Myofacial Ball Release

A myofascial release ball is a self-massage tool used to apply targeted pressure to muscle knots (trigger points) and tight connective tissues. By leaning your body weight against the ball on the floor or a wall, you can release muscle tension and improve mobility.

Transcript

Bonjour! Hello! Wendy again here. I would love to offer you some options, Basically all you can do with balls. Here's what I prepared earlier. There could be tennis balls, There could be cork balls, There could be. . . I was gonna say apples but one day I did use an apple and I squashed it with my foot. I pretty much made apple juice. So just be careful what you're using. Try not to have something very similar to these. And we can start straight away standing. Well, Let me just ring the ball to make it a bit more official. So, One ball at a time. You'll be standing on a clear space, So no props on your mat. Only the ball is gonna go under the right foot. So just start to feel yourself transferring more weight onto the ball under the right foot. And what I find the most challenging with this one is to actually keep your arms by your sides. So try to resist not doing this or this or this. Keep your arms by your side. Forget about them, They've done nothing to you. It's all about the right foot from now on. So you roll back and forth and you can insist on more pressure, Longer pace, Somewhere, Somehow under the right foot. I like to draw some circles clockwise, Anticlockwise. I like to add more pressure in the inner foot and I rub quite fast. So energizing the inner edge here and maybe the outer edge. Maybe a little bit more weight onto the heel as the left foot becomes lighter. Maybe a little bit of bouncing. And then you may want to work with the ball of the foot and eventually include all of your toes. This one is a bit weird. See how you go. I like to have the foot down, Flex the toes and then point them towards the mat. Imagine you want to squish your toes around the ball as though you're trying to pick up the ball into your hand. Maybe try, I can't do it. But try to pick up your ball with your toes. And eventually a few more breaths to just see what feels good, Where you'd like to add more pressure. And if you can, Keeping the chin parallel to the floor, Try not to look at it. Really just feel into it. And once you're done, Have your feet flat on the floor just so you feel the contrast between left and right. I don't know about you but I feel like my right foot is a lot more open on the floor. And you feel as well. I should have made you do this earlier but if you come into a forward fold, You'd feel that the right, Actually you can do it now. Take your feet as wide as the mat, Bend into the knees, Come into your forward flexion. It could be holding onto the elbows, Head lowered down. You may feel the back of the right leg is more open, More flexible than the left. Then we'll move on to the second side. So standing up again, Ball under the left foot. And same as before, Just roll it any way you like. Try not to overthink it. Just let the body decide where it wants to go, How much weight you want to place on the ball, How would you like to breathe into it. Rolling back and forth, Side to side. Discover what it's like on that foot. More weight and faster on the inner edge when you're ready. So roll, Roll, Roll, Roll, Roll. And then giving some love also towards the outer edge. It's a little bit more tricky to find the balance here. Eventually we'll have the heel of the foot on the ball, So much that the right foot can become lighter. There may be a little bit of bouncing as well. Then we'll go to the ball of the foot. The heel can remain on the floor. Maybe a little side to side. Flexing the toes over the ball. Trying to open your fingers, Oh your fingers, The fingers of the foot. Nice and wide. And then pointing the toes towards the floor like you really scrunch it all. If you tried before, See how you go. You may get lucky here trying to pick up your ball with your toes. And then eventually do whatever feels right for the next few breaths. So rolling anywhere you like, Trying to keep your spine neutral, Trying not to poke your belly out like what I'm doing. I've got a good excuse though. Roll, Roll, Roll. Oh it's moving. I think he likes the balls. You and when you feel satisfied, When you feel like both feet are even in sensations, You can let it go and have your two feet flat on the floor. Take a moment to close your eyes, Roll the shoulders back and down. Maybe even draw your navel in and up. Maybe you balance your weight back and forth, Side to side until you feel well distributed with your body weight over your feet. Take a moment to feel the center of gravity over your body descending in you down to the feet. Like we did before, Can we have our feet wide and moving into our forward flexion just to feel on both sides now. Oh the jungle is falling on me. Oh well, I'll put it here. So we may hold on to the elbows, Take a little forward fold, Bending knees as much as you'd like, Maybe rocking side to side. So that was for our feet. Now we can actually get lower towards the floor. So move the props away. You're gonna grab your two balls, Come to tabletop and I'm gonna take my knees wider to make room for baby but you can have your knees as wide as the hips, That will be enough for you. Lean forward enough that you can place the ball right behind the left knee. Lean back a bit to secure it and then same thing on the right side, Right behind the right knee. Once you're here, Your fingers can face forward and you can simply roll backward and forward. If you'd like to