Fitness & Recovery

Foam rollers

The rollers are 6 inches in diameter, high-density EVA with a textured surface, in 36, 18 and 12 inch lengths. Get the 36 if you want to lie along it for thoracic extension and chest opening; the 18 for legs, glutes and travel; the 12 for calves and anything you'd hold in one hand. High-density means it won't soften after a month the way cheap open-cell rollers do.

Weighted balls and the sandbag

Soft weighted balls are sand and iron in a soft, grippy shell with no phthalates or latex, in 2, 4 and 6 lb, sold singly or in pairs. They're for Pilates, physical therapy and light resistance work where a hard dumbbell is the wrong tool. The 10 lb sandbag is dust-free sand in a canvas shell with handles, made in the USA: lay it across the thighs in a seated fold, on the hips in savasana, or carry it for walking lunges.

The Whale

The Whale is a curved wooden bench. You lie back over the arc and let gravity extend the spine in the opposite direction from the one a chair puts it in. People use it after desk days and before bed.

A gentler version of the same movement is lying back over one of our yoga bolsters for stretching, which gives a supported chest opening you can hold for several minutes without the fixed depth of the arc.

It's not a treatment for an acute injury; if you have a disc problem, ask your provider before buying.

For a milder version of the same extension, stacking cork and foam blocks under the shoulder blades gives you a lower arc you can adjust height on.

Floor mats

The shiatsu mat is a 54 x 80 inch cotton mat for stretching, partner work, Thai massage and floor Pilates; the cotton yoga and Pilates mat is a lighter, washable single-person version.

The cotton mats go in the washing machine; rubber and TPE mats get wiped with a mat wash instead. For standing practice with grip underfoot, see our exercise yoga mats.