Transcription
Hello! Welcome back to Pilates for the People. I'm your instructor, Andrea, and today we're doing a full-body Pilates workout that is perfect for beginners.
All of the exercises we'll be doing in this workout are core strengthening and therefore will have major posture-enhancing effects. Be prepared to feel taller, stronger, and more physically put together when we're done.
So, if you're ready, let's get moving!
Today, we're going to start standing. Bring your feet hip distance apart, which means lining them up with those pointy hip bones at the front of your pelvis. Begin to reach your arms out to the sides and up towards the ceiling, then lower them down with control.
Reach the arms out to the sides and up towards the ceiling, and all the way down. Keep your palms flipped forward as you do this, and all the way down. Inhale, arms go up, and exhale, arms come down.
Big inhale, arms go up, and exhale all the way down. Big inhale, arms go up, and all the way down. Last time, arms go up, and all the way down.
Step one foot forward. Begin to rock forward onto that foot and then back to the back foot. Rock onto the front foot, onto the back foot. Rock to the front foot, rock to the back foot.
As you rock forward, swing both arms forward. Rock and reach the arms, step back. Rock and swing the arms, step back. Rock and swing the arms, step back.
Step forward, swing, and back. Forward, swing, and back. Forward, swing, and back. Forward, swing, and pause.
So, both feet are on the ground. Take that back foot and step it a little bit wide. Here, whatever leg is back, take the same side arm and reach it forward. Begin to turn in that direction, reach down towards your opposite foot, and come back up.
So, you're going to turn, reach to foot, and all the way up. Turn, turn, and reach to opposite foot, and all the way up. Turn and reach down and up.
Turn and reach down and up. Turn and reach down and up. And turn and reach down and up.
Feet come back to hip distance. Little squat down and up. Little squat down and up. Little squat.
Now, reach the arms forward, circle around, squat. Arms forward, circle around, squat. Arms forward and around, around, squat, and circle the arms.
Squat and circle with the arms for three, and two, and one. Stand tall. Arms reach up to the ceiling. Nod your chin, reach arms forward, and begin to roll down your spine.
Think rolling down one vertebra at a time. Bend your knees as much as you need to get your hands flat on the floor, and walk yourself forward and down onto your knees.
From here, round your spine like a cat, and then arch your spine, lifting your tail, reaching your breastbone, and looking forward. Round the spine and arch the spine.
So, this is called cat-cow. Round the spine, and then arch the spine. Exhale as you round, inhale as you arch. Exhale as you round, inhale as you arch.
Exhale to round, inhale to arch. Exhale to round, inhale to arch. Exhale to round, inhale to arch.
Round and then come to a flat back. From here, I want you to sink your right knee into the floor, like press it down into the floor so it gets heavier than the left.
Right arm reaches out to the side. You're going to turn and look up, following the arm, and then send that right arm under your body behind the left forearm.
Reach the right arm up again, look up, follow the arm, and then reach it under your body to turn and look the other way. Inhale to reach up and turn, exhale to come under.
Inhale, reach up and turn, exhale to come under. Can you try and keep the right knee heavy on the mat so that it feels like it's pressing down more than the left side?
What this does is help us turn on our core. So, keep going. Inhale up and exhale down. One last time, inhale up and exhale down.
Return the right hand to the mat. Sink the left knee into the mat so it feels like it's pressing down heavier than the right. The left arm comes up. You turn and look up, and then send the left arm under your body behind the right arm and look to the right.
Left arm goes up, you turn. Left arm goes down and under, you turn right. Left arm goes out, you turn left. It goes under, you turn right.
Inhale up and exhale under. Inhale up and exhale under. Inhale up and exhale under. Good. Keep the weight heavier on the left than on the right.
Four, three, and under. Inhale up for two and under. Inhale up, last one, come on under.
Then place both hands back on the floor. Now, equal weight in both knees. We're going to keep our spine flat as we send our bum just back in space, shifting your weight back and then shifting your weight forward.
This won't feel like much. Shift your weight back, slide your bum back, spine is flat, and then come forward again. It's a fold at the front of the hips as your bum goes back, and come forward.
Now, think tailbone. Reach the tailbone back, and then come forward again. Reach the tailbone back and forward.
Now, listen closely. As the tail slides back, can you put your mind's eye in your two sit bones? Those are the bones in your bum, the two bones, and they widen away from each other and away from the tail as you go back.
