Block Therapy is for those who want to take their health into their own hands and who are prepared to deal with a certain level of discomfort (often expressed as, “Oh, this hurts so good!”) to realize the benefits of Block Therapy.

Students who will benefit the most will be those who commit to a regular practice.

Certain block positions are indeed painful, however in many cases it’s a “hurts so good” kind of pain. Other positions are not painful, but rather intense or uncomfortable. When positions are painful, the pain does not necessarily remain intense for long, as pressure fibres gradually override pain.

Students learn to be aware of their breathing and reduce pressure in any block position when the breath has signalled that a position is too intense.

Over time, Block Therapy students develop a new relationship to pain, as pain becomes a doorway to healing rather than something to be afraid of.

Yes, Block Therapy positions can be modified and many positions can be done sitting on a chair or lying on a softer surface like a bed or massage table.

Anyone who cannot easily move from standing to sitting to lying down and vice versa is asked to book private Block Therapy sessions so the instructor can address the student’s particular needs.

Because of how fascia is structured in the body, a pain site is not necessarily the cause site. It may be, for example, that if you get headaches, the pain is stemming from a fascia restriction as far away as your calf; or—another example—pain in your knee may be stemming from a fascia restriction in your upper thigh.

While it can sometimes be helpful to work directly on a painful area, it is also essential to work along the fascia lines that are connected to the pain site. In many cases, it may even be more beneficial to work on areas that seem totally unrelated to the pain site—but they’re not unrelated; they are part of the fascia line that connects the areas.

There are many before/after photos on the blocktherapy.com website that show how people’s bodies have changed as a result of block work.

Something to be aware of is that weight issues often have less to do with fat storage than with fascia that has migrated out of alignment and become layered over time. How we breathe also has a huge impact on weight gain and loss.

Yes! While the Block Buddy and Baby can be used to work the face, jaw, neck and head, there is a special tool called the Paddle, which is used for fine work on the face. There is a Face Lifter paddle series (online videos) at blocktherapy.com as well as a 21-day Face Lifter program.

The face, jaw, head and neck are areas that will be covered in classes at this studio, and a face lifter series will be offered if there is enough interest.

Block Therapy is generally a safe bodywork practice that anyone at any age can do. Please see below regarding pregnancy, implants and serious medical conditions.
– Pregnancy: For someone who is pregnant, direct contact with the belly and surrounding area would generally be avoided. The other areas of the body are safe to practice, ie., legs, face, neck.
– Implants: It is safe to do Block Therapy with implants; however, it is recommended that you not block directly on the implants, but rather around the area of the implants.
– Serious Medical Conditions: For anyone with serious health concerns, it is always important to seek professional medical advice before starting any practice.

Fascia can make the ribs stick together, and when block work releases the fascia, the ribs can pop back into proper alignment. This can happen during class or in the hours or days after class. A rib release can be as painful as a broken rib and can last a few days or a few weeks. It’s natural to want to avoid a rib release; however, the benefits of creating more space in the rib cage are many!

The best way to treat a rib release is by gently breathing into the area, putting gentle pressure on the area when possible, and warming the area by using something like a red light therapy pad.

It is very important never to ice a rib release because that actually slows healing.

Yoga helps you to improve your mobility by keeping your tissues open and flexible. Block Therapy goes a step further. It works to release fascia that has become stuck or adhered to the bone. Yoga does not get deep enough through the layers of fascia to provide release at this level. Using tools made of wood that is similar in density to bone, Block Therapy allows you to reach the deep layers of fascia that are not easily accessed through movement alone. Once this deeper tissue is released, you have more mobility available, which can be supported and maintained through practices like yoga.

Block Therapy is designed to decompress fascia using wooden therapeutic tools, guided breathwork, gentle positioning, gravity and time to apply deep, sustained pressure to an area. This approach targets deep fascial layers close to the bone. Foam rollers, by contrast, use continuous motion over muscle tissue and primarily affect the more superficial layers of muscle and fascia, offering short-term relief rather than deeper fascia release.