Movement of the Month:Rolling Like a Ball 
I LOVE this exercise because it has infinite possibilities both in the way of challenges and benefits. What I recommend is practicing it in many different ways and see how each feels and differs.
Practice on a soft mat or on a blanket over a hard surface. You'll need to keep your spine comfortable, but don't want the surface to be too soft.
Find your balance point sitting just behind your sitz bones, knees toward your chest and holding on to your shins. You are in a deep "C" curve with your low abdominals drawn in deeply to help support the legs being folded in toward your body.
Basic Pattern: Inhale to prepare, exhale to draw the belly deeply in and roll gently back over your low back to the shoulder blades. Stay off your neck. Inhale to return to balance point keeping your shape.
Pointers:
- Press your legs firmly into your hands and resist gently with your arms so both legs and arms are active and the "C" shape can be maintained throughout the exercise.
- Keep your gaze toward your belly or thighs, which can be particularly challenging when you actually roll back.
- Imagine your belly drawing so far back into your spine that it pulls you back.
- Keep shoulders sliding like butter into your middle back. Upper and middle back should feel stable and at ease.
- Make sure your legs don't kick for momentum.
- Imagine holding an small ball between your belly and thighs and stay hallow so as not to squish it.
Variations:
- Hold under your thighs instead of on your shins.
- Draw legs together and as tight into you as possible.
- Inhale back, exhale forward for different abdominal activation.
- Roll only to the tip of your shoulder blades and to the top of your sacrum, essentially cutting the movement in half. You will never actually come to resting at your balance point this way and it cuts out the urge to use momentum and makes the abdominals work harder. The pace is slightly quicker with this variation.
- Practice holding the balance at the back over the widest part of your upper back as a preparation for Seal.
Make sure to stretch and rest afterward so you don't over do it. Focus on the different sensations that arise as you practice with different techniques and just enjoy the opportunity to be in your body!
*Feel free to email with questions or thoughts or requests for specific exercises*