When you come forward, they narrow, but you don't have to think about them narrowing. Go back, let them widen, and come forward.
So, as you go back, you're going to think tailbone and two sit bones all widen away, and then you come forward. You go back and they widen away, and you come forward.
You go back and they widen away, and this is speaking to your pelvic floor, allowing those muscles to lengthen, which still works the muscles.
You go back, and a lot of people, these muscles grip way too much, meaning that they stay really tight and short, and it actually prevents us from effectively using our other deep core muscles.
Let's do one more. You're going to stay back and hold back. Bring one hand on your hip and then the next.
From here, hinge up to tall kneeling and hinge back. Hinge up to tall kneeling and hinge down. Good. Hinge up to tall kneeling.
So again, you can think tail reaches back, sit bones widen on the way down. Tail reaches back, sit bones widen, and up.
So you hinge and up, and as you hinge, reach the arms forward and down. Reach the arms forward and down. Inhale, hinge and reach. Exhale, up.
Inhale, hinge and reach. Exhale, up. Inhale, hinge and reach. Exhale, up. Inhale, hinge and reach. Exhale, up.
Inhale, hinge and reach. Exhale, up. Once more, hinge and reach, and up.
Send those arms right up to the ceiling. Interlace your fingers and place them on the top of your head.
Soften your shoulders. Begin to reach one elbow up towards the ceiling as you lengthen through that side of your body.
Root down through the knee of the lengthened side as you come back up to tall. Reach the other elbow up to the ceiling, lengthen through, and all the way through the side of your body.
Root through the lengthened side knee as you come back up to tall. You're going to reach the elbow, lengthen the side of the waist, anchor the knee to pull yourself back.
Elbow reaches, lengthen the side of the body, root the knee, and then pull yourself back up.
Adding breath, we're going to inhale as we tip over and lengthen, exhale to return. Inhale, tip over and lengthen, exhale to return.
Inhale, tip over and lengthen, exhale to return. Last time, inhale and exhale.
Soften the shoulders. Slide the hands to the back of your head. We're going back to our hinge forward and then kneel tall.
Hinge forward, kneel tall. Hinge forward, kneel tall. Hinge forward, kneel tall.
So this exercise works the muscles at the back of your body, including your hamstrings, your glutes, and your spinal muscles that run all the way from the bottom of your spine to the top.
However, it is normal to feel it in the low back here, okay? You're not doing anything wrong. Those low back muscles are working hard, and it's okay. They are part of your core.
One more time here, hinge forward. Can you hold? You're going to turn one elbow down as the other goes up.
Turn again. One elbow goes down, the other goes up. The elbow will unlikely be able to point right to the floor. That's okay. You turn as much as you can. Don't force it here.
Last four, and three, and two, and one. Place your hands back down onto the floor.
From here, go back to our rounded spine and then just come to flat. Go ahead, round your spine and just come to flat.
Round your spine and then come to flat. Keeping the spine flat, eyes are looking down. Lengthen through the back of the neck, keeping your arms straight.
Sink your shoulder blades so they come together on your back, and then press your hands into the floor, widening your shoulder blades apart, pressing that upper spinal area up towards the ceiling.
Elbows stay straight as you sink the breastbone, allowing shoulder blades to come towards each other. Press hands into the floor as you widen the shoulder blades apart, allowing that little area of spine between the blades to press up.
So, you're going to sink the breastbone, the shoulder blades come towards each other, coming over the top of that part of the spine, and then widen in the blades as you push away.
That area of spine presses up, keeping the elbows straight. You're going to sink the shoulder blades together, widen the shoulder blades apart.
Sink together, widen and apart. Sink together, widen and apart. Good, keep going here.
As you do this, see if you can keep the elbow creases, so the creases on the inside of the elbow, pointing somewhat towards one another. Avoid locking through your elbows, and we will get a better activation of muscles all the way up our arm.
Do one more here. Pause somewhere in the middle. Blades aren't pressed together, and they're not really wide.
From here, take your hands a little bit wider. You're going to keep your pelvis, your bum, over your knees. Spine is flat as we bend the elbows.
Forehead comes towards the floor like a push-up, and then push up and away. So, arms go straight. You're going to bend the elbows wide like a push-up.
Forehead comes towards the floor, pelvis stays over the knees, and push up. Let's try exhaling on the way down and inhaling on the way up.
