While visiting Miami Yoga Shala recently, I chanced upon this innovative product at a time when my lower back muscles were sore every day, due to stress. I had been using foam blocks as a way to relieve lower back pain like a good yogini, which was working, but the angle of the blocks edge was a bit intense.
I am so thankful for this innovative design which not only allows for a more forgiving therapy, but I also use these eggs for back support when I am sitting up in bed with pillows behind my back or on a couch working or reading, like right now.
I do highly recommend two eggs for two reasons: 1) to massage both sides of the back simultaneously while lying down with the eggs up on the curved side (flat sides facing each other) separated about an inch apart to allow the spine to fall between them; and 2) for a wide lower back support in front of all those pillows as you sit up in bed or on the couch.
Kids also love to use them.
I'm sure there are a lot of uses I haven't figured out, time to branch out with my eggs.
Very Delicious! Very Smart! Namast-Egg Starter Kit (Ergonomic Yoga Block from Three Minute Egg)
Since ordering six months ago, my Three Minute Eggs have been at my side for every yoga practice and for Pilates workouts, too. My wrists have limited range of flexion, but the Eggs help me maintain variations in table pose comfortably. They are so light, you can lift an arm and just carry the Egg along for the ride without negatively impacting the integrity of your pose, such as a bulky block could. They help with planks and Pilates pushups, and are indispensable for reverse plank, reverse tabletop and Pilates leg pull ups.
The Eggs are a must for my restorative practice too, especially for supporting outer thighs in Supta Baddha Konasana. Not having the legs "dangling" and causing tension in the inner thighs permits a much deeper release and relaxation. You can be creative too - I've found they make a nice supportive seat for meditation or prana. I place the Eggs on their flat side in a V-shape and sit on the narrow point with each side's sit bones on one Egg. The lower body is supported nicely and tailbone is free to help extend the spine. (I refer to that setup as my Lotus Blossom seat.)
Jason Scholder developed them as an alternate to the heart block - my Eggs are just plain close to my heart.
As for the DVD-R, Healthy Alignment For Yoga - I must say that for a tutorial DVD it is very well made. It runs approximately 30 minutes and you are moving through yoga poses the entire time, at a good temperate pace - not too fast, not too slow. The model is obviously experienced and does a good job demonstrating the moves. An added bonus is that the DVD is chaptered by each asana, so if you wish to review or click back to a specific pose you can do so with ease. The background music is not exciting, but appropriate for the pace, and the voice over instruction is clear. Breathing is cued, so important to yoga - Jason really did his homework. My favorite poses are the deep bridge with the eggs on end under the sacrum, and forward bend using the eggs to gently pull yourself forward. In only 30 minutes, I really do feel aligned after finishing this practice. My only quabble is that I always fumble getting precisely into the supported fish pose, but my method for this is, once the eggs are set up right, I just rest and enjoy the heart opening for as long as I like and then click back to the next sequential pose in the practice.
I do not have the mesh bag, having ordered before it was available - but it looks cute!
I think I would have to describe myself as an optimist. And a skeptic. A skeptical optimist. In other words, I really do "want to believe" but you may to have to spend some time convincing me why I should.
Especially when it comes to yoga blocks. There's something so friendly and familiar about rectangular yoga blocks. Like my best gal pals, they support me, they stretch me and they encourage me. And then they stack neatly away (the blocks - not the gal pals.)
So why on earth mess with something so time-tested and functional? Because Jason Scholder has a better idea.
I discovered Jason's Three Minute Eggs at the San Francisco Yoga Journal Conference held at the Hyatt Regency in January, and they stopped me in my tracks. This may have been partially due to the pair of size 14 boots attached to six feet of inquiring mind blocking my path. Sure, the guy lying on the floor in front of me looked happy - but really - an egg shaped yoga block? Give me a break. The thing is, Three Minute Eggs cannot be sold on looks alone - they have to be experienced. In the case of the Three Minute Egg, feeling is believing. Jason and his assistant Megan were making sure that every curious George and Georgette had an opportunity to sample the future of yoga blocks first hand. I didn't have time for that so I had a quick chat with Jason, sort of half promised I'd be back, and then moved on.
But that night I couldn't stop thinking about the possibilities. Sometimes it's difficult to tell a gimmick from a true, forward-thinking innovation. I had to find out for myself. And that's how, the next day, I returned with my inquiring mind and had my own little lie-down on Jason's floor.
Megan set me up in a chest opening back bend, followed by a neck roll and finished with a wrist-supporting downward dog. And if that wasn't enough to convince me, Jason showed me how to use my body weight and the corner of the egg to massage deep into my hips and shoulders.
I was sold, and one month later my clients love how the Three Minute Egg gently encourages a deeper and safer expression of their poses. I use them in all the ways that were shown and more - that's the thing about the Three Minute Eggs - you just keep coming up with new ways to incorporate them into a practice. I use them with my clients to support stronger alignment but I also use them for simple warm-up stretches. For students with shoulder impingement and poor range of motion, they stack beautifully and offer confidence-building support. Their ergonomic shape makes holding onto them easy - they literally become extensions of the arms during flow sequences.
As far as I'm concerned -- and as far as my clients are concerned - the Three Minute Egg is true innovation.
The Three Minute Egg comes packaged in a mesh drawstring backpack for easy transport and storage. I found the bags a bit frustrating at first but that was easily remedied by shortening the straps and retying the knots - just be sure to burn the ends so the strings don't fray. Presto, chango - no more frustration.
The Three Minute Egg has endless possibilities and benefits for everyone's yoga practice. Two separate DVD's are available to further encourage your "cre-egg-tivity." I encourage you to check out the website: [...] and try some eggs of your own. - Fitness - Yoga Blocks - Three Minute Egg - Restorative Yoga'
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