Yoga on a Roll

Yoga has taken the country by storm, with thousands doing Downward Facing Dog and Warrior poses as part of their mind-body fitness routines.

And they are definitely having a ball — as many are using a prop called a balance ball (also called Swiss, fitness or gym ball) to help support poses that are difficult for beginners or to add new challenges for longtime yoga practitioners.

Used for decades by Pilates instructors and physical therapists, the large vinyl balls can help you strengthen core muscles and improve your balance and flexibility so your yoga practice flows smoothly and there's less chance that you'll injure or over-strain muscles or joints. "It's important to do yoga that honors your body and maintains your integrity," says Suzanne Deason, a yoga teacher from Carlsbad, Calif., who hosts yoga and exercise videos. "Doing yoga on a ball allows your body to open gently so you can keep your breath flowing and remain aware of signs of strain so you don't injure yourself," she explains. "The balance ball supports you in certain poses and helps you modify each posture to suit your body."

Ball Yoga: Who's It For?

Doing yoga on the ball can benefit anyone, including:

1. Yoga beginners. Moving into poses with the ball's support builds confidence and can help your muscles gradually stretch and strengthen as you improve your yoga routine.
2. People recovering from injuries. Some injuries create muscular weaknesses that make it difficult or painful to do yoga postures such as backbends or Warrior poses. A ball can ease you into a pose comfortably and with less risk for re-injury.
3. Strong, limber athletes. Raise the bar on your yoga workout by adding ball work. Poses done on the round surface challenge balance and build core muscles while helping you develop inner focus.

Core Workout

Currently, the fitness world is buzzing about strengthening core muscles, and many workouts now emphasize building strong abs. Exercising on a ball is an excellent abdominal workout - in fact, the ball was rated the foremost home exercise equipment for abdominal training by a San Diego State University exercise physiology article (American Council on Fitness' Fitness Matters, May/June 2001). And, a study from the department of kinesiology at the University of Waterloo in Ontario, Canada, reveals that doing curl-up exercises over a gym ball with the feet on the floor generally doubles the activity of the rectus abdominis muscle compared to doing a curl-up on a stable bench. The oblique muscles get four times the workout when done on the ball rather than on a non-mobile surface, probably due to the added strength required to keep you from falling (Physical Therapy, vol. 80, no. 6, June 2000).

However, abdominal work is only part of the story. You may be surprised to learn that even more essential to your core stability than a set of six-pack abs are tiny muscles that run along the spine and support the body's joints. "Normally we associate a strong body with the large muscle groups," says Deason. "But, what really improves overall body fitness is the strength of these tiny muscles. They're the ones that keep you from falling, wrenching a disk in your back, or spraining your ankle when you slip on a patch of ice."

In normal everyday activity and traditional exercise, larger muscles tend to do most of the work, so the small ones weaken from lack of use, she explains. However, when you do yoga movements on the unstable surface of a ball, you strengthen those tiny, overlooked muscles through the micro-movements you make to stabilize yourself. "Just sitting on the ball at your desk engages those smaller muscles effectively," says Deason.

The balance ball is also an excellent tool for increasing flexibility without straining. For instance, many people get over-zealous by trying to loosen up tight hamstrings by touching the floor. Unfortunately, this action can over-stretch the muscles, which tighten instead of loosen, to protect themselves. Instead, Deason recommends using the balance ball to gradually stretch your hamstrings. If you put your hands on the ball and gently roll it forward, the support will protect the muscles from over-stretching.

Asanas for the Ball

The types of asanas, or yoga postures, that can be done with a ball are endless. Here are a few suggestions of ball variations on a classic yoga postures:

• Triangle Pose: If you have difficulty reaching your hand to the floor in Triangle pose, use the ball as a prop for stability and extension.
• Boat Pose: This abdominal and core muscle strengtheners can become more challenging if you hold the ball in your arms while piking your legs upward. To increase difficulty, extend the ball over your head while in the Boat pose.
• Plank Pose: Instead of holding this pose on the floor, place your palms on the ball to form a more challenging, inclined plank.
• Shoulder Stand: While lying on your back, place your feet on the ball and walk it closer to your shoulders before extending your legs up into Shoulder Stand.

In addition to building core muscle strength and balance, doing yoga on a large roly-poly sphere can also engage your sense of humour, especially when one minute you're neatly balanced, but the next you topple to the floor. When all is said and done, that's what we all want from yoga: to feel good and enjoy moving. With the ball, you get all that and more.

About the Author: Laurel Kallenbach

Laurel Kallenbach writes about health, wellness and travel. She lives in Boulder, Colorado

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