(I received this product as a gift or at a discount in exchange for my honest and unbiased review.)
I have been wanting to play with one of these for ages! They looked like so much fun (and made backbends look especially delicious), so I was very excited when YogDev asked me if I’d like to try their yoga wheel.
First, I got to pick my color. Purple, obviously. Except it looks more pink, but that’s okay.
It’s covered with firm but very comfortably padding. It feels a lot like a yoga mat, actually; it’s a little softer but it’s nice and sticky so it’s easy to grip.
It comes with a little chart that shows a variety of ways to use the wheel. The greatest appeal of a yoga wheel, I think, is for backbends. It’s so nice to have that support behind you, and it’s a great way to do some restorative backbending.
You see a lot of pictures of people perfectly rounded over the wheel. My back isn’t exceptionally bendy, plus I’m tall, so if I put the wheel against my upper back so my head can rest on it, there’s a gap between my hips and the wheel. If I put it in my low back, the gap moves to my neck.
You also see some pictures of people using the wheel for dancer pose by hooking the foot on the inside of the wheel. If found this to be pretty uncomfortable; the wheel is hard on the inside, after all!
Even so, the wheel has quite a bit of versatility. You can use it instead of a block for lots of poses where you need a closer floor, like in half moon.
My surprisingly favorite use for the wheel is to make certain poses more challenging. Since the wheel is unstable, poses like plank and bridge go to a new level. Do be a little careful when using the wheel this way….I had to work at it a bit to get balanced on the wheel safely for the side plank. It’s fun to try and hard to do, but just be careful because when the wheel tips and your legs land on it, it hurts. (Yep, did that.)
I’m really pleased with this wheel, happy to have it in my living room, and happy to recommend it. I haven’t had it long enough yet to see how it holds up, but it seems very durable and well-made so I’m expecting it to last a long time.
You can find the wheel here on Amazon where they’re $29.95. There are four colors to choose from. A quick look at other wheels reveals a few in the same general price range, and some others that are MUCH more expensive.
Do you have a yoga wheel? What’s your favorite thing to do with it?