"The balls help to flip the stress switch "off" by reducing tension and increasing circulation wherever they are rolled. 

The rolling and kneading action unglues persistent myofascial restriction by unwinding the knots, sticky lumps, and adhesions."

 

~ Jill Miller,

The Roll Model

A flare-up so intense that even your hair hurts can be very scary.

If you ever had one of those, you know the emotional devastation it brings.
There's a sense of total loss of control, there's hopelessness, and then there's intense fear of aging in what feels like an already broken-down body.

Last time I had one of these flare-up beasts, I sunk into a complete despair that eventually ended in a full-on panic attack disorder - all because I was terrified of not being able to walk again....

What can you do when nothing seems to help?

I got the best (and instant!) pain relief from yoga therapy balls.

Seriously! It felt darn good to roll the sore bits out.

And it felt even better knowing that there's something I could do to help myself.

I started rolling out on the wall, maybe just a couple of minutes at a time at first. About a week later I felt a little less terrified and a little more in control, so I moved to the floor. This might seem small and insignificant, but those were my first tiny steps towards recovering my self agency, and, eventually, mental health.

Here are  Ball 101 strategies I started with. Try 'em out!

Don't fret if you don't have a "proper" ball - a tennis ball is just fine. 

What is happening at Satori in February: