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Over the years, I have dabbled in some at-home yoga practice. It's not been something I have done regularly, but it's something that I am making a priority moving forward; mainly because I keep getting injured.
So, it was a pleasant surprise when YogDev reached out to me a few weeks ago and offered to send me a yoga wheel to review on my blog- and sponsor a giveaway so I can give one to my readers! Contest information is at the end of this review.
So, what is a yoga wheel? It is a tool used in yoga, similar to a yoga block, that can assist in different poses, stretches, and strengthening exercises. I had never used one before so it was a little intimating when I pulled it out of the box.
It came with a little cheat sheet of poses that you can do with your yoga wheel. The first night I got my new wheel, in my infinite wisdom, I decide that I'm going to try and do a super-advanced pose and try to balance on top of this hard plastic wheel.
You can guess what happened- I totally bit it. Let me caution you with this- if you're not a professional yogi, don't try "garland" (pictured above) as your first pose with a yoga wheel. 😉
After learning what not to do with a yoga wheel, I checked out YogDev's pose guide online for some instructional videos on how to properly use the wheel as a beginner. I also found this YouTube gem that gave me some cool strengthening moves to check out.
I pulled together a few of the poses, stretches, and exercises to make a routine for myself focusing on my hips and hamstrings. One of the things I loved about using the wheel is that I can modify some of my favorite moves (like a single-leg bridge) using the wheel to balance instead of using a large stability ball. With as much as we travel, this yoga wheel is way more portable than a stability ball and I felt like I got a better workout using the wheel because I had to use more of my muscles to balance.
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| The smile disappears when the move gets intense! |
I also was able to do a modified single-leg squat coupled with a hamstring stretch (see above) and use the wheel in a controlled rolling motion. It was a pretty effective move and I love how using the wheel allowed me to add some extra stretch and balance to a single-leg squat.
The other benefit I found to using the wheel was being able to access some really restorative stretches and poses. Using this in a modified bridge pose, it was amazing how good it felt to get some release across the top of my back/in between my shoulder blades- that's where I carry all my stress. And the calf stretch pictured below is just what I needed after the longer runs of this marathon training cycle.
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| If I look uncomfortable, it's because I am. Need. More. Yoga. |
Overall, I really enjoyed incorporating the YogDev Yoga Wheel into my fitness routine. I hope to keep using it and maybe one day I'll nail the "garland"- and I'll be sure to upload a picture for proof! This product is definitely well-made, comes in multiple fun colors, and has a great website with lots of information on how to use this appropriately in your yoga practice. All in all, I think it's pretty cool.
Want one of your own? Check out the rafflecopter below for your chance to win! Tweet every day between now and 12/7/16 for more chances. Winners will be notified via email on the morning of 12/7/16 and will have 48 hours to respond to claim the wheel.
Good luck!
a Rafflecopter giveaway
Disclaimer: YogDev provided me with a free yoga wheel to review on this blog. I did not receive compensation in exchange for this review. As always, all opinions are on my own.
Have you ever used a yoga wheel or similar fitness product? What's your favorite piece of fitness equipment?