Exhaling on the way down and inhaling on the way up. Exhale down, inhale up.
When you push away from the floor, can you push more through the thumb side of the hand? So really root down through that fleshy area of the hand between the thumb and the index finger.
Push up for four, bend down, push up for three, and two, and last one here.
Drop down to your forearms. You're going to tuck your toes under and let your head hang down. Back of neck is relaxed.
Take a big inhalation, expand the rib cage front, sides, and back. As you exhale, push through your toes and elbows, lift your knees off the mat just a little, and then inhale to return.
Exhale, push toes and elbows, hover the knees. Inhale to come down. Exhale, all the air out as you hover.
Huge inhale through the ribs to come down. Exhale, all the air out as you hover. Huge inhale to come down. Exhale, all the air out.
You have just one more. Come on down, exhale, hover, and inhale down to relax.
Let's take it down now onto the mat. You're going to be on your front. I want your forehead on the mat and your arms are long by your sides.
If this is way too uncomfortable for you, pause the video here. You can grab a small towel and fold it or roll it, placing it right underneath your forehead.
This will prop your head a little bit off the mat so that your nose has space to be comfortable and to breathe. For some people, it may be more comfortable for the back of their neck.
Now that you're comfortable, I want you to take a breath in, and as we exhale, pull your belly up and away from the mat.
Inhale, let your abdominals relax. As you exhale, hug your belly up and away from the mat, and inhale. One to go.
Exhale, hug your belly up away from the mat, and then inhale, relax. Roll your shoulders up and away from the mat, bringing your shoulder blades towards each other on your back, and then allow your shoulders and shoulder blades to relax.
Roll your shoulders up and away from the mat, and then allow your shoulders and shoulder blades to relax.
Let's try this on an inhale. Exhale to relax. Inhale, roll towards each other. Exhale to relax.
Inhale, roll towards each other. Exhale to relax. One more, roll towards each other and hold here.
Hold your shoulders where they are. Now, palms are up as you hover the arms off the mat. Hold the shoulders where they are, just lower the hands back down.
Now, relax the shoulders. So, we're going to roll shoulders, hover the arms, hands down, shoulders relax.
Roll the shoulders, hover the arms, hands down, shoulders relax. We'll add breath. Inhale, roll shoulders, exhale, hover arms.
Inhale, hands down, exhale, shoulders relax. Inhale, roll shoulders, exhale, hover arms.
Inhale, hands down, exhale, relax. Inhale, roll shoulders, exhale, draw the belly up and hover arms.
Inhale, hands down, exhale, shoulders relax. Three more. Inhale, shoulders, exhale, draw the belly, hover the arms.
Inhale, hands down, exhale, shoulders relax. Inhale, roll shoulders, exhale, belly and arms.
Inhale, hands down, exhale, shoulders relax. Once more, inhale, roll the shoulders, exhale, belly up and arms hover.
Inhale, hands down, and exhale, shoulders relax. Bring your hands now underneath your forehead. Remove the towel if you've got one.
From here, soften the tops of your shoulders and draw your belly up away from the mat, keeping your chest slightly heavy.
Draw the back of your head towards the ceiling, hovering your face off the floor. Lead with the face to lower back down.
Okay, so chest is slightly heavy, back of head lifts, face draws off the mat, and then lower down.
Lead with the face, draw the belly up and in. Think back of skull, draw pause towards the ceiling, and then face leads you back down.
Take a breath. As you exhale, draw the belly. You're going to hover the head and inhale to lower down.
Exhale, draw the belly, hover the head. Good. Think of this exercise like a head retraction. The head is pulling back on the spine.
This is an excellent exercise for most people, and it is especially good if you are someone that has a bit of that forward head posture, which is a very common postural pattern. A lot of us have it.
Exhale, hover the head, inhale, lower. And this exercise, the reason why I love it, is because it strengthens both the muscles at the front of the neck and the back of the neck.
Inhale to lower. Last time, exhale to hover and lower down.
Okay, from here, we're going to hover the head and hold. Can you draw your belly off the mat? I want you to reach your breastbone forward.
Now, lead with the breastbone. Eyes begin to gaze forward, look forward for a mini spine extension, and then lower back down.
Think chest down and then head and face down. So, you're going to draw the belly up as you hover the head.
Inhale here as you reach breastbone, eyes gaze forward, look forward, mini spine extension, and then lower back down.
