Yamuna Body Rolling

I absolutely love my yoga studio, Breathing Room. It is small and cozy and welcoming, but at the same time they offer a huge variety of classes and workshops. Yesterday I tried a new class- Yamuna Body Rolling + yoga.

I had heard some good things about Yamuna and was anxious to give it a try. Yamuna Body Rolling is basically a form a self massage using balls. I work my body hard so I am always looking for ways to help with healing and recovery.

The class started with a centering exercise, like a yoga class, and then we moved through several different Yamuna routines with the balls. The first series was a chest opener. We started at the wall with the ball right above our sternums and then slowly rolled the ball out and down one arm and then the other. We then repeated the same series on the floor, where the increased pressure made it more intense. During the class we also did a spine series, before finishing with shavashana.

I definitely felt a noticeable difference. After the chest routine, my chest felt much more open. My shoulders were less hunched, my posture was better, and I felt like I could breathe more deeply. My spine series further increased this feeling. I also got in some good stress releasing laughter because my friend and I cracked up every time we talked about our balls. So mature.

I REALLY wish we had done some leg work, since my legs are super sore this week. I also wish the class had been longer- it was a 75 minute class, which meant we only got to do about 50 minutes of Yamuna. Since it was also the first class, the instructor spent some time explaining Yamuna and demonstrating the routines. I appreciate her thoroughness, but it felt so good, I wanted to pack in as much as possible!

This class definitely won't replace my weekly yoga class. I love the flow, the challenge, and the stretch of a vinyassa class, but I think Yamuna will be a good addition to help more with deep muscle work. And the teacher promised that next week will be legs!

Have you tried Yamuna?