Rolling Like a Ball
By Amanda Turner
Happy June, everyone - the months are just flying by! I thought that this would be a great time to dive into Rolling Like a Ball. This is a beginning level exercise and I just love it for so many reasons. As a teacher, it can tell me if you’re experiencing tightness in your back or if you like to use your shoulders instead of your abs. As a student, it can be modified or advanced to fit whatever season you are in, in your life. It’s fun, and it feels good - it can also be really humbling.
Starting Position:
Sitting upright, heels together, knees as wide as the shoulders, hands holding the outside of the ankles. Pick the feet up, balance just behind the tailbone - spine is slightly rounded, shoulders down, eyes on the abs. On your inhale roll back to your shoulder blades, exhale returning to your starting position. Repeat 8-10x.
Common Cues:
-Roll through the spine (any thumping means you’re skipping parts of the spine)
-Shoulders down
-Eyes on the abs as your roll back, you may lift your head as you come up
-Keep the heels glued to the glutes, resist the urge to kick the legs out and in like a swing
-Stay just behind the tailbone, do not come onto the sits bones
-Use your breath to help you roll
(never roll to your neck)
Need Modifications:
-Keep the feet down on the Mat, a fist’s distance apart, hold hands behind the thighs. Roll the spine back until your arms are straight (keep an eye on those shoulders) and then pull your abs in deeper and return to the starting position.
-Hold the balance and skip the rolling
Want to Spice It up - Variations:
-Add a Magic Circle between the legs, just below the knees (pointed away from your face)
-knees/legs together
-Change the grip and hold opposite ankles
-Around The World: inquire at your next session about the “rock around the clock” variation
How will you roll this month?
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