These Balls Will Be Your New Best Friend

By Kristin Iris

I’ve been involved in athletics and physical activity my entire life. From gymnastics when I was younger, to diving in high school, to martial arts for the last ten years and of course yoga, I am no stranger to the need for proper self-care. While we all know we should take care of ourselves sometimes it does go to the wayside.

Whether you are physically active or not active at all there is one self-care tool that EVERYONE should have in their toolkit: Yoga Tune Up® Therapy Balls.

YTU Therapy Ball method was developed by Jill Miller, creator of Yoga Tune Up® and author of The Roll Model. The balls are very inexpensive (retail at $11.95/pair) and small enough to leave at home, work, your gym bag or even carry around with you. I have mine with me almost all the time. They’re both super easy to use and provide extensive benefits to your body and well-being.

Here are 5 big reasons why you need to get these balls:

1) Everybody loves massage, right?

Most of us do and even if you don’t I can guarantee you still NEED massage. EveryBODY does. Therapy Balls are a tool for deep, targeted, self-massage that will release muscles, relieve tension and induce relaxation. Only have a few minutes? That’s all you need to get into a good spot. You’ll be amazed how much a difference a little massage can make.

2) Don’t become one with your injuries

Ever had an injury or pain that you grew so accustomed to that It became part of your everyday living? “My knee always hurts.” Or “That’s my bad shoulder.” Don’t let your injuries rule your life or your body. Therapy Balls repair and release muscles, fascia and other connective tissues helping them function better. This makes them an incredible tool for injury rehabilitation as well as prevention. I’ve used mine to rehab a neck injury and a sprain where one of my ribs connects to my spine. Others have even avoided surgery by using the Therapy Balls. Yeah, they’re that good!

3) Warm ups and warm downs for workouts

Many of us jump right into a workout or walk right out of one without so much as a stretch. Therapy Balls are a great to use pre and/or post workout. They warm up and awaken the muscles before you start working ‘em hard. After you finish they help relieve tight, sore and overwork areas which reduces post-workout soreness AND cuts down on recovery time.

4) Develop your proprio—what?

Proprioceptive sense. It’s like your 6th sense: the ability to know where your body is in space without seeing it. Many people, especially those who aren’t so physically active have poor proprioceptive and kinesthetic awareness. In short, they don’t know what their body is doing. Is this you? Using Therapy Balls helps you develop a deeper sense of feeling in your body, which not only builds awareness but a “smarter” sense of what your body is actually doing. If you think you’ve got a good proprioceptive sense, great! Now sharpen it.

5) Smaller than a foam roller and better than a tennis ball

While foam rolling is good, Therapy Balls are better. Due to their small size they can get into areas of the body that a foam roller cannot. DON’T swap them out for a tennis ball though. Unlike tennis balls Therapy Balls are made of rubber rather than fabric so they have grip that allows them to penetrate the different layers of tissue. The rubber also means they have more “give” than a tennis ball and work well with the shape of your body. This makes them very safe when you roll over bone and more sensitive areas.

Therapy Balls are incredibly versatile and such an amazing tool. If you could add just one thing to your regular self-care routine I HIGHLY recommend you get these balls. Watching videos or taking a class will help you learn to use them but even playing with them yourself and exploring different movements and techniques that let you get into areas where you need relief will be a huge benefit to your body and your overall well-being. Living better in your body means living better in your life.

Go deeper…

If you’re in the Chicago area I will be teaching a 2-Part Workshop Series (at Two Hands) to give a foundation in using the Therapy Balls for self-massage and how to incorporate them into your everyday life. Join me Tuesdays Feb 17th and 24th from 6pm-7:30pm for Self Massage with Yoga Tune Up Therapy Balls. Get all the workshop details and register HERE!