My Favorite Flexibility Props
My Favorite Flexibility Props
I get asked a lot (more frequently now that we’re all quarantined at home) for recommendations for what sorts of yoga blocks to buy for home practice, what foam roller I recommend, or what bow I’m using in my contortion archery videos. So here’s my official Big List of Stuff I’ve Bought for Contortion That I’d Wildly Endorse.
Full disclosure - all of these links below are Amazon “affiliate” links, meaning if you click on them and buy something, I get anywhere from a 1-4% kickback on having helped Amazon sell a thing. That being said, I’m an extremely “budget” shopper so many of these are the lowest price option that Amazon has (but I’ve called out some when I bought something spendier and feel it was worth it).
Recommended Flexibility Props
Peanut
If you are only going to let yourself buy one thing on this list, let it be this peanut. I am intentionally putting this at the top of the list, above arguably more practical props (like yoga blocks and a mat) because good lord it is life changing. If you like foam rolling and/or lacrosse ball-ing your your muscles, you’re going to love the peanut. If foam rolling isn’t really your jam, you’re probably still going to love the peanut.
The peanut is like a magical muscle self massage tool that lets you apply pressure where you need it, but with a little bit of support so it doesn’t feel like Hanz the Overly-Aggressive Swedish Masseuse is doing a number on your poor sore body in the name of “deep tissue massage.”
My favorite thing to use my peanut on is to place the balls on either side of my spine and roll up and down my spine leaning into it against a wall (using the wall helps you control pressure better than lying on it on the floor). Whether it’s rolling out my back the day after a hard backbending session, or rolling out my back and hips after a too-long plane flight, this thing makes me feel like a million bucks.
Seriously cannot recommend it highly enough. Even if you’re not a crazy backbend-y person, do yourself a favor and take it with you next time you have a long flight or car ride. Your low back and shoulders will thank you!
Product: 5BILLION Peanut Massage Ball
Price (When I Bought It): $11.99
Yoga Blocks
Yoga blocks absolutely fit under my “get the cheapest ones you can find” category of props. I don’t have strong feelings about yoga blocks, aside from avoid cork blocks - they look swanky and will make you feel like a fancy social influencer, but good lord are they ill-suited for doing splits on blocks or other legs-on-blocks work. Cork blocks will leave your bruise-y and distinctly aware of how the Marketing Machine was able to trick you into buying something that looked cool but is really uncomfortable.
These Gaiam Yoga Blocks come in a two-pack and are some of the cheapest blocks on Amazon (even though they’re a name brand).
Product: Gaiam Essentials Yoga Block (Set of 2)
Price (When I Bought It): $10.99 for a two block set
Yoga Mat
For literally years I used this Amazon Basics yoga mat because I wanted a cheap, no-frills mat to practice with. It was great, I had no complaints, that thing was/is a work horse. Until I borrowed my boyfriend’s Manduka yoga mat and became a mat snob. I didn’t think extra $$ could buy you much more in a mat aside from a sweet design but it turns out the material makes a huge difference.
I am embarrassed to admit that the 6mm Manduka yoga mat that I have fallen in love with is one hundred and twenty freaking dollars. It is basically the lululemon of mats (minus the see-through pants scandal). That said, if I lost it I would go out and drop that ridiculous amount of money on a new mat in a heartbeat because this thing has been such an upgrade from the old mat. Even when I am literally dripping in sweat that mat is sticky and slide-proof.
I’m sure there is probably some “Goldilocks” mat that is a tier above Amazon Basics but does not involve dropping a significant portion of your paycheck on a mat. (If you have your own recommendations let me know and I’ll am mend this post!)
Budget Buy
Product: AmazonBasics 1/4-Inch Yoga Mat with Carrying Strap
Price (When I Bought It): $15.99
Super Splurge-y Version
Product: Manduka PRO Yoga Mat - 6mm
Price (Last I Checked): $120
Body Wheel
This is a SUPER fun prop for stretching, and the various ridges give you options to make stretches more or less bendy. I have friends on both ends of the bendy spectrum (from “can’t touch my toes” to “woohoo contortion”) who enjoy using this for stretching and even handbalancing work.
I love the fact that it’s solid foam and not hollow. The internal ridges make this a lot more useful (and “customizeable”) than higher end plastic wheels (looking at you Chirp Wheel…). You can find slightly cheaper hollow body wheel type props on Amazon - if you’re only looking for back support by all means go for one of those. But if you want to use this for shoulders and hamstrings and beyond, the ridges are going to be your friends. Check out thebodywheel.com for a huge list of pose ideas from basic to advanced!
