Class #823

Reformer on the Mat

50 min - Class
94 likes

Description

Rachel Taylor Segel returns to Pilates Anytime with this fun yet challenging Reformer on the Mat class. Keeping the class very close to the traditional work on the Reformer, you'll find yourself doing Footwork right on through Rowing, Stomach Massage, Long Stretch, and much more. Some exercises work best if you either have socks or a towel to use, so be sure to have those handy. The students in class use a Mat that has a strap with it, but the exercises can be modified to be done without. If you want to do a Reformer class but don't have one handy, this is the class for you!
What You'll Need: Mat, Towel, Hand Weights

About This Video

Sep 03, 2012
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Transcript

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Well, welcome everyone to reformer on the mat class and we're going to start with footwork as we would on reformer, but we're going to do it standing and you can pick up your hand weights and you're going to start in [inaudible] fi [inaudible] and you're going to take your hand weights and put them end to end behind your head and Nessel your head back gently into them. Elbows are in your periphery. Okay, so you're going to inhale, bend your knees out over your toes and exhale, pull your belly in. Just exhale in with the air. Let it lift and exhale. This arm position is really great because it's up your shoulder girdle and you can really breathe in. If you want to go deeper, you may and you can take your knees out over your toes and let your heels come up, but push them right back down to pull your legs together. Inhale knees out over the toes, press your heels down into to exhale your breath and squeeze your thighs. Inhale, you lift up in opposition, you push your feet down and you EQ. Spell your air.

We'll do one more in with the air, heels down, legs zipped together and expel. Take your arms down by your sides and bring your legs hip with parallel. Now we're going to squat. So as you inhale, you're going to bring your arms forward and go wherever feels comfortable. And exhale, return. And inhale. Reach your arms way forward and let your sitz bones go down.

And exhale. Take your feet as you continue and sky and pull your toes towards your arch and your heel towards your arch. So you're in bird on a perch. Inhale and exhale. So the sole of the foot is very powerful. Two more. And your knees go straight over and exhale and one more.

Breathe in and breathe out. Good. Now the arms stay, but take your toes and lift them up. So all 10 toes up like you would on a foot bar to do the heel position and you're gonna keep them up as best you can. Taking the same squat. So inhale all the toes up, exhale. And as you continue, you pull the toes up towards your shins, you reach your heels down, away from that pole.

And the sole of the foot is very taught and very powerful support for your joints and acts. We'll just do two more. Let your arms swing freely. Yeah, and the belly pulls in to push out. Keep your eyes up. This time, your chest up and your butt down. Exhale. Nice. Now take your heels back together, squeeze the from heel, calf, knee, inner thigh. Bend your arms and press them one against the other and then pull into a little bit and kind of lift up so you feel very tall and keeping your heels, calves in her thighs. Together we're going to do the Relevate. As you rise, rise, rise, and you lower, lower, lower and you inhale.

When you exhale good and you end with the earth hard. It's hard to keep your balance. You girls are doing great. You're trying to dry your heels and big toes towards one another. That gives you lots of inner thigh coming right up into your abs. You feel pushing down into the floor and lifting up in opposition and you got pulled apart spine. That just is full of fluid. Last one, hot exhale.

Bring the arms down by your sides and rest good. Come stand with your weights at the front of your mat. And we're going to go down as we might normally go down in mat except into the hundred. Okay, so you've cross your arms and you push the bottom one up against the top and that gives you a lift. Yeah, gorgeous Deb. And as you go down, try and keep your back heel on the mat the whole time or as long as humanly possible, and you curl through and your arms are by your sides and your legs are out, eye height, and you pump. Inhale and exhale now because you have the hand weights, straight wrists and elbows. Pull the weights into your body and then curl your spine forward over that.

Paul. Nicely done. Maybe three more breasts. Pump with one straight, strong arm from the shoulder. Push the air out. Last breath, hot. Exhale, very nice and lower the legs and lift the arms. Then we're going to do the overhead, which is the Jackknife. So as you inhale, you bring your hands towards your hips while your feet come over and up. Very beautiful. You feel those hand weights pulled up into your shoulders as you roll your spine down.

