Body Rolling Techniques - Caution in Yoga and Pilates Classes
August 25th, 2007 by Kreg Weiss
Body rolling techniques like Yamuna have grown in popularity and have worked their way into Yoga and Pilates classes. Body rolling incorporates gravity based body positions and movements along with various sized balls to massage blockages out of muscles, fascia and connective tissues.
When taught by qualified, knowledgable teachers, body rolling can help one explore great levels of release throughout the entire body. When performed without proper instruction, body rolling can lead to serious acute injuries. The first crucial element for body rolling is understanding what is the appropriate size ball for the technique being applied to specific areas of the body. Body rolling works on the simple principal of static pressure.
In physics, STATIC PRESSURE (P) = FORCE (F) / AREA (A)
*Static Pressure (P) is the application of the massage on the tissues
*Force (F) is the body weight motion generated by gravity and the technique of the rolling
*Area (A) is the surface area of the ball in contact with the body
Let’s throw in some arbitary numbers for simplicity:
*Image you are applying 100 units of Force (F) on a medium size ball with a surface area (A) of 10 units…
Pressure = 100 / 10 = 10
*What if you now decrease the size (A) of the ball to 5 units?…
Pressure = 100 / 5 = 20
By decreasing the ball size, we can dramatically increase the amount of pressure going into the tissues. Without experience, one may mistakenly choose balls too small and too hard resulting in harmful pressure to tissues. This becomes of greater concern when moving close to or onto the floating ribs and tailbone.
The majority of our ribs start from the spine and come around the chest to connect into the chest bone via cartillage. However, the last two set of ribs start at the spine, come around partially, and stop mid way with no second connection point - hence they are floating (click here to view the floating ribs). Due to the lack of this secondary support at the chestbone, the floating ribs can be readily damaged (dislocation or fracture) by the pressure of body rolling and should be avoided.
The same is true for the tailbone which floats in the pelvis. The tailbone (coccyx box) is the triangular structure composed of 3-5 bony segments located at the bottom of the vertebral column. Body rolling directly on the tailbone can cause injury (coccydynia) such as bruising, dislocation, or fracture. Women, in particular, need to be more cautious in avoiding the tailbone with body rolling since the female pelvis is broader and the coccyx is more exposed.
Therefore, unless you have taken a sufficient number of structured body rolling classes with an experienced body rolling teacher, do not perform body rolling on your own. Make certain that you are using the appropriate size ball for the specific body rolling technique, so the proper amount of pressure is being applied. If you are in a Yoga, Pilates, or fitness class and the teacher decides to enhance the practice with body rolling - make certain that the teacher is actually certified to perform these techniques. Always allow yourself to question the instruction of others and don’t be afraid to ask teachers about their qualifications. The deeper and more complex your teacher moves a practice into your body, the more experience they should have to safely and properly apply these techniques and principals.
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August 28th, 2007 at 3:58 pm
Thanks for the advice. I’ve never heard of body rolling until this post. The only rolling I’ve done is in Ashtanga yoga, where you roll on your back, completing a circle and coming back to the front of your mat.
How is ball rolling different than this? I’m curious.
August 28th, 2007 at 10:27 pm
Body rolling is slowly appearing in gyms, pilates studios, and yoga centers.
For a better explanation of body rolling, I grabbed this from the Yamuna Body Rolling site (http://www.yamunabodyrolling.com/):
“HOW DOES IT WORK?
Yamuna Body Rolling works the way a hands-on practitioner works -only using a ball. The ball replaces hands as it moves on muscles to stretch them, dislodge tension and discomfort, increase blood flow, and promote healing.
Lying over the ball, you literally roll your body out almost like dough, stretching and elongating your muscles. The YBR routines follow specific sequences that match the body’s own logic and order. Starting where each muscle begins, at its origin, you roll toward where it attaches to the point called its insertion.”
Body Rolling is a powerful practice creating huge release and body awareness. In my opinion, it is an advanced practice (highly specific techniques) that should be performed initially under the guidance of a qualified practitioner (there are certification programs for this practice).
August 30th, 2007 at 7:41 pm
[…] August 30th, 2007 · No Comments Body rolling techniques like Yamuna have grown in popularity and have worked their way into Yoga and Pilates classes. Body rolling incorporates gravity based body positions and movements along with various sized balls to massage blockages out of muscles, fascia and connective tissues. READ MORE… […]
September 18th, 2007 at 9:19 am
Hello
Very interesting information! Thanks!
Bye