Product: Body Wheel for Yoga
Price (When I Bought It): $49.99 for a 12-inch wheel, or $69.99 for a 15-inch wheel
Foam Roller
A foam roller is another prop I’m on team “get the cheapest one you can find” (with a couple of caveats):
You do want one that is firm, some rollers are so soft you dent them with your spine - not helpful
You don’t need ridges/texture - I don’t notice a difference (and sometimes find the “texture” to actually be uncomfortable)
As long as storage space isn’t a concern - longer is better. A 36-inch roller is nice because you can rest your head, spine, and hips on it long-ways for some exercises
My Go-To Budget Roller
Product: AmazonBasics High-Density Foam Roller
Price (When I Bought It): $23.99
A Worthy Mid-Range Roller
I haven’t bought one for myself, but we have these rollers at the studio and the big bubbly ridges are really nice to help get at muscles at a different angle. Not great for lying on long-wise, but feels amazing on legs and back.
Product: Rollga Foam Roller
Price (Last I Checked): $39.97
Super Relaxing Splurge-y Roller
I received this as a gift years ago and thought the heat was a bit gimmicky - until I tried it. Holy crap does this roller feel amazing, especially on sore muscles. If you’re looking for a more “therapeutic” roller for some light rolling out sore muscles, this roller is amazing. It comes in two sections that twist apart so they can fit in a microwave. Pop them in the microwave for 3 min, take them out and screw them together, then treat your back and/or legs to a hot stone massage style rolling session. This is one of my favorite things to do if my back is sore from over-training (hey, it happens) - I like to heat it up then just lie on it and take some deep breaths, and slowly work it up my back, holding for a couple of breaths each time before I move it somewhere new up/down my back.
Note: because this roller has a hard plastic core, it’s less comfortable to use as a daily full-body roller. But for “special occasions” or area-specific work I highly recommend it.
Product: Moji Heated Foam Roller
Price (Last I Checked): $69.99
Knee Pads
I didn’t even think of including knee pads in this list until a student asked for them and I realized I have quite a few students who might like these for all our splits and floorwork. I bought this cheap pair of knee pads for a floor work class two years ago and they’ve lasted forever! If you’re sick of always having to throw a pillow or fold your mat under your back knee in lunges or splits, consider investing in some cheap knee pads.
Product: Eurotard Knee Pads
Price (When I Bought It): $13.99
Massage Table
OK, so most people probably have no need for a massage table. But if you have a partner at home who’s willing to swap massages with you, a table makes a surprising difference in the quality of the massage vs. just doing it lying on the bed. And there are plenty of “hobbyist” massage tables available that are surprisingly cheap! At least I was surprised we could find a sturdy table for less than $100… We’ve had this table for almost two years, use it pretty regularly, and it’s great! The little “bolster” it comes with is too small and a total waste, but the other included items like the headrest and arm rest are nice.
Nothing beats a massage (even a non-professional one) when you’re muscles are feeling sore or tight! Plus, there are plenty of follow-along YouTube videos you can throw on your phone or on a tablet to help walk even the most novice masseuse through giving a decent massage.
Product: Sierra Comfort Professional Series Massage Table
Price (When I Bought It): $98
Contortion Bow
I get asked about this one a lot, so I have a whole other post on choosing the best bow for contortion archery. But for the sake of this list, I’ll leave you with my #1 recommendation. This bow is light, collapsible, and even relatively strong compared to other toy bows. Plus it looks a little more “sophisticated” than something straight out of a Nickelodeon ad, so it can even be used for performances.
Product: Petron Sports Stealth Archery Set
Price (When I Bought It): $50.03
Things Thing I Do Not Recommend
Thankfully I’ve been pretty lucky in my shopping endeavors. The only thing I can think of that I’ve bought that was a total waste of money is Tiger Balm.
Tiger Balm promises to “relieve muscle soreness and stiffness” with a warming oil/rub, and its main ingredients are camphor and menthol. I assumed it was like an Asian version of Vicks VapoRub, something that smells relaxing, is a little tingly, and more makes you feel good through placebo effect and nice smells than through any actual magical healing abilities.
In all fairness, I didn’t actually get as far as putting Tiger Balm on my muscles (so I cannot speak to its supposed heat soothing effect on sore muscles), because as soon as I unscrewed the top of the jar I was blown away by the smell. Instead of “soothing menthol,” I got a whiff of what can only be described as “tiger asshole.”
So if you are OK with smelling like a tiger with incredibly poor hygiene habits as you apply this four times a day (really?!), maybe it will make your muscles feel good in the long run.
But maybe, instead, consider just drinking lots of fluids, doing some light stretching, and look to your foam roller instead. Your friends will thank you.
What props can you not live without?
What props do you swear by? Or have you tried anything that really wasn’t all that it was hyped up to be? Let me know in the comments below.
