The Hourglass Roller

Sit on the floor with your left leg bent and your right calf resting on the Roller. Place the Roller an inch or two above the Achilles tendon. Support yourself by placing your hands on the mat slightly behind you, shifting some of your weight from your resting left leg so you have some pressure on your right calf and roll yourself forward one or two inches so the Roller gets closer to your knee. Slowly move the Roller back to the starting position above the Achilles tendon. When you find a tight spot, flex and extend your ankle like you're pushing down on a gas pedal and repeat on the other side. Release yourself.

Lay down with your back on the floor. Place the Roller underneath your upper back and cross your arms in front of you, protracting your shoulder blades. Raise your hips off of the ground, placing your weight onto the roller. Shift your weight to one side, rolling the upper to mid back and then alternate sides. Unlock those shoulders.

In a seated position, place the Roller under your lower back. Cross your arms in front of you and protract your shoulders. Raise your hips off of the floor and lean back, keeping your weight on your lower back. Now roll over back and forward, keeping your weight off of the spine and on the muscles to one side of it. Roll over your lower back and repeat on the other side. Your lower back will thank you!

Lay on your side with the bottom leg placed onto the Roller between the hip and the knee and top leg crossed in front of you. Place as much of your weight as is tolerable onto your bottom leg. Roll your leg over the Roller from your hip to your knee and repeat on the opposite leg. Give this ignored area some love!

While seated, extend your legs over the Roller so that it is positioned on the back of the upper legs. Place your hands to the side or behind you to help support your weight. Using your hands, lift hips off of the floor and shift your weight on the Roller to one leg. Relax the hamstrings of the leg you are stretching. Roll over the area from below the hip to above the back of the knee and repeat on the opposite leg. Let go.

Lay face-down on the floor with your weight supported by your hands or forearms. Place the Roller underneath one leg and keep that foot off the ground. Shifting as much weight onto the leg being stretched as is comfortable, roll from above the knee to below the hip and repeat on the opposite side. Free those quads.

Sit with your butt on top of the Roller. Bend your knees, and then cross one leg so that the ankle is over the knee. Shift your weight to the side of the crossed leg, rolling over your glutes until you feel tension and repeat on the opposite side. Recovery to this area is vital.