Exhaling when your tail hits you lift your arms simultaneously with your legs up. And exhale, roll down very straight arms. And even as your arms rise, pull the hand weight through those straight arms into your shoulders. Stable. One more. Inhale up and lift your backs. Lift your hips, and then when you roll down, keep your souls up. And then as your low back hits, knee bend towards your chest, bend your elbows and lift your head and shoulders. So now we're going to do the exercise. So elbows or by your waist, hands are parallel to one another.

And you're going to do the exercise called coordination. So as you inhale, you're going to straighten your arms and legs, keep your arms and open and close your legs. Knee Ben's first. Start Your exhale and bend your arms, arms and legs simultaneously. Legs open and closed. Exhale, hot and banned. Good in health of the breath. Go up into the lungs, push the air out of you, bending the arms. We'll do only one more. Inhale. Good. Pull the hand weights through the arms, up into the body.

And exhale. Very nice. Come curling up into fitting. Really good. Now you're going to put your feet under the strap and scoot back until a flexed ankle at the strap is very taught. Actually I'm going to change my mind. Let's take our leg hip with the part under that strap. So come glow closer.

Yes. So here you are in the reformer with your legs pushed out against the shoulder blocks. Okay. You take your hand weights, palms face away from your chest. So that's a very complicated upper shoulder. Um, organization and Ma makes a lot of muscles work. So keep your legs exactly as they are. As you roll your spine back. Don't pull your legs with you.

Go as far back as the tips of your blades. If you can, opening the arms. Exhale, crow, your crown to your knees, but bring your hands to your tail. Put weight to weight, lift your arms up behind you and circle big wings out to the side. Bring them over your feet, Tommy and rolls you up and to sitting and bring the gorgeous again. Inhale, roll about pushes like that against the strap. Open the arms. Big.

Exhale, curl and crown down and hands touch. Push up and around getting each others away to me. Enrolls you up. Bend the elbow. Why Bud? Blades down. Third time last time. Inhale. Push the legs out for stability. Open the arms. Start your ass. Bring the hands to the tail, tip to tip of the weight, and then lift those upper arm bones and lift them armpits and then rural up into sitting. And now we change the arms to here. Okay, so the wrist stays straight. Elbows a little higher than the shoulders.

The spine is straight with the belly supporting. Press the legs out as you tip back on your sits bones. Inhaling, good. Lift the waist, the chest, and the elbows up. Reach forward and sweep the arms back by your tail. Tip to tip. Lift up. This part's the same around exhale, flex the feet, roll up and press the legs outwardly high.

Inhale, lean back, pull the belly up. Exhale, belly in, up ribs, up and out and over your thighs. Arms back to your tail. Lifting up circle round. Throw your blades, move and tummy rolls you up. Exhaling third and last one. Good. Lift the belly like it's elastic. Stretch it up. Chin down. Just a little Christie and Sam. Then waist up, ribs up and reach. Swim back. Lift up and bend more Ben more, and then roll up into sitting to hear. Very nice.

Bring your arms down and rest a moment. Scoop back and lose the strap. Keep now bring your legs together and point your feet. Elbows bent back behind you and hands are right at your chest. Now the weight is parallel to the floor and the wrist are straight so you don't bend them one way or the other and as you inhale, you reach up to where the ceiling and the wall meet. As you exhale, you come down towards your mat. As you inhale, you rise up and you bring the back of the hands together and as you exhale, pull down and then bend. Elbows backwards. Hands to armpits. Here we go. Twice more. Inhale, stretch. Exhale down.

Go Taller. Inhale back of the hands together to really feel that opening. Exhale around and bend the arms to rise up. Third and last one, x bell. Inhale up and oh over and reach. And now keep your hands by your hips. Flex your feet up, curl the spine over. Crown two knees and straighten your arms to your heels. Inhaling, roll the spine up as if against a wall. Exhaling.

The arms are parallel to one another and Annie and the floor. Then pull the belly in and stretch forth, and then bring the outer wrists together and push like you're in the swim pool and back to your hips. Two more times. Curl over. Flex the feet even more than you did the last time. Good. Roll the spine up against the wall with the sitz bones down in the sternum. High length in the belly up and reach the elbows to the ears.

