Make Your Own Yoga Blocks!

This is a special experience in which you will create a pair of beautiful, unique yoga blocks entirely by hand as a recurring activity over the course of a Day Retreat.

The White Cedar is harvested locally in Grey-Bruce and cut from logs at an Amish sawmill nearby. Cedar is a light, relatively soft wood and the experience of using it as a yoga block is not dissimilar to cork. Over time, cedar yoga blocks pick up your natural skin oils (and, some might say, also pick up your energy) as they are used and gradually develop a sheen and lustre unique to the person using them.

You will begin by selecting a section of cedar which will then be cut for you into two pieces sized for yoga blocks. You will receive demonstration and instruction on sanding methods and be provided with everything you need including a work stand, ergonomic sanding block, and different grades of sandpaper. Total work time to transition them from cut lumber to finished blocks is typically 2-3 hours, something which can be done in segments over the course of a Day Retreat.

In addition to fabricating your very own yoga blocks, the process can be a wonderful mindfulness exercise. Much like mediation, the mind inevitably wanders as you work but try exploring bringing it back to the sensory inputs at hand. See also blog entry: Removing Blocks by Making Blocks.

Preparation

No prior skill or woodworking experience is required. Wear clothing which you don’t mind getting some sanding dust on, or bring a smock or something you can put overtop of your clothes then remove while you’re taking a break or doing something else.