When I first saw ads for the Three Minute Egg in Yoga Journal, I hardly glanced at them. I already have my favorite propsand the colorful foam “eggs” seemed gimmicky. But the ads kept appearing. One featured “signature eggs”—featuring well-known teachers Annie Carpenter, Jason Crandell, Aadil Palkhivala (who, like Cher, signed only his first name), and Joan White—which rubbed me the wrong way: I see too many yoga celebrities and yoga fans already.
I was curious nevertheless and Googled the company. I read about the indie founder, whose personal tale about the egg’s origin is quite impressive. I observed the egg’s uses as an alternate to traditional blocks (“think outside the blocks”) and now wonder if they are worth a try.
- For standing poses such as Trikonasana, they’re less stable but might shift body weight away from the bottom arm into the legs.
- For Urdhva Mukha Svanasana, they could raise the base of the palm, alleviating any pain from overflexing the wrists.
- For restorative poses, they seem to nestle into natural spinal curves, though I actually like the sharp edges of a block under my shoulder blades or sacrum.
- For arm balances, they’d force one to balance both internally and externally. If one can balance on the eggs, balancing on solid ground would be a cinch! I’ve used this approach at the gym, doing standing balance poses on a upside-down Bosu.
But I’m just conjecturing. I won’t be trying them anytime soon. Having recently acquired a pile of new props, including cork blocks from Halfmoon and solid cedar blocks from a woodworker in Vancouver, I’m under a prop-buying moratorium.
Besides, I’m still doing my research. Have you tried the Three Minute Egg?
Yoga Spy 
I work with Physical and Occupational Therapists who use the three-minute eggs in their home practice as well as with their clients, both Iyengar students. They love them! Two held together with a strap is great for virasana for the stiff of leg. The texture is grippy and there are different firmnesses to experiment with. They conform nicely to the curvature of the spine (and I’m one who likes heavy wooden blocks for their firm feedback) and work nicely when placed between the legs and held with a strap. They are nice for those with inflamation/injury in the wrists for down-ward dog, though their clientele aren’t the type to do arm balances!
I have never used them at home, only when I’m on-site at their office, but my second hand opinion is that they seem worth the investigation.
LikeLike
Yes, I recently bought a dozen ‘scrambled eggs’ and have been using them in my class. I was hoping that they would help with complaints of wrist discomfort in down dog and other upper extremity weight bearing posture but the consensus seems to be that my students don’t find them particularly helpful in this regard. They can still sink into the base of the palms and because they are a bit narrow it is more difficult to distribute the weight throughout the hand.
But the eggs are GREAT for supporting postures. I like to use them under the legs in Badha Konasana, to sit on in Virasana or under the forearms in Savasana. And they are perfect for fish pose. I work with a lot of women who are very stiff in the thoracic spine. Many of them were never really able to get comfortable using other props but tolerate fish pose with the eggs better than anything else I’ve tried with them.
I also like them because they are easy to pack and transport. So overall, they didn’t quite meet my expectations but I think they were a good investment for my classes and clients. I don’t think they could ever replace traditional blocks but they are a useful addition, especially for modified and restorative postures.
LikeLike
I love the Eggs and that they have recently expanded into Canada with direct Canadian distribution through http://www.threeminuteegg.ca! I first tried them at the Toronto Yoga Conference and Show a few years back, which is where I bought my first set at a really great promotional price. Three Minute Egg will have a booth again this year. The Spring show is from March 30th – April 1st at the Metro Toronto Convention Centre. You can try out the Eggs for free with the help of a Yoga instructor in the 3ME booth or join one of the demonstration taking place in the Yoga Garden. I had a great time at the Yoga show and learned a lot! I still love and use my Eggs:).
LikeLike
I love the eggs too – just got a pair, and I can’t understand why I waited so long!
LikeLike