I quickly looked up Yamuna Body Rolling and ordered several of the balls required for this practice. (I wasn’t quite sure what to call them, but Yamuna Balls cracks my husband up, so that’s what they’ve become.)

With book, DVD, and balls in hand (eek, this is going to be an awkward subject to write about, no two ways about it), I set out to learn how to roll the kinks out of my muscles. The balls, were, indeed, well worth the investment. They create enough pressure to relax muscles, but they’re soft enough to prevent agonizing pain as you massage a sore spot.

Recently, my Yamuna Balls have saved my ass. Literally. Being pregnant, with a belly that has expanded significantly, (actually, it kind of seems to defy the laws of physics, and I still have three months to go – yikes) has apparently upset my lower back and butt muscles. They are not happy campers, carrying this baby around all the time. For weeks, I struggled to find some way to ease the tight muscles. Movement helped, as did stretching, but I was still uncomfortable. When I asked the muscles what they were telling me (a reliable mind-body tool I use for tension/pain), they said, “Move, stretch, breathe, and roll. We’re taking a hit here with this giant change in your body.”

It was a forehead-smacking moment. Duh! The Yamuna Balls! I got them out and started rolling, immediately. Oh, sweet relief. By consistently rolling periodically throughout the day (it only takes a few moments), I can now keep my butt muscles from screaming and my lower back loose.

Now, let me explain that I’ve spent many years learning and studying about tension in the body. It’s the main culprit behind chronic pain, so I’ve become a master at digging in with mind-body tools and releasing tension in my body. For the most part, I’ve found that every area of tension in the body is holding stored emotional energy that needs to be released. Sure, there can be a physical component adding to the pain, but tension is usually a by-product of not letting ourselves fully feel emotions and connect to our bodies.

So, you can be sure that I have been practicing what I preach. My lower back seemed to be holding primarily fear. I’ve felt a huge array of emotions since becoming pregnant, and I let them flow. (I find the hormonal mania actually makes it easier to feel them than before, which is a nice experience for a chronic emotional suppressor!) Yet, there are often times when I can’t seem to access the emotion stored in a tense area without a little release of the muscle tension to help me out. This is where the Yamuna Balls come in so handy. If I know I’m storing some emotion but I’m feeling a bit emotionally constipated, I can simply roll the muscles, breathe, and invite the emotion to emerge. The combo of working physically on a muscle, breathing oxygen into that area, and being willing to feel any emotions that need to be felt is the most powerful relaxant and pain-reliever I’ve found.

I’m sharing all this so that you, too, can benefit from the ability to employ this combo in your life, should you be interested in doing so. Grab a Yamuna Ball (you’ll probably want one of the instructional books or DVD’s, too, to get started), roll out the kinks, and access stored emotion. Simple, effective, and even entertaining. You’ll likely find many ball jokes to go with your self-massage practice, especially if you live with a man. And laughter is a fabulous way to release tension!