Foam rolling has been a self-care love of mine for many years. Foam rollers helped me through my professional dance career, alleviating muscle soreness and tension so I could get through classes and rehearsals (though I no longer roll out my poor IT bands. Yeow!).
Now as a bodyworker, I use foam rolling for quick tune-ups in between clients, to get moving at the start of the day, or to unwind at the end of the day. Ahhhhh.
It is honestly one of the self-care techniques I recommend most for anyone wanting to alleviate back tension on their own. Foam rolling is inexpensive, easy to learn the basics, and can be very productive in a short amount of time.
(I also find foam rolling to be lovely for Highly Sensitive People and those who consider themselves more physically sensitive. A lot of folks shy away from foam rolling, fearing it’s too intense or painful, but it can truly be a restorative, gentle experience!)
In this video, I go over:
– What you need in order to do foam rolling
– WHY to foam roll
– Principles of foam rolling specifically for tension release to keep you safe and feeling good (also, it doesn’t need to hurt!)
– 3 simple moves for releasing back, shoulder and neck tension in less than 5min that nearly ANYONE can do, even if you’ve never touched a foam roller.
– I’m taking name suggestions for my foam roller 😜
Please, post your foam rolling questions and feedback in the comments below! Let me know how it goes, and please ‘Share’ with your tribe. We can all use more simple self-care tools at our disposal
{Filmed on August 4, 2017 at my bodywork office in downtown San Francisco.}
May 1, 2018 at 4:51 am |
Helena..
Thank you so much for this video. It will get me started with Foam Rolling. Did you make another that focuses on the legs? I would be interested in seeing that one, if it’s available.
Good luck to you and your new baby.
Lynda
May 16, 2018 at 1:16 am |
Hi Lynda,
Glad you found this video helpful! Have you tried it yet? How’s it going?
I did make a video for the lower legs, and it lives on my Hummingbird Bodyworks facebook page, here: https://www.facebook.com/HummingbirdBodyworks/videos/1775186632553043/
Happy foam rolling!
Helena