How to use the Form Grid
When we launched Form in early 2017, we were driven by 3 key things we wanted our products to achieve: they should have a positive impact on the environment, they should look beautiful and they should improve the user's performance.
While the top surface helps the user with grip (especially as you sweat), we wanted to offer the user more. We wanted to develop a grid system to aid your practice, using a series of lines to help align the body and intersections to improve consistency.
We developed the Form Grid by looking at the poses used in many types of yoga, Pilates, stretches and other mat-based workouts. By understanding where the user stood, lay and placed parts of their body (as well as where the rest of the body should be during these poses) we developed a Grid which would allow people of any height/shape to improve performance.
So how do I use the Form Grid?
We get asked this question fairly regularly by people who want to check that they are using the Form Grid 'correctly'. Our answer to this question is always the same: there is no right way to use the Grid! We encourage you to use the Grid however you wish, for whatever type of exercise you are using the mat for.
One of the great things about the Form Grid is that the more you use it, the more tricks and techniques you will develop to use it to its full potential. However there are a few tips we can share to get you started which will work on both the round and rectangular mats:
Align your body parallel to one of the lines across the mat
In positions like downward dog, ensure your points of contact with the mat are equidistant from the centre-line on the mat to ensure no unplanned rotation or misalignment.
Use the triangles at the end of the mat for plank
Place your forearms along the triangles at the edge of the mat for a consistent plank position and to aid focus as you stay longer in position and it starts to burn! Be sure to check your centre-line and points of contact with the mat as mentioned above.
Sit over the centre intersection for warm-up, cool-down or meditation
Having a set position to sit, particularly in the centre of the circle shape created by the round mat or the circle on the rectangular Form Grid, for the calmer parts of a workout or meditation can help promote focus and relaxation.
Place the hands at intersections or corners during press-up or straight-arm plank
Find two points equidistant from the centre-line and place the hands; remember which points you used so you can measure improvements in strength and poise between workouts. In press-ups, you can work different muscles by placing your hands different widths apart:
Wide apart: works chest muscles
Shoulder width apart, keeping your elbows close to the body: biceps
Hands close together (even touching forming a diamond between your forefingers and thumb: triceps
Conclusion
Stop scrolling and get unrolling - let us know how you use your Form Grid, we love hearing new methods and techniques people have developed to aid their practice.
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