Blocks, Straps and Props: What Is Worth Buying

Two blocks and a strap

That is the whole starter list, and it has not changed in decades because it does not need to. Blocks bring the floor closer to your hands; a strap makes your arms longer. Between them they let you do almost every beginner pose at your actual range of motion instead of a compromised version of it, which is the entire argument for props.

Buy two, not one. Half the poses that call for blocks call for a pair, and buying the second one three weeks later in a different color is a small, permanent annoyance. Our block picks and strap picks cover both, and the set guide covers when buying them bundled is the better move.

How props divide

Blocks: by material

Foam is light, soft-edged and cheap, and it compresses under standing weight. Cork is heavy, grippy and rigid, and it is uncomfortable to lean a hip against. Wood and bamboo are rigid and the least forgiving of all. The honest rule is that the material should match the job: support you lie on wants foam, support you stand on wants cork. The cork versus foam comparison works through it.

Blocks: by size

The standard block is 9 by 6 by 4 in, which gives three heights depending on which face you rest it on. A 3 in depth suits smaller hands and shorter people. Bricks, confusingly, are a different shape again. The blocks versus bricks page has a table because the terminology genuinely is a mess.

Straps: loops or a buckle

A buckled strap adjusts continuously and is better for binding poses. A multi-loop strap gives you fixed stations, which makes a hamstring stretch repeatable week to week so you can actually see progress. They are different tools; most people want the buckle first.

The optional two

Bolsters and wheels are not beginner purchases, and we would rather say so than sell you one. A bolster earns its keep if you do restorative or yin practice regularly — see bolsters. A wheel is mostly a mobility tool that happens to be sold in yoga shops. Both are lovely; neither is necessary.

What the money buys

Density and edges. A premium block does not do a different job from a budget one — it does the same job without squashing, and it has edges shaped so that resting a hip or a shoulder on it does not hurt. Those two things are most of the price difference, and whether they are worth it depends entirely on whether you put body weight through the block or just lean on it.

With straps, the money buys the buckle and the weave. A cheap plastic buckle creeps under load, which is exactly when you do not want it to. A metal D-ring holds. That is nearly the whole story; a strap is a simple object and expensive ones are not much better than mid-priced ones.

The mistake people make

Treating props as a sign of failure. They are not remedial equipment — they are how you do the pose correctly at the body you currently have, and plenty of experienced practitioners use blocks every session. If you have been reaching for the floor with a rounded back for six months because using a block felt like cheating, the block was the correct answer the whole time. Are blocks worth it makes the case properly, and how to use them covers the placements that actually come up.

The other mistake is buying the restorative props before the structural ones. A bolster is a wonderful object and it will not help you stand up in a lunge.