring the fingers to the big toes and breathe into the stretch, letting gravity bring the chest down to the legs.
You can make some stretches a bit less intense by using the block under the hands or forearms. For example, in pigeon or Kapotasana, with one shin parallel to the short edge of your yoga mat and the other out behind you, you can support the upper body as it folds forward. Or, in lizard or Utthan Pristhasana, with one leg bent and the knee over the ankle, the other leg stretched behind the body (option to have the toes tucked, and the back knee lifted or resting on the mat), you can bring the block under the forearms.
Use it as a book end or to display something beaut.
If you’re still unsure or feeling unconfident about the stretches, ask one of our therapists to demonstrate at your next treatment. If you have any existing injuries, ask a medical professional before starting a stretching routine.