Not all routines that incorporate a yoga wheel have to be about pressing to handstand or finding the deepest backbend possible. In fact, my favorite ways to use mine is for gentle yoga poses to soothe my mind and break up some unwanted tension in my muscles.
A yoga wheel is a great yoga prop for bringing the floor closer to me when I need (or just want) something a little taller than a block. Since it’s a circle, you can rock it forward and back, which is both super soothing and can help deepen poses a bit if that’s what you’re going for. And, perhaps my favorite use for it is to use it as a back roller/massager because who doesn’t need a good massage as often as possible?
I thought some of you might be curious about yoga wheels and want ideas on how to incorporate them into your gentle yoga practice. Most people probably know that they can be an excellent tool for building the core strength necessary to do inversions, but I think they are a fantastic addition to any yogi’s prop closet.
Below, read about my favorite gentle poses to use a yoga wheel for and why. If you have a wheel already, go get it and try these poses out. And if you don’t, now’s a great time to get one.
5 Gentle Poses To Try With a Yoga Wheel
Supported Backbend + Massage
Well, duh. The most obvious thing to do with a yoga wheel is just drape yourself over it. Let gravity help you drop your shoulders toward the floor and open your chest. It feels great. But the best part is that rocking forward and back makes for a pretty stellar self massage. This is how you can do a gentle yoga backbend because you control how much pressure you give yourself and where you need the most love.
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Rocking Lizard Pose
Lizard Pose is one of my favorite hip opening poses. When I come into it with my back toes tucked under and a straight back leg, I naturally rock forward and back. The movement is soothing and it helps me get into all the juicy spots in my pelvis and hips that need a little extra love. I usually do this with my forearms on the floor. But I found that bringing my forearms to the yoga wheel instead gives me some extra support and makes rocking easier. It’s a little awkward to fit both forearms on one wheel, though, so I’m thinking I’m going to need to get a second one (I know, I know.. First World, Spoiled Yogi problems!).
Rocking Side Bend
It’s a side bend. It’s a massage. It’s a gentle yoga pose! It’s exactly what I need at the end of the day (and sometimes the beginning and middle of the day, too…). Again, you can use the wheel to help rock yourself up and over and back again. Once you feel all opened up on one side, slowly get up, turn yourself around, and do the other side.
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Rocking Squat
Squatting is a great posture for anyone who wants to open their hips, inner thighs, and groins, and stretch their ankles and lower calf muscles. I adore a variation of Malasana (Garland Pose) with a rounded forward bend shape similar to Balasana (Child’s Pose). I find that it combines the quieting, introspective benefits of Child’s Pose with the physical benefits of squatting. The only thing that could make it better? You guessed it! Rocking forward and back. A yoga wheel allows me to do that, and it feels SO incredibly good.
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Supported Uttanasana (Standing Forward Bend)
So, I know this won’t work for everyone because we’re all different heights (and some of you, OK most of you, have much longer legs than me!) and our forward bending capacities vary a lot too. But this is one of my absolute favorite things to do with my Yoga Wheel. I’ve always loved forward bending for the calming effect they have on the mind. I’ve always favored seated forward bends because I could easily rest my head on a brick or sometimes even the floor for a little extra calm and introspection – one of the best benefits of gentle yoga poses!
I always wished I could find the same in Uttanasana (Standing Forward Bend), but who had time to build a block tower in the middle of a yoga practice? The yoga wheel is exactly the right height for me to rest my head. No fuss. No chance of a block tower crashing down to disrupt my peace. And just like that Uttanasana is my new favorite yoga pose.
Do you have a yoga wheel? What are some of your favorite ways to use it?
To Your Best Health!
Erica
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Erica is a prenatal and postnatal yoga teacher who is passionate about helping pregnant and new mamas love their lives more, manage stress, and find a healthier balance of all things that #momlife demands of them. Through yoga, meditation, mindfulness, self-care, a strong community of like-minded mamas, and a little bit of humor, she knows that moms at all stages can learn to take better care of themselves and live the happy, healthy lives they’ve always dreamed of. Of course, these lessons aren’t just for moms–they can be applied to any busy, modern life.
In addition to her work as a yoga studio, Erica is a freelance journalist who has written about health, fitness, and parenting for Yoga Journal magazine (where she also was an editor for 5 years), Parents magazine, and a variety of other print and online publications.