include your wrist stretch, You can turn one hand at a time towards the knees, Spreading the fingers wide and continue to roll. It adds on sensations, That's for sure. Rocking back and forth and eventually maybe finding some rocking motion from side to side. If you had enough with the wrists, Turn your fingers back forward. Maybe you find some circles, Clockwise, Anticlockwise and then maybe you tuck your toes under to add more stretch into the toes and the fascia of the soles of the feet. Then perhaps you come down to one forearm at a time. It's getting intense. Maybe you imagine you're about to move into child's pose. Again feel free to rock a little bit. I find that stillness is also quite sufficient with the weight of gravity, The weight of your body closing over the balls, Compressing the back muscles here. Now just to reassure you, When you release, It's gonna feel so much better. It can't feel worse anyway. So you release one ball at a time, Keep them in your hands and now maybe take your knees wider, Your toes closer as you migrate to child's pose. You can go as low as you wish. I'm gonna go a bit higher for baby and take a moment here. I find that child's pose you have a lot more space after working with the balls. See how you go for you. Now come back onto your hands, Come to Japanese sit. The balls are gonna go under your shin bones, More precisely on the outside of them. So we want to avoid, If you have a look, I'm not gonna go directly on the bone, I'm gonna go on to the outside. So we want to work the muscle here, With the meat. So it's gonna go right here and it's somewhere between the knee and the ankle. I would say closer to the knee at first. So one ball at a time on the outside of the shin bones and it takes time to settle into it and maybe that's enough. If you want more, Think about leaning forward and downward. You could have one forearm onto one thigh, Just relaxing the fingers, Having a great time here. If you want more, Maybe add little side-to-side movements. Hope you like that. I certainly don't. Give it a few more breaths. Feel free to add again more forward flexion, So more weight on the balls will give you more. If that's enough, Lean back, Think more of stretching your ankles and let it go. Now it's gonna go quite fast but if you want to spend more time, You can just pause the video, Spend more breaths in each little exercise. It's up to you. Now we're gonna work with our hands. So I'm gonna change side here. We're gonna have the balls under the palms of the hands. Depending on the size of the balls, These ones are quite big, So I'm able to curl my fingers around them. But you can open and close your hands and then if you want more, Keep leaning forward so your shoulders are going over your wrists. If you want less, Of course, Lean back, More weight onto the knees and then eventually we'll find your normal tabletop. Maybe lean backward at first, Then we start to roll. So you open your hands, You open your fingers, You draw some circles here into the palm of the hand. If it's too much for coordination, Breath, Brain and body, You can just have one hand on the floor and just really focus on one at a time as though you're creating a delicious pizza with dough here. Really trying to flatten the bread out, Make it nice and even on all surfaces and then you can swap side. I know it sounds obvious but trying to find the same amount of time on both sides. You don't want to have a jealous hand over the other. One side and the other and then if that works too at the same time, Back and forth, Back and forth. And how about up cat down cat? So keep your hands on the balls, Tuck your toes under, Inhale upward cat, Arch the spine, Chin up. As you exhale, Untuck the toes, Chin into the chest, Round the back. Breathe in, Tuck your toes, Arch, Slow journey upward. Untuck the toes, Slow journey downward. Coming back to center, Roll the shoulders back and down. We're going to use only one ball at a time. So lift the ball forward on the left hand side of the mat, Keep the ball under the right hand. We're going to come down onto the left forearm and also down to the right forearm. So the ball is going to stay there and we roll it from the wrist all the way to the elbow, Rolling back and forth. Of course the heavier you get onto the ball, The more sensations you'll get. So roll forward and back. Maybe you find somewhere that needs a little bit more tender love and care on the sides. And don't forget to flip the arm around. So now the forearm is going to be facing the sky, So palm is facing up from the wrist to the elbow. If there's any watches or rings, You may need to remove them. And you'll find it's quite an interesting sensation to work on this side with the tiny muscles that we don't really visit on the other side of the lower arm bone. And once that's done, Place the right forearm down. Take a moment to feel the difference first. You did? Good. Now move on to the left forearm. So again from the left wrist to the left elbow, You roll it back and forth. Now if you feel like you've got confidence, You could work with two arms at the same time. I've never seen this happening but you could be the first one to do it. So if that could work, You could do two arms like this. I'm trying to find the same areas you worked with the right arm. Same thing on the left arm. And when you're ready, We're going to flip the forearm to face the sky from the wrist to the elbow. It's kind of nice, Isn't it? I hope you like it, You guys at home. And then we release the two forearms down. Take a moment to feel into it. Take any sit that you want to take. Place one ball to the