Tutorial | How to use Yoga Blocks in your yoga practice (and to improve your posture)

In this video, I’ll introduce you to my favorite yoga tool: yoga blocks!

In my classes, we will use yoga blocks to make balancing more challenging, as arm extenders, to work on improving our backbends, and as a way to improve your posture while sitting in an office chair (demo on that later!)

You can purchase yoga blocks here: Netherlands and United States. I highly recommend purchasing a pair. They pay dividends!

How else do you use your yoga blocks?

Interested in learning more about this practice?

Yoga Netherlands offers *online* yoga and functional movement private lessons, group classes, and corporate classes. Check out www.yoganetherlands.nl for more information!

My yoga journey

I took my first yoga class in 2014 when I was experiencing extreme back and shoulder discomfort caused by long hours of sitting at a desk. Having danced my whole life, I loved how yoga incorporated strength, mobility, fluidity, and cardio. Over the next three years, I would bounce around between various yoga studios in Houston, Texas. 

Up to this point, I was doing yoga purely for the physical aspect… until June 2017.

I was lying in a restorative yoga workshop led by Dana Trixie Flynn, and as we laid in meditation, she read a poem by the Persian poet, Hafiz. 

“I wish I could show you, when you are lonely or in darkness, the astonishing light of your own being.” 

Boom! Immediately I was flooded with emotions. Where did this come from? My life was FINE. Over the course of the weekend, I began to see that yoga was so much more than a physical practice, and so began my journey to get better connected to my mind and body. 

Later that year, a friend introduced me to Robert Boustany (Founder of Pralaya Yoga) and Andrew Royal Dugas (Founder of Yoga Better.) This was a game-changer for me! I had finally found a style that left me feeling strong, flexible, and pain-free. Their classes challenged me both mentally and physically. I watched my body change before my eyes and for the first time ever realized how strong I truly am. 

Three months later, I signed up for the Yoga Better Teacher Training with Andrew, and the rest is history!

After each class, I’m overwhelmed with gratitude for the opportunity to be more connected to my mind and body. Yoga has given me a new lust for life! 

Introducing your teacher: Brittney Ferguson

Howdy! Brittney here. I am a native Texan, living in The Netherlands (Breda to be exact)!

Having spent over 7 years in the corporate world, I know how easy it is to get caught up in the day-to-day, work yourself into the ground, and put off taking care of your body and mind.  After years of “mistreatment,” the aches and pains begin to surface. Do not fear, there is hope…

If you start working at it now, you can dramatically improve your quality of life… at any age!

I was first introduced to yoga when I was experiencing extreme back and shoulder discomfort caused by long hours of sitting at a desk. After a few years of bouncing between different styles of yoga, I finally found a style that left me feeling strong, mobile, and pain-free!

I teach a style inspired by Yoga Better; a style that is safe and effective for ALL ages and skill levels. Yoga Better teachers have dramatically improved the quality of life of our students, especially seniors in our Texas community, and I can’t wait to share this style with my students in The Netherlands. The style is based on anatomy, mechanics, and functional movement, and classes are a mix of balance, strengthening, stretching, and relaxation.

My love for movement started at 14 months when I was caught boogie-ing down on the bar at Señor Frogs in Mazatlan, Mexico. During my early years, I dabbled in swimming, soccer, and motocross, but ultimately, it was dancing that stole my heart. I continued dancing throughout high school: jazz, ballet, modern, drill team, and hip hop. While I am no longer on an organized dance team, I am never not moving. On the weekends, you can find me practicing yoga, riding my bike, or grooving on the dance floor.

Movement is my favorite form of meditation.

Fun facts about me:

• I worked in the oil and gas industry for nearly 10 years as a petroleum engineer

• I met my Dutch partner while backpacking through Europe during my sabbatical

• I already had ties to The Netherlands through my Houston-based yoga teacher, Robert Boustany

• I also work at Momoyoga, the Dutch software company I use to run my business