Girl on the Ball

Not many people know about bodyrolling. 
It is a system of working with body — a little bit of massage and a little bit of yoga. 
The main feature is balls. They are here instead of hands: they gently knead muscles, stimulate important points, increase blood circulation. They free the body from clamps, straighten, smooth gently, return it to natural form. 

The technique (and these balls) was developed by American Yamuna Zeik, who has been practising and teaching yoga for forty-five years. She herself says: “We strive to help people overcome not only physical, but also mental and emotional limitations that hinder development.” 

It’s like a little bodily meditation. 
Silence. Touching the velvety side of the ball. Closed eyes so you can hear yourself better. It is not about appearance and beauty, it is not about jumping and competitions. 
Nobody around, only your own waking up body. Scraps of sleepy thoughts. Dawn.

We’d came into the hall, yet empty and quiet, in the early mornings. The balls were smooth to touch and smell a little like vanilla.

Morning hour for the one.

The project exists in the form of a book. Many thanks to Maria Nesmeeva, through whom I learnt about body rolling and met the heroine — and to Olga Nova, a body rolling teacher, who let me into this little velvet world. I presented this story as a coursework at the Faculty of Photography.