right crest or the eye of the elbow here and just start to close your arm. Then with the left hand, Can you hold on to the right wrist or the hand and bring it closer to you. So we want to find compression and contraction with our right arm bending. So now we can release into the biceps. Squeeze, Squeeze, Squeeze. Oh, Can you see the muscle? Yeah. And then we're going to swap onto the other side. Oh, Shake it out. Left elbow, Left arm is closing over the ball. Use the right hand to bring it even closer here. Squeeze, Squeeze, Squeeze. We release. Nice. Have a little shake. Your balls are going to work now under your calf muscles. I reckon you could start with just one block, Medium height. Put the balls aside. Keep the left knee bent. Imagine you come into Janushir Shasana and the edge of the block is going to come right under the calf muscle here. I like to tilt the block in an angle so that I've got a sharper edge digging deeper into the muscle. You can have your hands there to support you and by just flexing and pointing the right foot, There's already going to be a lot of sensations, Even rolling your ankle around. If you want more, Do the same thing as you flex the foot but also roll your right calf from left to right. And then it's going to be like neither good or bad. It's just like oof, Oof kind of sensations. You can also try to do two at the same time, Moving the foot and the calf. Maybe you start to lean forward. Then maybe you flatten the block, Turn it long way, Have the ball on top of the block and again return the calf on top of the ball. That could be enough. If you want more, Plant your foot down on the floor, Left foot on the floor, Press into your hands, Start to lift the sit bones off the floor and then you start to roll back and forth. Now if you get really long, Lean calf muscle, Maybe add a second block so you've got more surface to work onto and you're doing a little bit of also core work as you lift yourself up. You wish you had my core, Huh? Look at those big six packs. And come back down. Yeah we're gonna do the other side. Don't try to speed the camera here, Stay with me. So you have the ball, The block only here. Start with the left calf muscle, Right knee can bend. Again you can tilt the block if you want more. Flexing, Pointing, Cramping, Okay Oh cramping a lot. Point, Flex, Roll. Putting on the brave face for the camera but really it's a lot. Rolling the calf side to side. You do your thing, I'll wait for you. So roll your calf muscle, Point, Flex the left foot, Roll the left ankle and maybe try to do it all together. So move your toes, Move your foot, Move your ankle, Move your calf onto that block. Then stay still, Just turn your toes up so flex your left foot and then roll just the calf from side to side. If there's more in you, Can you lean your spine forward and downward so we add more weight on top of that block. Keep breathing nice and slow. Just because I can't hear you doesn't mean you can neglect the breath here. Really breathe slowly, Deeply, It will help you, I promise. I think we're done now. So flatten the block, Maybe one, Maybe two blocks. Ball goes on top, Calf will go on top, Right foot will be flat on the floor to support you, Hands behind you, Flex your left ankle, Lift your bottom and roll back and forth again. Take your time, You can go anywhere from just below the knee towards the Achilles tendon, Maybe a little side to side and when you're done, You're done. A little wrist release may feel good after this. And I'd love us to work with the hamstrings. So it will depend how you feel for this one. It could be the same setup, The ball on top of the blocks, Stay and then bending the right knee and then we can place the left hamstring. So we need to lift maybe a little bit higher and wow, I see colors right now. Do you see colors? We roll back and forth onto the strings of the ham, Also known as hamstring, Rolling back and forth. Maybe we stay still for a moment when we find that sweet spot. Maybe we take the butt back down, Maybe we cross one ankle on top of the other and if you want more, Lift your butt. No, Maybe don't. Stay here and then we swap onto the second side. If you get lucky, Tomorrow you may have some lovely colors under the left leg. Some people call it bruise. And then we have the right hamstring here and again we lift the bottom and we roll back and forth. You are now your own very masseuse. You massage yourself. You decide where the pressure, The tension go. Remember you can also sit, Cross one ankle on top of the other and this one also works for the one we just did before with the calf. If you're courageous, You can lift the bottom of the floor, You breathe and you release. You can release your wrist as well. Now we're gonna work with the glutes and the spine to finish it off. I'm glad you're happy. It's almost finished. You don't need this setup. I'm gonna do it because this happened about nearly nine months ago for you. If you're not in the same condition, You can be flat on the back here, Flat on the floor. You have the balls in your hands. You're gonna be flat on the back, Feet planted, Knees bent and then place your balls under your glutes. I think upper outer glutes to start with is nice. Then you can stay here, Take your feet as wide as you want, Knees bent and then you roll your pelvis from side to side. This is like the reward of all that we've done already. Then you can readjust them maybe a little bit more inside, Not inside inside, But closer towards your bottom. Little roll, Maybe back and forth anterior posterior tilt of the pelvis as you do and some circles. I like to think of seductive