' Product Review: YogaFlexCo Yoga Wheel (GIVEAWAY) | Adventures with FitNyx

Wednesday, September 30, 2015

Product Review: YogaFlexCo Yoga Wheel (GIVEAWAY)

***UPDATE: YogaFlexCo has expanded and become Breathe Life Yoga!  You can still get the same fantastic product from YogaFlexCo, but if you're near Tom's River NJ, you can also stop in to the new Breathe Life Yoga studio and meet the beautiful mind behind this great company!***

This past month I joined the Move More Yoga challenge on Instagram, and thoroughly enjoyed finding ways to work yoga into all of the many adventures I've been blessed with throughout September.  Organized by weekly themes, this challenge dared me to try some new things and bend in ways I didn't know my body even could!  I was most intimidated by the week of backbends, though.  I've had chronic back pain from an injury years ago, and my flexibility leaves a lot to be desired; needless to say, backbends don't always sound incredibly appealing to me!

But as I started following more and more yogis on Instagram, I started seeing photos of people with an interesting prop: the yoga wheel.  There are several companies making these wheels on the market, but the YogaFlex wheel in particular caught my eye.  With a wide variety of colors and padding thicknesses, and some of the best pricing available, these wheels seemed to be a great investment for advancing my yoga practice and finally overcoming some of the hesitations and fears I had about my body's abilities.

Disclaimer: I received one YogaFlex wheel free of charge in exchange for my review.  No additional compensation was provided.  All thoughts and opinions expressed herein are my own.


I was surprised and grateful to have received a new style of wheel: this model not only has thick mat padding around the exterior, but also has two strips of material on the inside, to provide better grip if you're holding on to the wheel mid-pose.  I found this especially helpful with poses like camel and one-legged bridge.  The padding is plush and soft, so resting on the wheel is very comfortable and allowed me to actually relax into some of the poses that otherwise would have strained my back painfully.  Backbends ended up being my favorite week of the challenge, now that I finally have the right equipment to help me learn and grow!  You can even see my progression in the photos below - by the time I took the bottom photo at the end of the week, I was MUCH more comfortable with backbends and with my wheel.


The yoga wheel is helpful for more than just backbends, though!  Any pose that needs additional support can benefit from a yoga wheel: forward bends, low lunges, goddess squats...  You can even use the wheel to make a pose a little more challenging, helping you push yourself past a plateau in your practice!  Try sticking a wheel under your feet in plank pose, for a little extra core work, or in wheel pose to really work those arms!  And of course, you can use the wheel for a better stretch and range of motion in restorative poses such as child's pose.


Especially for beginners, the yoga wheel should be a go-to piece of equipment in your yoga practice.  My wheel bolstered not only my back but also my confidence, which has helped me grow in leaps and bounds.  As I broke down barriers within my mind and body, as yoga is meant to do, I found myself more and more willing to try new things and push my boundaries in other practices.  I would highly recommend a wheel to anyone who is looking to build more yoga into their lives, and couldn't imagine a better wheel than the YogaFlex grippy wheel to get started!

Wanna see for yourself?  YogaFlexCo has generously offered to give away a yoga wheel to one of my readers!  Enter using the Rafflecopter widget below!  Giveaway ends October 6th at 11:59pm; winner must be willing to provide valid shipping address.  And even if you're not the lucky winner (or you just can't wait to find out if you won) you can still get 15% off with promo code FITNYX15 on the YogaFlexCo website!  With the holiday season approaching, yoga wheels make great gifts for the yogis in your life - and they even make yoga wheel ornaments too!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Do you use props in your yoga practice?  What poses intimidate you, and how have you overcome those fears?  What's your favorite yoga pose?

Need another great gift idea for your beloved yogi?  Snag a promo code for the Sapphire Soul Mindful + Mystic subscription box from my review earlier this week!

32 comments:

  1. I use a block (a lot) and a strap/infinity strap. Back bends scare me - always have. This could be awesome for me! My fave pose is probably.... hmmm. Triangle or some kind of twist.

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    1. Yeah, back bends are scary to me too, especially with an injury from ages ago. The wheel was a revelation for my confidence!

