If you haven't yet used a simple ball to massage and release your muscles - you're going to love it! The relief is amazing. Our classes enjoy it so much when we incorporate it into our final relaxation time at the end of class. It is definitely frequent request! You will also be able to use the techniques we learn in class for at home for relief as well.
I let the class know the week before what day we'll be using the ball next :) We ask that students purchase their own ball. Many vendors sell balls titled "therapy balls" or "yoga balls", but you can get a quality playground ball without the label for under $10 (do not buy the smooth ones from the Dollar Store or Wal-Mart which don't have an internal bladder and so can pop). You can look into shopping for one locally or here are a couple Smile.Amazon.com options: 6" Voit Ball 6" Rhino Ball. (Remember if you are shopping on Amazon to always use Smile.Amazon.com to go into the site so you can select a charity you care about to benefit from your purchases!) The ball will not come inflated, so you'll need to inflate it with a needle adapter. When you inflate the ball it should be firm but soft. (You should be able to depress your thumb fairly easily into the ball so it has some give, but will support the area of your body we are releasing.)
You may notice in the picture above that there are tennis balls as well, we sometimes use these to massage our feet - another yummy treat!