Push out bigger than ever. Exhaling down. Third one. Inhale, easy throat reach-out. Good. Pull the blades down even as the arms are parallel. Lift the waist, the sternum, the rib, cage, the air, and exhale down. Very good. Cross the legs, tailored fashion, Indian fashion, and point your feet underneath you so that you feel the soles of the feet. If pointing the feet is hard, think bird on a perching or something.

Get some activity underneath there. Bend the elbows, put the hand weights together like we started with the elbows in your periphery. Okay, so your feet are powerful. Whole legs and hips. Inhale, keep the weights tip to tip as you straighten up your arms. Exhale and bend. Inhale and stretch. Exhale in bend. Nicely done. Ladies. Inhale and stretch. Exhale and bend. Straighten your risk. Deb, if you can inhale and stirrer at, you'll get more shoulder. Exhale. One more. Okay. Up from the top.

Open the arms to the side and change your legs so the other ones on top, activate your feet and put. If you can do it with these weights, put your thumbs up. Good. So sit back just a teensy bit, Christina. Now to put your thumbs down and up and down and up. Good. Shorter place. Gentle down. But farms down. Turn the elbows up, right. So when you put your thumbs down, steal all that power that comes on your upper arms. Not to roll your shoulder forward, but to roll your humerus in your shoulder.

Right? We'll do one more. Now keep the upper arm exactly how it is, but bring your forearm and palm forward. Hug a tree. Inhale, hug around. Big Circle. Exhale where money is to say around a big sequoia tree. Inhale. So your rounded. Exhale open. Are Your feet still active? Giving you your pelvis? Beautiful. Don't work so hard. Pale.

One more time. Only inhale, don't let the weights take you. You own them. Turn your palms over, bring your hands down and relax. Very nice. You can put your po, your weights on either side of your mat and we'll do swan just as we would do it in mat class. So sweep your legs around behind you. Heads on this end. Long, straight legs together and palms down on the mat under your shoulders. Good. Inhaling the eyes, the nose, the chin, the chest sends your tummy muscles forward, stretching away from your inner thighs and souls. Start Your exhale.

Let it come out of you smooth and systematically and feel your belly lift into your body, into your organs as you exhale down. Good. We'll do two more and then we'll rock. Inhale, eyes, nose, Chin and chest. Be Brave. Go Up, don't use. Squeeze your butt, but instead squeeze your inner thighs and Exhale, continuous, smooth listening. Third Time Up. Feel your feet down, your legs together and out of that your belly. Grow up the front of your spine. That is beautiful, beautiful everyone.

And here you go for diving at least four and exhale. Inhale and inhale. Good. Look up even when you go down. Tough the beach ball behind your feet. Last one, Tommy Institute back on your heels. Take a nice deep breath into your low back. Pick up your hand weights, and then come forward on your tummy for pole straps and t. So you might have to scoot back a little bit on your mat so that your weights can be on the mat with you and your arms are straight forward above your head and your little finger side of your hand is down. So the tip of your weight.

So turn your hands to face each other, right? Weight is down on the mat and forehead is down. Now even though you're there, straighten your elbows and pull your arms deep into your shoulders, right? And that should make you feel your upper abs. So you're going to take your palms in this exercise from facing one another in this direction, in a big sweeping circle to facing one another in the opposite direction over your sacrum, or as close as possible. So as you inhale, eyes, nose, chin, chest forward. Sweep your arms out, parallel to the floor above your hips. And as you exhale, that's gorgeous. Yes, as you exhale, go around and return forehead down in with the air.

Eyes, nose, chin, chest, feet. Stay down, palm space one another. Beautiful. Exhale and reach out. Be Greedy. Take a lot of space as beautiful Christy. Forehead down. Easy shoulders. Yep. Lift underneath. Inhale third and last time. Good. Lift the humorous bone. Yup. Just to here, Tommy. In exhale, reach out.

Good and forehead down. Nice everyone. Now take your arms and if your hand weights start to get too tiresome, put him down and we'll do one without the hand weights. So you're always welcome to take that choice. Okay, so now we're going to do the t exercise. So you start in the same body position, but your arms are out to the side. They're parallel to the floor. The palms stay facing the floor throughout the whole exercise and the tips of them come towards one another over your tail. As you inhale, eyes, nose, chin, and chest. Bring them back, squeeze the blades, and then lift the humerus. Lift the armpits, lift the sternum. Exhale, return like you're flying. Gorgeous.