Think chest down, head down. Good. Exhale, draw the belly. Inhale as we come up and exhale, lower down.
Hover the head again. Inhale, spine extension here, and exhale to lower down.
Inhale, eyes gaze forward, mini spine extension, reach the breastbone, exhale, lower down.
Good. So, we're going to try to lift with the muscles along our upper spine, looking forward, and all the way down.
It's very common, so you guys keep going here. It's very common for people to feel this in the muscles of their lower back rather than their upper back.
If you are feeling it in your lower back, there are a few things you can try. Number one, try pulling the abdominals up more. Really draw them up and hold them.
Two, you can try tucking your tail slightly so that you create length through your low back. This will help. This will engage your hamstrings and anchor your pelvis to allow you to access the muscles of the upper back.
Lastly, if you still feel your lower back, you're just lifting too high for you right now. Focus just on that head hover.
Focus on the head hover and lifting and looking just as high as you can before you feel that low back kick on.
Do one more and relax back down. Last exercise here, you may want to bring something under your forehead once again.
Arms come into a cactus position, or your arms look like you're a goalie post. I want you to draw your belly up a lot for this one, okay?
Your forehead is heavy on the floor. From here, roll the fronts of your shoulders off the mat a little. Hold them there and hover the arms.
Lower the arms back down, draw the belly in and away from the mat. Roll from the fronts of shoulders away from the mat and hover the arms.
We're going to inhale to lower, exhale, get belly up, roll fronts of shoulders, hover arms.
Inhale down, exhale, belly, front of shoulders, hover arms. Inhale down, exhale, belly, fronts of shoulders, hover arms.
Inhale down, exhale, belly, inhale, shoulders, hover arms. Last time, exhale, belly, front of shoulders, roll, hover the arms.
Can we hold this time for five? See if you can breathe naturally. Four, three, two, and one.
Beautiful! Push yourself right up onto hands and knees. Give yourself that cat stretch, rounding the spine towards the ceiling, hanging the head and curling the tail.
You can shake your pelvis side to side if that feels like it relieves a bit of tension.
Next up, we're going to lie on one side. It doesn't matter which one; we'll be doing both one after another.
So go ahead, pick your side, lie down. Head lies on arm, elbow is bent, and I want you to bend the bottom leg and extend the top one.
From here, lift your top foot up so it's about the same height as your hip. I want you to start to internally rotate the entire leg right up to the hip socket, and then externally rotate the entire leg right up to the hip socket.
So focus on turning the leg in from the hip, turning the leg out from the hip. Turn the leg in from the hip, turn out from the hip.
Adding breath, inhale, turn in, exhale, turn out. Inhale, turn in, exhale, turn out. Inhale, turn in, exhale, turn out.
Inhale, turn in, exhale, out. And then find a neutral position for the hip, so it's neither turned in nor turned out; it's somewhere in the middle.
From here, right from the side of the bum, lift the leg up a little and down a little. Lift up a little and down a little.
Little lift and lower, little lift and lower. Exhale, lift, inhale down. Exhale, lift, inhale down.
Exhale, up and down. So we want to feel this right at the side of the bum here. You want to try to keep both sides of your waist long.
The top side is the one that tends to hike when you do this exercise, so try lengthening through that top side for two and one.
You're going to hold here, internally rotate. We're going to go back to that lift and lower, keeping the thigh and the hip, keeping the hip internally rotated.
Little lift and lower, little lift and lower, little lift and lower, little lift and lower, little lift and lower, little lift and rest.
From here, lengthen the bottom leg long. Pick up both legs and send them forward a little bit so that you're no longer in a straight line with your legs, but they are pitched slightly in front of your body.
I want you to turn the top leg out. You're going to glide the top foot along the bottom leg, bending the knee, and then straighten it back out.
Glide the toes along the inner thigh of the bottom leg and straighten out. Bending the knee, glide the toes and straighten.
Last time, bend the knee, glide the toes. Hold here. You're going to straighten that knee, kick the leg straight up, flex at the ankle, and reach the heel back down.
Can you point the toes to drag the foot? Kick the leg, flex the foot, lead with heel. Point the toe to drag the foot and kick.
Reach the heel as you flex the foot to bring it down. Inhale, drag it in, exhale, kick and lower with control.
Inhale, drag it in, exhale, kick and lower with control. One more, inhale to drag it in, and exhale, kick and lower with control.
