The Yoga Wheel also known as Yoga Wheel was invented by Dov Vargas and Raquel Vamos of Dharma Yoga Wheel. The aim of the two yogis was to create a training device that supports the practitioner with backbends and at the same time adapts to the spine during stretching exercises. But the Yoga Wheel can do much more. Selina, founder of Yoga and Pole Art by Selina and the Yoga and Pole Art Academy , tells us today how you can use the yoga tool and how you can optimally integrate it into your practice. She also summarizes her knowledge in her book, which she published in a second edition in 2021: Yoga Wheel for beginners and advanced users.
Selina, it's nice that you're here today and that we can ask you a little about the yoga wheel! First, we would like to know something about you. Can you introduce yourself in three sentences and tell us what exactly you do?
"Of course, of course! You already know my name, I'm 27 years old, studied fitness economist, passionate athlete and have been practicing yoga for 12 years - now with the Yoga Wheel for 5 years. I started working as a yoga teacher in 2018 Among other things, with my own course concept for training with the Yoga Wheel. When this was no longer possible in 2020 due to the Corona pandemic, I switched to online lessons and designed different course formats with the Yoga Wheel. Since then, I have reached the entire DACH region with it and can do it for everyone show what you can do with the yoga wheel. This of course goes beyond backbends. Since this year I have also been training a yoga wheel trainer and accompanying the whole thing as an author."
Wow, that sounds exciting! You wrote the first German book about the Yoga Wheel, can you tell us a little about how that came about?
"When I started training with the Yoga Wheel, I was desperately looking for a book with a collection of exercises and couldn't find anything in German. Since there was obviously a shortage, I decided to write a collection of exercises myself with accompanying explanations and breathing instructions That was in 2019. In November 2021 I published the second edition with new exercises. My book “The Yoga Wheel for Beginners and Advanced” contains around 80 exercises, but there are so many more! I show many of them also in my online courses!"
That sounds like a lot of work. Thank you for making things a little easier for many yogis. What was it about the Yoga Wheel that convinced you to write a book about it? What do you think are the benefits of training with the yoga wheel?
At the beginning I was particularly fascinated by the backbends. Before I started integrating the bike into my practice, I had a lot of difficulty with it. The opening of the chest, front shoulder, abdominal muscles and also the hip flexors can be stretched very comfortably with the yoga wheel. Without much effort you can concentrate exclusively on stretching. With the help of breathing, the backbends can be further intensified. In this way, numerous blockages in the spine can be released in a relaxed manner. If you sit a lot, these exercises are really worth their weight in gold! Afterwards you feel much better and freer in the middle of your body.
In addition to backbends, the yoga wheel can of course also be used for other areas. For example for balance training. Many standing postures that are also known from classic yoga can also be done on the yoga bike (e.g. the tree pose, the dancer or sumo squat).
I was able to notice the positive effects of the exercises on many of my course participants after a short time:
- You will learn how to activate the arch of your foot and thereby become more confident in your standing positions on the floor.
- The deep muscles of the legs and back are used much more intensively than when standing without a wheel
- My participants develop a lot of self-confidence because balancing on the bike is a shaky task and it takes a bit of courage to stand on it.
The yoga wheel can also be used to practice difficult inversion postures such as handstand, forearm stand or chest stand. The yoga wheel has a support function here. This means that a certain part of the body is fixed to the wheel. When doing a handstand, for example, your head is pressed against the wheel so that you have additional support at this point. You can then concentrate solely on activating the core of your body without having to be careful not to fall forward. There are many such exercises and they are a great help in getting to know movement sequences.
Another advantage is the active training of the core. So abdominal training. Thanks to the round shape of the yoga wheel, you can train the entire abdominal muscles in an almost playful way while sitting, in a support position, in a side plank, in a squat or in a headstand. A stable and strengthened core is important in order to practice clean inversion postures, but of course also in order to avoid injuries to the lower back.
That's a lot! Is the yoga bike also suitable for beginner yogis?
Absolutely! However, in order to learn the individual exercises, grips and techniques, I always recommend a course at the beginning. In my course I give the yogis all the basics. At the beginning you should stick to simple stretching exercises in order to get used to training with the yoga bike and not to overtax your body. Strengthening exercises can be integrated later.
Balance exercises or the increases with the inversion postures are particularly suitable for advanced yogis due to the strength required.
Thank you for your time Selina! I think you have shown some readers what a practical and complementary training tool the yoga wheel is.
Where can you find your Yoga Wheel courses and training?
Yes, I think so, too! I hope I can tell you more next time! Because there is so much more to training with the yoga bike!
My intensive courses and workshops can only be booked online at https://www.yogaandpoleartbyselina.com/buchungen/termine-anmelde/
Everything about the Yoga Wheel training can be found here: https://www.yogaandpoleartacademy.de/meine-lehrgaenge/yoga-wheel-trainer/
You can also reach me very easily via the social media channels Facebook and Instagram: Yoga and Pole Art by Selina
I'll be happy to answer any further questions there!
Text: Selina Reichert