Inhale, reach up and forth in opposition to your weights. Exhale, lift. You only have one more. So here we go. Quickly, intuit. Inhale, keep the legs together. Keep them down on the mat. Lift the belly as you arms. Big Greedy movement way out to the side. Bring them to the floor and rest your shoulders. Nice.

Bend your elbows with the weights in your hands to me and sits back on your heels. Good. How are your shoulders do? And you do not. Kay. Okay, so now we're going to do backstroke and teaser. So bring your legs out in front of you and you're going to lay down onto your backs, but your head and shoulders are up and your knees to your chest. So you're in a curled position. Yeah, no, it's tricky. You're gonna bring them here and they're going to be above your head, right?

So you're going to curl your spine in. Gorgeous. As you inhale, you straighten arms and legs to the ceiling. As you exhale, you open them all to the side. As you inhale, you come forward and kind of a mini teaser. Just a little though. Keep your blades down. I was may many is what I meant there. And exhale. Bend your knees and return your hands above your forehead. Knuckles together.

No Palm Sport. Yes, exactly. Deborah. Inhale, stretch up and open. Exhaling, reach forward, tummy, deep in, good, less bad, squeezing more belly. Yeah, accent as Gorgeous Christie. And now we're going to reverse it. So you're going to come straight forward. Hands over. Nice circle, arms and legs all round and up and bend in even tighter than you started, but blades down anyway. Yes. Last one. Keep your tips, your blades. Yep. Circle Tummy in as you lift tail. Lift head and curl in upon yourself. Really small, like rolling like a ball. Beautiful. Put your toes on the floor and slide your legs down the Mat.

Put your head down and circle your arms above your head. Palms facing up. So now we're going to do teaser with the big arms circle around to the side. The palms will stay facing up throughout. You'll be really pleased at how easy this teaser is by comparison.

So as you inhale, circle your arms around to the side curl bend round and lift up as you exhale on for all your spine down upon sweep the arms out and finish the last Adam as you hit the mat. Inhale, curl band round. Breathe in. Acts Bell here. That is gorgeous. Let those legs come down to the mid low belly as well. Third and last time we're going to stay up in just a couple of arm circles in heel. Thanks Deborah for keeping going. Inhale up circle. Exhale. Inhale. Keep your pat. You're a fanny down on the mat.

Keep your legs together like those Relevate is one more time up and hold them up as you roll down. Let them go down and around and finish above your head. Very good. That was beautiful, everybody. Okay, so take both your handle hand weights in one hand. Curl up into sitting and put your hand weights down on the floor. Yep. So now we're going to do stomach massage. No? Yes.

Let's do stomach massage now. So we're gonna use the bar behind us and because it's easier, I take a liberty and we're going to do arms back first. Okay. So not that you know Debra, what the heck that means, but okay, so you're gonna put your hands on the dowel. Be careful that you do hold it steady palm palms face towards you and you're going to try and pick the dow up, not hyperextending, but like palm it right up into your shoulder so you're really lifted in the upper body. Okay? Then you're going to bend your knees to your shoulders, heels together, right? So you're very lifted. On a slight day, I can go back, pulling up the would inhale, stretch your legs out in front of you. Flex and point. Exhale, pull the belly in and bring the knees to the shoulders. Inhale, stretch, flex point. Exhale, bend. Inhale, stretch, flex point, fell, bend. Think about those feet and how many bones you're playing with as you do it.

One more time only. Good and Bendon. Now put the tips of your toes on the Mat. Take your hands and bring them forward. A front of your thighs so you're about here and make kind of a dome. That's very powerful. It's a little hard with long nails, but otherwise you don't want to splay. If you can help it, you're still on your sacrum and your bring your knees up into your shoulders.

Blades down. Inhale, stretch, flex point. Exhale, bend. Inhale, stretch, flex point. Curl the tail through your inner thighs, up into your navel. Bend the upper spine over like you're trying to bring your ears to your knees to more good. Stay rounded even on the leg extension. Stay around. Stay round Deb. Curl down. Beautiful. Now put your toes down. Bring your arms out in front of you.