Roll, let's flip right on over to the other side. So make sure you're comfortable. Your elbow is bent, and your head is lying on your arm like a pillow.
Bend the bottom knee, extend the top leg long, and bring the top foot so it's about level with your hip.
From here, begin to internally rotate the leg from the hip joint, and then externally rotate the leg from the hip.
Turn the leg in from the hip and turn the leg out from the hip. Turn in and turn out. Inhale in, exhale out.
Inhale in, exhale out. Inhale in, exhale out. Once more, inhale in, and exhale out.
So find somewhere in the middle here, not turned in, not turned out. Little lift from the side of the bum, a little lower.
Little lift, little lower. Exhale, lift, inhale, lower. Exhale, lift, inhale, lower.
Exhale, lift, inhale, lower. Exhale, lift, inhale, lower. Little lift and lower, little lift and lower.
Last time, little lift and lower. Foot is still in line with hip. Turn the whole leg in from the hip.
Hold here, a little lift with that internal rotation and down. Exhale, lift, inhale down.
Keep the turn in to lift. Inhale, exhale, lift. Inhale down, exhale, lift.
Inhale down, exhale, lift. Inhale down, exhale, lift. Inhale down, last two, and one.
Pause here, lengthen the bottom leg, glue legs together, and bring both of them slightly forward of your body.
That top leg turns out at the hip. Here we go. Point the toes, drag the foot in as you bend the knee, straighten the leg out.
Drag the foot in as you bend the knee, and then straighten the leg out. Bend the knee, toes drag, and straighten.
Bend the knee, toes drag, and straighten. Here we go. We're going to drag the toes, bend the knee, kick the leg, flex at the ankle, and lead with the heel on the way down.
Inhale, bring the leg in, exhale, kick, flex, and lower with control. Point the toes to inhale, drag in, exhale, kick, flex, and lower with control.
Inhale, drag in, toes are pointed. Exhale, kick, flex, and heel reaches down.
Bring it in and kick, flex to lower down. Last time, bring it in and kick, flex to lower down.
Next up, go ahead and lie on your back. Bend your knees so your feet are flat on the floor and bring your arms by your sides.
You want your feet here about hip distance apart. From here, keeping your knees parallel, push your feet down into the floor and lift your hips up towards the ceiling.
Lower your bum down with control. Push the feet into the floor, lift the hips up towards the ceiling, and lower down.
Push your feet, lift your hips. Inhale to lower, exhale, push feet, lift your hips, and inhale to lower.
Exhale, push your feet, lift your hips, and inhale to lower. Exhale, push your feet, lift your hips, and inhale to lower.
Once more, push your feet, lift your hips, and inhale to lower down.
Next, I'd like you to place your hands on those two pointy hip bones that are at the front of your body. These bones are a part of your pelvic bone, your pelvis, and when they move, it tells us that your pelvis is moving.
So, we're going to use these as our guide to let us know whether or not the pelvis is moving. For this exercise, I want your pelvis to stay as still as possible.
Nice and simple here, you're just going to lift one leg up off the floor to what's called a tabletop position. Your knee is at a right angle, and then lower your leg down with control.
Other side lifts up to that tabletop position and lower down with control. Now remember, the pelvis should stay still as we do this.
You don't want to feel much movement from those pointy hip bones in the front. Let's use our deep core muscles to help keep our pelvis still.
Inhale with both feet on the floor. As you exhale, I want you to draw your belly down as though you're pulling it down into the pelvis and then fold a leg.
Inhale down with control, exhale, draw the belly as though you're drawing it down into the pelvis.
Inhale to lower with control, exhale, draw the belly down, hug it in towards you. Inhale to lower, exhale, hug the belly in, fold the leg.
Inhale to lower, exhale, draw the belly down, fold the leg, and inhale to lower.
Exhale, draw the belly down, fold the leg. Hold this time. You're going to take your arms to the floor.
Take another breath, and as you exhale, double down on the abdominals as the second leg comes up to tabletop.
From here, glue your knees and ankles together. Our arms go a bit wider to more of an A-frame shape, and begin to roll across the back of your pelvis.
Roll onto one side of your bum and then through the center to the other side of your bum.
Roll across to one side of your bum and then roll to the other side of your bum. So, what we are rolling across here is our pelvis.
