The addition of a yoga ball to your routine increases the toning, strengthening and stretching benefits of yoga for your body. Hand-held yoga balls are approximately the size of a softball and are filled with sand, to be used as a resistance training tool. Larger exercise or stability balls may also contain some sand, for the purpose of holding the ball in place while you exercise.
Resistance Training
Typical yoga balls are approximately 4 inches around and are filled with sand --- which, the Yoga Insight website explains, accounts for the balls' weight, which can range from 1 to 4 lbs. Yoga balls are soft, so you can easily hold them in your hands or place them between your legs or feet during yoga sessions. For example, you can hold a ball in each hand while performing the warrior II pose, in which your arms are extended parallel to the floor. The additional weight of the ball adds to the shoulder-strengthening aspects of warrior II.
Core Strength
The small, sand-filled yoga balls can also be used to develop abdominal strength. During boat pose, place the ball between your ankles as you balance on your sit bones and extend your legs toward the ceiling so your body forms the shape of a "V." Yoga balls are also used to improve the strength in your back. During spinal balance, begin on your hands and knees with a yoga ball in each hand. Lift the yoga ball as you extend your opposite leg behind from your body.
Stability
An exercise stability ball is a larger inflatable ball, approximately 55 to 75 centimeters in diameter. Stability balls are available with sand to help secure the ball in place; the balls are not filled with sand, but have a small amount that slides around inside as you maneuver it the ball. When used as a resistance tool, this ball will increase the strengthening aspect of your workout --- if you position it underneath your lower legs as you hold a plank or upper pushup position, for example.
Poses
A sand-filled stability ball is used as a flexibility aid in poses such as forward bend, according to the Free Exercise Ball Tips website. If you cannot reach the floor with your hands from a straight-legged standing position, you can place your hands on a stability ball instead. The stability ball can be used for lower-body support during chair pose, in which you set your backside on the ball for a supported squat. The sand at the bottom of the ball prevents it from slipping away in this instance.
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