We'll do it without hand weights cause these are kind of heavy. We'll inhale and twist to the right. Inhale, twist, and look back. Exhale, return center. Good. Inhale, left. Twist your whole ribcage and spine. Exhale, center as you inhale and twist. Fill up in new places. As you exhale, pull the waist into. Squeeze left and in. Good. Do One more set.

Okay. Now don't let those quads take over. Fill your belly, holding those size up and twisting you. The last one. Hot exhale brings you center. Straighten your legs down the Mat, slide your hands down to your ankles and take a deserving break. Oh Ah, an exhale. Very nice. So now we'll do the fun sliding things of the long stretch series. So you're gonna take your towel and bring it up on.

Let's go to the bat. Put let's, let's stand up. You can put your socks on Sam. So you can do this with socks on. You can do it on the floor. You can do it with a little Tan towel that slides with you as we will she share them both. So you pull your towels at the back end of your mat. Not all the way though. Maybe a little bit forward. Yes. Yeah, probably so it doesn't slide against itself. And so you have better control of it and then you're going to stand on it.

So you're going to stand at the back edge of your mat and you're going to stay on the floor. All right, so you're in Pilates v you're gonna go on the floor too. Now that's going to be quite readily slippery Christy. So be ready now. I don't know. We'll see. All right, so inhale your arms up. Curl over. Exhaling hands to mat. Like just push up. Walk out into the pushup position. Your heels will rise, but they'll stay together. Now, strong arms and shoulders without hyperextending your elbows, so feel all palm cells as you inhale. Slide back with your towel.

Yeah, push it back on the mat. As you exhale, bring it forward with your arches and tummy. Nice. Inhale, push it back. Exhale, bring it forward. Inhale, exhale, good. Come forward from your inner thighs and belly more than your shoulders, even though of course they must work nicely done, Deborah. Inhale, last one. Everyone. Exhale forward. Now Curl your head and shoulders in.

Roll through your spine as you walk your hands to your feet, heels down, roll up, arms forward. Exhale, open to the side. Very good, and we'll do the down stretch. Okay, so all that strength in the middle. Now we're going to do it in a little bit of a back bend. Exhale, curl it over. Good. Do not sit back. Please feel those legs. Inhale, small hand steps forward into your same position. Strong arms stance and legs together as you lower your thighs, hips and lift your eyes, nose, chin, and chest. Good legs, hamstrings.

Up a little bit and legs together as you go. Slide back. Inhaling, eyes up, chest up, glide back and had felt our hard knife. Lift your eyes, nose, Chin and chest. Yeah. Like you're in the a swan and exhale. Eyes Up. Good. Two more. Inhale that you're telling me off my hand. Very good. Reach your big toes towards one another and your heels towards one another. Coming home. Stay there. Curl your head and upper spine in.

Rolling through your back. Walk your hands to your feet. Heels. Come down to the mat. Nose to knees, a Tommy and rolls your posture erect onto your good, strong feet, legs, pelvis and arms forward. Open out to the side. We're going to do one more and this one, you don't need your towels for us so you can scoot them away. You can keep your socks on if you wish. Um, cause we're not going to slap, we're going to make little mini steps. Now we're going to be in a hip with parallel position for the elephant.

Inhale your arms up. One more time. Blades down, tummy lifted. Curl your spine. Just like a roll up. Exhaling it down to the mat. Walk out about halfway so your heels can stay down. Your palms can go down and you're looking at your knees. Christie going a little smaller. That's it. And Curl. Good.

So now you're going to take teensy little steps out away from you. Backwards. Inhale, right, left, right, left little step, step, step, step, step, step, step, step, step, good, Deborah, and step, step, step. Inhale, exhale, home and step out. Good. If you can, put your heels down and do it and exhale and see if you can now keep your shoulders sturdy. So yes, so an earthquake could not shift that shoulder stance two more times out at out for the inhale. Beautiful Sam and exhale in and then go out one last time and stay there wherever you can. Go with a solid arms stance. Lift your right leg as high behind you as you can for the Arabic and breathe three breasts. Point your foot, push into the floor with your leg in your two arms and fill your belly. Lift up your spine. Bring that leg down and change legs.

Lift the other one as high or higher. Right. Stand on your arms. Yes. Curl your spine and split your legs apart to you. Feel it in your tummy. Bring that leg back down to the mat, to the floor. Parallel. Walk your hands to your feet, nose to your knees, Tommy and rolls you up into arms. Go forward.

