If you haven’t been asleep for all of 2012, you’ve probably heard the praises of foam rolling.
This one is no joke! Foam rolling helps to create and maintain long, smooth muscles by massaging out the knots and releasing trigger points. It’s also a fantastic (and cheap!) way to release the fascia, which I’m sure you already know all about! Unless a doctor tells you otherwise, this is a fabulous addition to any healthy living routine.
Here are my three favorite ways to use a foam roller:
1. IT Band stretch
Lie on your side using your hands for support.
Bend the top leg to unload some of the pressure and maintain balance.
Roll from your hip down to the knee and be sure to rest on any soft spots to encourage release.
2. Hip/Glute stretch
Sit down on the meaty part of the muscle and roll around to release.
Use one or both legs to increase or decrease the amount of support.
3. Quad massage
Lie on the roller and roll from hip to knee using one foot extended to balance if necessary or if pressure is too intense with both lifted.
Reprinted with permission from Erin Motz – www.ErinMotz.com
Listen — I’m not your traditional yogi: I’m the carnivorous, red wine and French cheese-loving type and I teach vinyasa flow. My aim is to keep my classes fun and accessible, both in the studio and online. You won’t hear much Sanskrit, I totally forgive you if you don’t know your asana from your elbow, and I firmly believe that yoga is for everyone, from the kale-loving vegan to the prize-winning deer hunter. I may be a Bad Yogi, but if I’m being totally honest, teaching yoga has been one of my greatest pleasures; I practice to feed my teaching, but I teach to feed my life. See online classes, get in touch, and find other fun surprises over on my website.
