Thursdays, April 10, 17, 24, May 1, 2025
1:30 pm Eastern / 10:30 am Pacific
Join Us Live or View the Recordings
Are you plagued by chronic aches or movement restrictions in your body that persist even with a good yoga practice? Even if you get help through chiropractic, massage or physical therapy, you can also help yourself with simple yet powerful techniques that you can do right at home.
Myofascial release techniques are gaining popularity as a way to relieve stress and chronic pain. Using the beneficial pressure from rubber balls, we can explore tension patterns and gain flexibility for whatever we do, whether it’s yoga or sports or simply living an active life.
In this course you will learn key techniques for daily practice, as well as specialty techniques to relieve problems like plantar fasciitis, carpal tunnel syndrome, headaches, and rotator cuff issues. This method uses several different types of balls, offering choices of texture, size, and hardness for different body types and personality types. Some people like a soft pressure, others like more firm pressure. While working with the balls, you are either lying down, sitting in a chair or on the mat, or standing near a wall. We avoid holding positions of strain, which would be counterproductive to the goal of releasing tension.
The body has much to tell us, but often we need to learn new ways to listen. Myofascial release techniques sharpen one of our senses that is often called the sixth sense: interoception, the ability to recognize sensations and signals from inside the body.
Our all-pervasive fascial web functions as support, as force transfer, and as sensory feedback throughout the entire body. But it can significantly restrict our movement if it is chronically tight. Myofascial release techniques take advantage of the rich sensory nerve supply within the fascia; by applying specifically targeted pressure to the fascia, the body and mind release tension, and movement becomes easier and more enjoyable.
There are techniques for every part of you, from head to toes. The work involves creating very specific pressure into the myofascia, and then doing simple slow movements. The result is a wonderful feeling of lightness and ease in the body, and quiet alertness in the mind. To quote one student: “It’s like having a massage therapist in your pocket.” The work relieves current pain, but also helps to prevent future pain when practiced regularly.
The name “Bodymind Ballwork” underscores the truth that any and all experiences register in the mind and body simultaneously, often at an unconscious level. What we think and how we react to situations and relationships will be “recorded” and “digested” into the tissues of the body, whether we like it or not. But it’s not just on the negative end of the scale (frustrations giving you a headache, etc) but also on the positive side, such as feeling more ease and contentment. We can shift our mental state for the better by working with the body. Even fifteen minutes on the balls can calm you down significantly. The truth is, we are already “integrated” but we don’t usually feel that way. This technique is an elegantly simple and profound pathway toward the experience of an integrated self.
We’ll look at the science behind the relaxation response and its benefits for overall health – not just relieving aches and pains, but also gaining the emotional benefits of being fully “embodied.” Practitioners report feeling more centered, calm, and able to meet daily challenges with equanimity and positivity. We’ll also look at the characteristics of fascia and see how the pressure from the ball brings about relaxation.
Bodymind Ballwork evolved from Ellen’s decades-long practice of Kinetic Awareness, a bodywork method developed in the 1960s by choreographer and film-maker Elaine Summers. The origins of this approach to bodywork education go back to pre-war Germany, to the work of Elsa Gindler, an innovative physical education teacher.
One student’s comment:
To participate in Ellen’s ballwork classes, in an intensive series as well as in weekly sessions, gives me an exceptional chance to heal my body and lighten up my mind. Ellen is one of the most dedicated teachers I’ve ever encountered: her knowledge of the body is superb and she knows how to convey that knowledge; her style of presenting the exercises combines compassion and humor. Attending her class enables me to be disciplined and gentle to myself when doing the exercises at home – often getting totally rid of any pain. What a blessing!
The structure of this course covers the whole body in the sequence listed below. In each class there is time for practicing the method, questions, discussion, and application of this method to a yoga practice. Participants are encouraged to describe their experiences, which helps to reinforce their understanding of the method.
Class 1: Introduction to the Bodymind Ballwork Method with techniques for the spine, which offer relief from common conditions such as lower back pain and scoliosis. When the spine moves more fluidly, your state of mind and your posture change for the better.
Class 2: This class reviews the introduction, adding techniques for the neck ,shoulders and arms. Many of us have such constant tension in this area of the body that we assume it’s unavoidable. But relief is possible – students often say things like “I never knew my shoulders could feel this loose”.
Class 3: In this class, we will practice techniques for the front torso and pelvis, which help with breathing, digestion, and psoas tension. We also feel the deep connections that enable the back and front of the body to work well together.
Class 4: The hips, knees and feet are carrying us through every day, which we may easily take for granted. In this class we’ll practice techniques that loosen the legs, bringing more ease and fluidity, in addition to improved alignment and a reliable foundation. You’ll notice the difference in walking, sports, yoga, and dancing. We’ll also have a concluding discussion.
Note: This course requires a yoga mat and certain rubber balls that can easily be purchased online from a specific source.
Thursdays, April 10, 17, 24, May 1, 2025
1:30 pm Eastern / 10:30 am Pacific
Join Us Live or View the Recordings