movements when I roll my bum on the balls. Again you can spend longer here, You can pause my video and just continue. If you're ready to move on, We're gonna have the balls higher. We're gonna push on to the feet, Lift the bum, Have your balls to the lower back, Your lumbar spine here. Maybe you spend a few breaths here, Not even moving, Just breathing is enough. If you want more, You roll side to side again. If you're still want more, Knowing that you're flat on the back, You could now bring your knees closer towards the chest and as you do so, More weight is gonna be on the balls, So more sensations. Still there are some movements, It's up to you for a few breaths. Same as we did with the shin bones, Avoid the vertebrae, Trying to go on the outside, So left and right side of the spines only. Work with the muscles, Not the bones. When you're ready, We're gonna continue going upwards, So somewhere into the middle of the back. You can do whatever you want with your arms, Again you can move or stay as you are. If you want more, Continue to bring the knees in towards the chest. Some people like to actually lift the sit bones. We're gonna go even higher, Believe me or not, We're gonna go to the back of our heart. Let me show you where we're going exactly. The balls are gonna go to the back of the heart, Left and right side of the back of the heart, Around your shoulder blades here. They're gonna go right here. Give me time to come back down. Once you're there, Again you can stay here. If you want more, You lift your bum and you just place more weight onto the back of the heart. If you want more, You need to move your arms. So the arms could be out like Jesus Christ, The arms could go overhead. Your arms could be swimming, Like you're crawling one way or the other. The jungle again. Or like a soldier, By your side, They go forward and up and forward and down. Last one, You can give yourself a big hug. Try to separate the shoulder blades from each other and try to really dig into that space, So between the blades of the shoulders, Closer to the spine but not under the spine, Remember. Final one, Lean one side and the other to retrieve your balls. Place them to where your neck becomes your neck, No neck becomes your shoulders. So pop them one at a time to that space. It can be quite intense, Maybe a little bit lower so you stabilize them. If not, You can hold on to the balls with just two peace fingers but try to relax your elbows downward. Maybe you don't even need your arms, Wherever they go. I find that just staying here is enough. Again, If you want more at home, You may want to lift the hips like you would do a bridge pose. Add more weight onto the balls, Maybe you include your arm motions, Include your breath of course. The more you move your arms, The more interesting it becomes here. You may even hear little cricks and cracks on the way. When you're done, Retrieve your balls. And to finish with, Can you grab one of your blocks that you have and place it to where your neck becomes your head, So medium height again. I'm sure you already know this one, It's probably everyone's favorite. I like to have my feet wider, My knees closer, Like a tippy, Like a tent, So there's no muscle activity in the legs. And then you roll your head from side to side. Again, Try to access the occipital points here, So right where you feel the bones here and rolling side to side. The slower you go, The better the experience, The more mindful it becomes. And if you want more, For more feedback, Push your head actively against the prop. As you roll onto the left hand side, Stay there, Close your eyes, Open the mouth and rock the bottom jaw side to side. Then maybe you pretend to yawn until it actually happens. Roll your head to the right, Pause there, Open your mouth, Rock the bottom jaw side to side. Provoke a yawn. Maybe a second one. And back to center, Final little rocking side. Side to side. And your Shavasana, Let me explain to you, Would be to have, Imagine I'm going to be flat on my back. Flat on your back, You're going to have a block here, So your head will be here. The block is going to go on top like this, So they're perpendicular. And that edge of the block is going to come to the third eye. This is just an option if you want to try something a little bit different. So this block is going to come to the space between the eyebrows, And it's going to go like this. Your balls are going to go into your hands, And you simply let your fingers naturally curl around the balls. The arms are by your sides, The chest is open, And the feet will flop out to the side as well. So that you have maximum openness into the hips and the chest. Toes out, Palms up, Balls on top, Block on top of the third eye, Another block over your head. And once you arrive, You're welcome to pause the video and remain there for as long as you wish. If you want to skip your Shavasana, Naughty naughty. But you do what you need to do. Thank you so much for exploring all you can do with the balls. Of course there are so many more we could go through for the IT band, For the whole body. But I think those are the most important points that we did from toes to the head. When you're ready guys, You can stay laying down, Just place your hands onto the lower belly, Feel into the breath. Close the practice together, Laying down or sitting down with a big big breath in, Fill up your whole upper body with that breath. Opening the mouth, Clear the breath out. One hand on top of the other over the chest, Bow your head towards the heart. And close the practice. Namaste. Thank you so much everyone. Merci beaucoup. See you soon.