It's the back of our pelvis. So, in the center of the two pelvic bones across your back is a bone called your sacrum, and this is part of your spine.
It is a triangular-shaped bone, and this is what connects the pelvis to the spine. When we talk about strengthening our core, what we are really talking about is creating strength, support, and stability between the pelvis, the sacrum, and the spine.
Go for three more here, back and forth, for two and one.
All right, bring both feet down and lengthen your legs out with control. From here, put weight in the left side of your pelvis. Hinge your right leg up towards the ceiling.
It doesn't matter how high it goes; lower it down with control. Put weight in the right side of your pelvis as you hinge the left leg up towards the ceiling and lower it back down with control.
Weight goes in the left side of the pelvis, hinge the right leg, inhale to lower down. Weight is going to be in the right side of the pelvis as you hinge the left leg, inhale, lower down.
As you exhale, weight in the left side, right leg comes up, inhale to lower. As you exhale, weight in the right side, left side comes up, inhale to lower.
One more each side. Exhale, weight in the left side, right side comes up, inhale to lower.
As you exhale, weight in the right side, left side comes up. Weight in the right side, left side comes up, and inhale to lower down.
Bend both knees so your feet are again flat on the floor. Feet are going to be hip distance apart.
From here, press your feet down into the mat and lift your hips up to bridge. We're going to hold our bridge here.
Check that your thighs are parallel and they haven't splayed wide. Push now your right foot into the mat as well as your left shoulder blade.
Then push your left foot into the mat and your right shoulder blade. So, we're doing opposite foot and shoulder.
Right foot presses, left shoulder presses. Left foot presses, right shoulder presses.
So, push opposite limbs into the mat and then switch. Push opposite limbs into the mat.
So, we're creating this cross-body connection from foot to glute to opposite shoulder. Do one more each side.
Find even weight in your two feet, two shoulders, and lower the bum down.
Okay, take a breath. Exhale, knees stay parallel as you push feet to go back up to bridge and hold.
This time, we're going to push right foot down, left shoulder down, so opposites.
Take a big breath in. As you exhale, keep your pelvis level in the front and fold the left leg up to that tabletop position.
Lower the foot down with control. Hold here, push the left foot and the right shoulder into the mat, find that back connection.
Take a breath. As you exhale, keep the pelvis level in the front, and the right leg folds up to tabletop and lower back down.
Push right foot down, left shoulder. Take a breath. Exhale, level pelvis, left leg lifts, inhale, lower.
Push left foot, right shoulder. As you exhale, level pelvis, and right foot lifts. Foot goes down with control, and you lower the bum down.
Lengthen both legs out long and interlace your hands behind your head here. Elbows lift just a little so you can see them out of the corners of your eyes.
Nod your chin slightly and begin to curl your upper body off the mat, pressing the very bottom part of your ribs down into the floor.
Inhale, uncurl. Exhale, nod your chin. You're going to start to roll the upper body off the mat.
Think about pressing the bottom part of your rib cage down into the floor. Inhale to lower down, exhale to curl up.
Inhale to lower down, exhale to curl up. Inhale to lower down, exhale to curl up.
Inhale to lower down, exhale to curl. Inhale, lower, exhale to curl.
Press the bottom ribs, the back ribs into the floor, and lower and curl.
Hold here. Take another breath. As you exhale, you're going to lift one leg, pull it into tabletop.
Inhale, straighten it out and lower with control. Exhale, other leg lifts into table.
Inhale, straighten it out, lower with control. Exhale, lift, pull in.
Inhale, straighten out and lower. Exhale, lift, pull in.
Inhale, straighten out and lower. Exhale, lift, pull in.
Inhale, straighten and lower. Exhale, lift, pull in and hold.
Second leg lifts and brings it in. Uncurl, hold here, hold the knees.
Take a breath. Exhale, nod the chin. Think ribs press down into the mat as you curl and uncurl.
Exhale, nod the chin, ribs pressed down as you curl and uncurl. Twice more.
Exhale, press the ribs down as you curl and uncurl. Last time, curl and uncurl.
Lower your legs one at a time, lengthen them out long, and roll back onto one side. It doesn't matter which one.
From here, I want you to line your body up in a straight line. You could imagine as though you are lying against a wall.
Take your top hand and press it gently against the floor, and then hover both legs off the floor. Lower them down with control.
Hover both legs off the floor and lower down with control. Inhale, hold here.
