Mind your body: have a ball relax, stretch, work the knots out

WHEN FORMER Pilobolus dance captain Rebecca Anderson Darling talks on the phone, she's usually rolling her feet on small balls to work out the kinks. Often times she's also sitting on a ball, albeit much larger, so that she's forced to sit up straight. When she is not making calls, teaching Pilates, or rehearsing (she still dances with Pilobolus' duet company) she can be found lying on her back on a tennis or lacrosse ball, giving herself a delicious massage. "They're addictive," Darling said. "You can do a passive stretch while the ball supports your weight." More and more dancers are using balls of all sizes as a relaxing way to work on alignment, body awareness, stretching, and the most difficult of all--letting go. http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_m1083/is_/ai_n6206527