How the Backbridge Replaces the Yoga Block

There are so many good reasons why yoga should be a part of your weekly health regimen. This posture-based physical practice helps with relaxation, reduces stress-levels, and increases one’s mobility and flexibility through yoga poses, known as asanas. It’s the rich physical benefits of yoga that really get us going.

Asanas provide the deep nourishing stretches our bodies crave, while the gentle movement to each new asana further helps keep the body supple contributing to healthy body alignment and good posture.

Unfortunately, not everyone understands the importance of this practice though says Dr. Todd Sinett, a New York-based chiropractor and applied kinesiologist. “People dedicate time to aerobic exercise and strength training but aren’t working on their flexibility as much as they should be which can be detrimental to a healthy back and body. Practices like yoga are vital in helping one’s range of motion.”

Safely Stretching

While yoga is a gentler fitness routine, safety is still key. Yoga blocks are often used to help with balance, stretches and supporting the body. Blocks can be good to help from overstretching and pulling a muscle, however, Dr. Sinett cautious, blocks can cause harm because they are static and not shaped to the contours of the body.

“The blocks are a strict rectangle that can be flimsy and unreliable; they can also inhibit your ability to deepen your stretches because they are limiting in height,” Dr. Sinett says. “Essentially you will plateau at a certain stretch and no longer reap the benefits of yoga because you can only go so far with a yoga block.

To combat this, I recommend doing yoga with the Backbridge instead of the yoga block because of its contoured shape and overall versatility. It has the same purpose as the block, but offers more stability, comfortability and achieving progressive stretching — stretching that allows your body to reach new levels in your practice.”

The Backbridge Replaces the Yoga Block

Using the Backbridge instead of a yoga block works wonderfully because the Backbridge is contoured to the body therefore hitting many touchpoints; this provides a safer, more comfortable practice.

It’s also excellent to deepen and heighten yoga stretches without injury by using the Backbridge for progressive stretching. New levels of stretching can safely be reached because the Backbridge offers five heights resting anywhere between 2” to 7” from the floor as well as different angle options. Adding and taking away the Backbridge levels allows you to progress at your own rate and modify on days of tightness or soreness.

This versatility of the Backbridge puts you and your body first as the decider of where you feel best in taking your asanas.

Stay tuned...next week we will post our five favorite asanas do with the Backbridge to show how to get the most out of yoga without injury:

In the meantime, you can find more yoga, plus Backbridge asanas in Dr. Sinett’s book The Ultimate Backbridge Stretch Book.