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    1. Of course you did, because you are an eternal rockstar. THANK YOU!

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  3. I use yoga blocks and straps occasionally. This would be a fun tool to add to my collection of props!

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    1. It's versatile and gives a little extra height when a block just won't quite reach! Good luck!

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  4. Ive try one out and really helps my lower back pain. Just right now I cant afford to get one. Hopefully I can win one or get one soon <3

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    1. Yup, the wheel is great for taking pressure off a bad back, which helps you benefit from a wider range of poses. Good luck!

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  5. These yoga wheels look amazing!! You gave a very detailed product review... Very nice!!

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    1. Thank you! I try to be as thorough as possible - if you're reading a review, it's because you want to know about the product, right? Of course, it's easy to write about something I loved ;)

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  6. I currently dont use any props, but I'm just starting to get into yoga more seriously so I think this would really help me!

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    1. It definitely helped me take my practice to the next level, I'm sure you'll find many benefits with it too!

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  7. I've never used props before and I love doing the cobra pose.

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    1. Cobra is a great stretch! Especially after a tough ab sesh ;)

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  8. Most yoga practitioners could benefit from the use of props. In the classes I teach, even the students who think they are "too advanced" to use props eventually discover that props help you find optimal alignment and can help you work into even more challenging posts. At a minimum, I think everyone who practices at home needs a mat, two blocks, and a strap (though you can substitute a bathrobe belt or other things for that). I've never used a wheel, but I love the idea! I have the Sae Arc, which is an arc with yoga mat-like material on top and some optional knobby things (you can remove them or leave them in); it's something you lay on though, not something to help with yoga poses.

    I still find drop-back backbends and handstands intimidating.

    My favorite poses are one-legged king pigeon prep pose (most people call it "pigeon" but full pigeon is actually a totally different pose) and full press-up wheel.

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    1. Yes yes and YES! "Advanced" doesn't mean "perfect", and you're exactly right - form and alignment should be an ongoing practice for EVERY yogi! Those Arc props are very useful for a lot of lying-down, restorative type poses, like reclining bound angle, especially with back pain.

      Handstands will always scare me, I think! Glad I'm not the only one ;)

      Yup, I'm guilty of the Improper Pigeon myself. Maybe that should just be a new asana...

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  9. When I started yoga, props were not introduced to me but after spending some more time with the practice, I'm excited to give this guy a try

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    1. Props are great for correcting alignment until you've built awareness and strength, but they're only an accent piece for practice. But, they ARE fun and useful! Good luck!

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  10. Inversion scares the crap out of me but I'm starting slow. Fallen angel has been my favorite as of late

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    1. Inversion is soooo intimidating! But fallen angel looks lovely, do you have a photo posted anywhere? I'd love to see!

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  11. I haven't used props yet, but I'm a beginner.

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    1. We all start somewhere! And props are only a way to accent your practice. Good luck!

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  12. I don't use props. There are a lot of intimidating poses becuase I'm new, but I just try to do a modified version.

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    1. Modify until you build strength and confidence, before you know it you'll find yourself doing poses you never thought you'd manage! Keep working, you're doing a great job :)

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    2. Modify until you build strength and confidence, before you know it you'll find yourself doing poses you never thought you'd manage! Keep working, you're doing a great job :)

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  13. I have a yoga strap that helps me stretch a little further than I normally would, and of course, a yoga mat. :P I'm hoping that one o' these days, I'll incorporate it into a daily practice, but so far, it's been kinda sporadic. I like the poses that involve back flexibility!

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    1. It's tough to nail down daily practice in a busy life! But every little bit helps :)

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  14. I'm still a newbie, so I haven't used props yet.

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    1. Props are great for newbies! They help you build strength and confidence in new poses! Even a folded up towel can give you a little extra support as you build your practice :)

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  15. i love props. I was just looking at this last night!

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  16. I have not tried any props yet. I am still getting flexible. I love happy baby pose.
    Sadie B.

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  17. I use my yoga strap a lot to help me be more flexible. My favorite pose is downward dog.

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