ISCA - Introduction to YogaBall

Introduction

Yoga has resurfaced in the past several years as a staple in most exercise regimes. I have been involved in the practice and teaching of yoga for over 6 years and have found this to be a very helpful tool in working both in the group exercise and one-on-one training settings. By incorporating many of the yoga poses into my clients' exercise programs I have been able to strengthen the smaller, yet important, postural muscles and stabilizers that create a stronger structural base. In addition, the poses become a great means of recognizing structural imbalances and deviations that are helpful in assessing many clients. When combined correctly, YogaBall® can be an important aspect of a well rounded cardiovascular, strength, and flexibility program.

This course is designed to teach you a fun and easy-to-follow approach to Yoga, utilizing the Resist-A-Ball®. With the never-ending "rat race", the mind-body approach to well being has gained an amazing popularity. Yoga is an age-old practice of exercise and total well being that tends to be some what intimidating to a novice, or for that matter, even an advanced fitness enthusiast.

When I began to combine yoga poses with my clients' routines, I found that "balance" was a main factor of frustration. As a former instructor for The National Academy of Sports Medicine, I became very well versed at the value of incorporating the Resist-A-Ball® into client's program to teach balance and stability. This became a wonderful tool that helped my clients feel stable during many of their yoga postures. Thus, the beginning of YogaBall® - a program that incorporated all the disciplines and teachings of yoga into a simple, yet challenging format.

In my experience, I have found that the more successful I can make a client feel with any particular movement, the more they will try and the more benefits they will receive from their program. Confidence in motion and movement can give the participant an extraordinary feeling of accomplishment. Any program that we design or incorporate for our clients is meant to strengthen the body for a particular goal, or overall well being and health. I designed the YogaBall® program to break the traditional stigma of meditation and stretching. YogaBall® is balanced combination of strength, flexibility, mental training and overall body conditioning. This program strengthens many of those "un-seen" muscles known as stabilizers, as well as maintains the integrity of the mind - body connection.

In the following outline you will learn about the history of traditional Yoga and the many styles that have helped to create the YogaBall® program. This will help you to fully understand the 24 poses that will be discussed in the succeeding pages. Each pose is illustrated with both the beginning and ending movement, muscle groups that are worked and stretched, and primary focus to that movement. In addition, you will be offered programming ideas that can be used for both group exercise and personal training. As you progress through this manual, you will recognize that the YogaBall® program is meant as a voyage of sorts, one created to provide an array of beneficial aspects to all of its participants. Each posture or pose is to be mastered before moving on to the next. Yoga has many variables that once accomplished can add a tremendous lift to a fitness regime. This program will give you the confidence to try a little harder, and the clarity to feel free to clear the mind of daily stressors.