My New Yoga Prop
The Dharma Yoga Wheel
There many yoga props on the market. Some people believe in using them, some people shun the use of props in their practice. I love props because they always offer me a challenge and support for asanas that prove difficult for me. So when I saw the yoga wheel on various profiles I followed on Instagram, I was very curious to find out more about the “device”.
The yoga wheel is said to help stretch and release tension and muscular tightness in the back, chest, shoulders, abdomen and hip flexors. I have tight shoulders which makes it difficult to get into positions like full pigeon pose. So I was immediately fascinated. The most popular yoga wheel seems to be the Dharma Yoga Wheel. The Dharma yoga wheel is the invention of Sri Dharma Mittra ,his son, Yogi Varuna, and Raquel Vamos. The wheel comes in different sizes, depending on your height (and the stretch you are aiming for). The wheels are made from PVC or wood, and range from $39 to $120.
I live in Namibia, so purchasing the wheel and having it shipped all the way from the US was a financial gamble. However I think it was worth every penny. The wheel comes with a card showing different poses that can be achieved with the wheel, and also gives you access to a soft copy “how to” guide to achieve various poses. You can use the wheel to deepen your backbend, to message your spine, or improve your balance. In the feature image, I used it to achieve a forearm inversion and it felt very stable.
I am still in the beginning stages of using the wheel, but I already love it. Perhaps soon I will be uploading videos with my yoga wheel:)
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