This section addresses questions about Yin Yoga and other body parts, such as shoulders, feet, wrists, and various conditions such as arthritis, osteoporosis, etc.
Hi, I recently attended a yin yoga/ fascia workshop which was very interesting and informative. The reason for my post is we used tennis balls by placing them in various positions and then lying on them in order to loosen the fascia. Pi was wondering where I can find information on this as it's something I would like to incorporate into my personal practice. Thanks x
Working with balls (from softer tennis balls to hard rubber balls) could be used as massage devices. Remember the principles in yin yoga however: long held, static stresses - but never to the point of pain. There are many possible ways to use balls to help increase a stress on the connective tissues or deepen the stress while in certain poses. While I have not found it necessary to go there (most of the time, I get enough juice just as it is, thank you very much) for some people this may be a fun and effective way to do their yin practice.
You may want to check out Yamuna body rolling. Or you can get Bella Dreizler's book: Letting Go: Roll & Relax Into Release. She talks in depth about how to use foam rollers, “pokey balls” and tennis balls to release areas of tightness.