As you exhale, hover your legs. Inhale to lower, exhale, draw the belly and hover your legs.
Inhale, lower, exhale, draw the belly and hover. Inhale, lower, exhale, draw the belly and hover.
Inhale, lower, exhale, draw the belly, hover the legs. Good, so keep going here.
We'll do a few more. This exercise does work the muscles at the side of the bum, but it also works our obliques big time here.
So, if you feel the side of your waist, you are right on track. One to go, lower and rest.
Roll now back onto your front. You're going to prop yourself up onto your forearms this time.
From here, I want you to push your knees down into the floor. You're going to round your whole spine as you hover your pelvis off the floor and then lower your pelvis back down.
Reach your breastbone forward and look forward. So, you're going to begin to press the knees down, round your spine, hover up, and then lower the front of your pelvis down.
Reach your breastbone and look forward. So, round spine, chest pulls up, belly pulls up, pelvis pulls up, and then lower the pelvis down.
Reach the breastbone, look forward. Exhale to round, inhale to arch.
Exhale to round and inhale to arch. Exhale to round and lift.
Inhale to lower, breastbone reaches. Exhale to round, lift.
Inhale, pelvis comes forward down, breastbone reaches forward, look forward.
Last time, round your whole spine, push the knees, hover the pelvis, and then lower with control.
Reach the breastbone forward and look forward here. Bring your arms now wide into that kind of goalie post position.
Forehead comes right down. We're not staying here long. You don't need to support yourself here.
You won't need your forehead support here. Inhale, hover the head. As you exhale, begin to reach the breastbone forward.
Don't push with your arms yet. Look forward. When you're up as high as you can come, now shift weight into your hands.
Push all the way up. Arms can come to straight, but they don't have to. Full spine extension here.
Bend the elbows down with control. Lower your breastbone, lower your head.
Let's inhale, hover the head, reach the breastbone, look forward. Weight just to hands, push right up.
Exhale to lower down. Last time, inhale, hover the head, reach the breastbone, look forward.
Press hands, come up. Fill, fill, fill the rib cage with your breath, and then big exhale, lower down with control.
Now, push yourself back up onto hands and knees. We are so close to being done here.
Hands are going to be under shoulders, knees under hips. From here, I want you to push your left hand and your right knee into the floor, like you're trying to push them right through the floor.
Glide the opposite limbs forward and back and lift them up. Bring those limbs down and back in.
Push right hand, left knee right into the floor. Opposite limbs glide and lift. Inhale, lower and back in.
So, you're going to glide and lift and lower back down, and glide and lift and lower back down.
But I want you to pay attention more to the limbs that are staying on the floor. Push them down into the floor.
This helps turn on your core. Try exhaling as you press the limbs and lift. Inhale to lower.
Exhale as you press down, reach and lift. Inhale to lower.
Exhale, press down, reach and lift. Inhale to lower.
Exhale, press down, reach and lift. Inhale to lower.
Last time, exhale, go ahead, reach and lift, and then come all the way down.
From here, tuck your toes. You can always drop to forearms for this one if you need to.
From here, tuck your toes. You're going to tuck your chin, or your eyes are just looking straight down between your hands.
Take a breath in. As you exhale, draw your belly away from the floor and hover your knees.
Inhale to lower with control. Exhale, draw your belly away from the floor and hover your knees.
Inhale, lower down with control. Exhale, hover the knees.
Inhale to lower. Last time, hover the knees. Hold here. Pike your hips right up to that downward dog stretch here.
You can go ahead and walk your hands back towards your feet. Once your feet are flat on the floor, keep your knees bent and let your whole body spine hang over your legs.
Take a breath here and very slowly begin to roll up your spine.
Think about rolling up as though you are stacking one vertebra of your spine on top of the other in a very sequential manner.
So, you are rolling up, as we say, bone by bone by bone. Head comes up last here.
Inhale, arms arc out to the sides and up towards the ceiling. Exhale to let them lower with control.
Inhale, arms reach out to the sides and up towards the ceiling, and exhale, lower.
One more time, you're going to reach those arms up. You're going to hold them up, up, up, up, up.
And as you exhale with a big sweeping motion, send your arms forward, down, and back.
Inhale up, exhale, arms go forward, down, and back.
Inhale up, and last time, forward, down, and up.
Inhale, come up to stand tall. If you liked this class, hit the like button and leave me a comment.
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