Why use a BALL?

Energy moves in spirals. Muscles grow in spirals. Our spiritual and emotional growth is circular. Our bodies are soft, round and bendable, not linear. They undulate and sway. Our breath rolls in and out like the tide, responding to our body’s freedom of movement. When supported by a soft, round ball the body recognizes it’s “spiral ness”. The roundness of the ball allows the body to move in yoga poses. The “stirring” on the ball helps you personally adapt the asana to your body’s specific unwinding. You “feel” the asana instead of “doing” it. The stillness of “asana” coupled with the support of the ball eases the angle deeply and gently inward.

How was Yoga on the Ball developed?

I first started using the ball in 1995 when developing a back bending posture clinic for my students practicing vigorous yoga. They loved the clinic so much they requested an ongoing class, and the Yoga on the Ball class began and continued for many years! It has helped students all ages and all walks of life to practice deep yoga asanas with ease.

Will my muscles become STRONGER practicing Yoga on the Ball?

The strength of a muscle is measured by how much it can contract. In order to contract, a muscle must have the ability to release. When a muscle is too tight, and it is called upon for strength (contraction), it’s already at it’s maximum. There’s nowhere to go. It’s then considered weak, unable to contract. “A tight muscle is a weak muscle. A weak muscle is a tight muscle. Tight muscles are subject to injury”. ~ Rama Berch People are used to using much more muscle than necessary. The muscles in the body are intended to be the “movers of the bones”. The bones are really our source of strength; they are our “Inner Scaffolding”. Strength that comes from the bones is strength without effort. Sometimes in our eagerness to become “stronger”, we focus our attention more on the muscle contraction, and little, if any, on the release. It is the nature of the ego and the human mind to want to do more. Action equals progress to our egos (minds). The more the mind “wants”, the tighter the body becomes. Quite an inner dance ensues! With yoga practice we soothe the ego’s need for “doing”, and become more in touch with our ability to allow, or “be”. Yoga practice teaches us to strengthen our muscles by enabling them to release. Much of our precious available energy can be wasted sustaining chronic tension. As yogis, we learn to use our energy expeditiously. We practice getting the most work for the least amount of effort. This is another way of practicing “being”. Instead of forcing things to happen we become aware of them in their happening. When we are in this aware and relaxed state, our decisions and choices are always clearer and better, so things will go exactly as they should! Life is good! When feeling intense muscle pain in a pose, chances are that you are creating more resistance than release. You may be “over-doing”. When the body releases into a yoga asana, it generally feels good. When there is over-effort (moving too deeply) then there is pain or resistance. When practicing Yoga on the Ball you are looking for the release; feeling good… even better than good! Of course, the body is not really the goal, but the instrument. A “toy” with which to practice conscious awareness. So, relax and allow yourself to feel great and have fun with it!  

What does Asana mean?  

Asana means “to sit”, “to draw near to”, “to sit close to”. Each pose we practice becomes “yoga” when we can find our inner stillness while in it. Sitting quiet and comfortable, sweet and steady, we meditate and transition from doing to being. Meditation means to “be” without analysis. It is “how you are” in the pose more than what you are “doing”. The mind is a survival tool by nature, so it is it’s job to judge. Good or bad. Right or Wrong. Happy or Sad. Safe or Dangerous. The essence of this analysis is really the root of all duality. Our vision through “the mind” will always be a bit tainted, because of its nature being duality. Yoga is unity, bringing us to the realization that there is only consciousness. To practice yoga in a pose, you must step behind your tool “the mind”, into the vast space of non-judgment. Its not good or bad. It just “is”. Practice non-analysis. Being. So, “sit close to” your Self, and know “its all good”. Breathe. Feel.

How does breathing help the asanas?  

The movement and pauses in the breath are the play of life itself. The pulsation of your breath is the same pulsation as that of an atom. You become more aware of what you are doing by breathing. Breathing makes you more alive. When we are fully alive our capacity to experience is total. Pain is lack of breath (or prana). As we learn to breathe more freely, the 3 diaphragms of the body are massaged. These diaphragms have all the major organs and glands as part of them. So, as we breathe, the whole body is continually cleansed, massaged and enlivened from the inside out. When the breath is inhibited, so is the cleansing process. The areas not receiving adequate breath become tired, achy, and eventually sick. Our experience of life becomes clouded. We will learn Ujayii Breathing in the YOB Workshop. This is a very powerful and easy breathing exercise. The basis for all healing is Prana (life force), so anything can be healed with breathing. Enjoy!  

Why practice with “ease” instead of “working out”?  

The ability to let go prepares us for enlightenment. Enlightenment is a state of non-fear…deep awareness. It is your own “presence” expressed and felt as “contentment” that is not affected by external circumstance. Practicing “letting go” helps us learn to develop trust, which helps you become free from fear. The only thing that separates us from the unbroken awareness of our divine nature is fear. So, we practice “letting go” as we experience the asanas supported by the ball. To feel the full release of tension in your body and mind, you learn to trust the support of the ball and lean into it. This brings great internal strength as well as external tonus unparalleled by only working with the body The act of surrender brings great freedom. What you surrender isn’t important; it’s the experience of surrender itself that is relevant.    

Copyright Linda R. Rado/Yoga on the Ball™ 1999, 2000, 2005 All rights reserved. Please ask permission before copying and distributing to your friends, students or colleagues.