how to make a heartblock

Last week I decided I wanted a heartblock, that is, a wooden yoga prop that you lie across to unbend and open your thoracic spine.

It’s an antidote to puzzle back, and fairy-doll making, and writing, and just about any stooping-over activity, of which I do many. I get scared I’m going to become one of those little old ladies that permanently look down at their feet. And how will I ever achieve a free-standing, comfortable Urdhva Dhanurasana if I can’t get my chest to open?

Barring a hammer and chisel, I mean.

These heartblock thingies look perfect. But, whoa, they are like $200! Um, no thanks.

Have no fear, I told Paul of my plight and he offered to make me one. Woot! How cool is that? So, this is how he did it.

First I found a bunch of photos from different companies that make ‘em.

They look like dinosaurs, right? You scoot your butt up to the back legs, drape yourself across it, with your head near the dino-head. I know, it’s hard to imagine, but it works, really.

Okay based on these, I ‘built’ a bunch of mock ups with the kid’s wooden blocks and my various yoga props and tried resting (delicately, because they tended to collapse) on them to see what size and shape was perfect. This part was pretty funny, actually. The kids were curious. “What are you DOING, Mom?” No photo though. I wish I’d thought to take a few.

Anyway, this phase resulted in a silhouette cut out of a paperbag. It was this piece of paper that I handed to Paul.

He looks at for a minute and kind of grunts and the wanders off into the yard. I’m calling out questions like, “what kind of wood would be good? Do you think you’ll build it up from several boards, or carve it out of one piece? Where do you get a big chunk of wood like that?” He answers by wandering back with a chunk of pine out of the wood pile. And I say, “Um…? Are you sure about this?”

Next, spray paint.

It’s an optical illusion that the cut-out on the left is so small. It’s actually huge. I can’t figure out why it looks so small. Maybe it’s really far away?

Paul is one of those guys that feels most challenges can be better faced with the judicious use of power tools. Thus, “Honey, can you make me a yoga prop,” clearly is cause for breaking out the chain saw.

And the grinder.

There goes the bark…

More grinding and then…

Wow! Clearly he decided to dispense with the whole dino-look. But who cares because when I did this…

Ahhh…..Perfect!

After I tested it out, he gave it a once over with the sander and poof, I had me a heartblock. It took him about an hour. “You just saved us $200!” “I’ll send you a bill,” he says.

And that’s how you make one of those critters. If you’re Paul.