Stuff That Works - a review of the Yogasize Bench from Health Mark.

Yoga is one of the things I have incorporated into my daily life

post treatment of throat cancer.

Dr. White, a psychologist at the Cancer Center, had some very good,

practical breathing exercises that she suggested to me

as a way to combat the post-cancer anxiety.

As I practiced the breathing and mindfulness exercises,

I combined them with some simple yoga stretches and patched

together a way to face the day.

 

For me, they helped a great deal in calming my anxiety as well as

helping me to better control my temper throughout the day.

 

All of this helped me recall some days of my youth when I was doing

a yoga class 3 times a week. At that time I could do a tripod - so I

dusted off my moves and went for it. I did a bit of research into the advantages of

being upside down on a daily basis and went from the tri-pod into a head stand. This was

relaxing and helpful, but it put a heck of a lot of stress on my neck.

 

Julie put a picture of me doing a head stand on Facebook and a friend

of ours, also named Julie, came to the rescue with information about the

yogasize bench. She showed me her bench and how easy it was to get your feet

in the air and stay that way with no neck/head pressure.

 

I searched all around where I live and no one had this for sale, so I ordered

one from HomeClick.com

 

 

Here is my little friend - just waiting to turn me upside down every morning!

 

I LOVE THIS piece of equipment. As you can see, there is a nice amount of padding. The only discomfort I had when using this happened during the first 4-5 times I used it. The little knobby things on my shoulders were a bit sore, but that passed after a few uses. Now that I have been using this daily (5-7 times a week) I have no discomfort in my shoulders and certainly none in my neck.

 

 

Once I have completed my breathing exercises and a series of yoga poses combined with

some stretching, I get into (onto?) the bench as you see in the picture above. I hold this tripod position for 30 seconds to a minute to get situated and relaxed before I extend my feet all the way.

 

As you can see, I am close to the wall, but I do not rest my feet against the wall. I have found that holding myself away from the wall increases the demand on my core and arm muscles to keep myself balanced while upside down. I have worked my way up to staying this way for 7 minutes (I use the timer on my phone.) Take a second and look up the benefits of turning yourself upside down for a period of time every day - it helps circulation and blood flow, etc. There are certain warning for people with high blood pressure or cataracts, so this is NOT for everyone.

 

The last thing I do is 10 push ups and 10 dips using the Yogasize bench.

Kinda like the guy below, except I don't have his arms or chest!!

 

 

DISCLAIMER: I bought this bench myself and there has been no incentive from Bench Mark or Home Click for my review.