Alba's bite ears. Exhale, open and sit down coming forward so that you can put your feet under your strap hip with the part for the short box. Okay, so you scooch back, your legs are straight and pushed out. You feel very strongly the outer hip keeping. You're turning on your powerhouse. You Hug your forearms around your rib cage, shoulder blades down though not working too hard at this moment.

And you round forward easy throat. You're going to inhale to start your roll back. And you could go as far as putting your head on the mat if you wish. Yep. Exhaling there and then curl up and roll back into that very rounded position. Exhaling there. Good. And do it two more times. So at the toughest moment, push those legs out.

Ah, when you feel you need more belly and inhale to start, exhale, bend. When you feel you need more bend, push your legs out. Third and last time, easy throat blades down, but not shoulders down. Roll it back. Good. If you wish, you can take those hugging arms. Bring them to your forehead. Yeah. And stretch your armpits. Bring them back to your hug around your ribs. Inhale, lengthen and curls. You XL truly hug. So when you had those forms in, you squeeze the air out of you. Very nice. Everybody, Tammie and sits you up. And we could use the bar, but we will instead put her hands behind her head and we're going to do the flat back. So keep your legs pushing out. Very strong. Fill your hips.

Really Sturdy at tsunami. Could not change your hips. Inhale, tip back flat. Inhale back. Exhale forward. Very beautiful. So you're stretching your tummy like elastic chin comes down a little bit. Exhale, hot and full. Very nice. Only one more good. And exhale forward.

Nice. We're gonna get us right into the side. Bend to the right. Inhale to the right. Keep your left hip down. Ish. Tommy lifts you up the center. Lift both sides of the waist away from your pushed out legs. Exhale, center in with the older. One more set. Easy neck, easy collar bone, right. Expand your lungs. Feel them like slippery fish or something inside your ribs.

Now we're going to twist to the right. Look past your right arm. Pit Past your elbow. And inhale back. Exhale coming up taller than you started. Twist the spine to the left. Look past your armpit. Past your elbow. Pull the mid low belly in and up. Yes, we'll do one more set and I'll push the legs out when you need more belly.

When you need to support your spine, push those legs out. Very great. And the last one, Nessel your head in your hands and make your abs pull you up. That is exactly right. Good job. And bring your arms down. Bend your right knee to your shoulder. Take hold of your uh, wrist under your thigh. Yup. And we'll do the tree. So now as we do the tree, please pull your arms back gently into your shoulders, blades down. But when you lift your knee to your shoulder, your your back a little bit on your pelvis so that you feel a curved low back, right? Even though your lengthy, you're still rounded and inhale and stretch the leg and exhale and Ben.

And when you stretch that leg, it affects your left leg and then, and it affects your breathing and your throat and your brain. Stay up there and flex and 0.3 times. And when you change every bone in your foot, it affects how you think. It affects how you breathe. It affects your spine for sure. Finish pointing. Walk your hands to your ankles.

Bend your elbows high as if you could pull the Napier neck over your skull to your Shin and breathe. They're releasing tension, but finding the strength and the support and the stretch that you wish for gorgeous. Then tip back so your leg becomes a tree trunk and walked down onto the mat. Inhale, push your right leg into your hands as you walk down and come climbing back up. So you're pushing your leg down into the mat. You're pushing your other leg into your hands.

You feel the back of your legs and then you fill your tummy like mad. Inhale, walk down. One more time. Lay your spine out. So long curl gently your chin up and walk your hands higher and sooner. Right? Push your leg into your head. If you can flex your foot and pull your toes down towards your crown. You're welcome to do so.

Put your right hand now on the inner arch of your right foot. Yup. So here and then we're holding your squareness and your balance. Take your left arm out to the side in your periphery though. Not too far. Now stay tall, everybody. Eyes up, chest up, and move your leg out to the side and back to the front. Feel your balance.

Move it out and front so the pelvis doesn't change, but the leg changes. Keep it there. Roll back a little bit and stretch your inner thigh and belly. Enlists you up taller. Then you started, bend your knee out to the side and cross your right ankle high over your thigh. Rounding over and you get to take a nice stretch. You can even push your right knee gently down if you wish, but even upside down, keep your blades down your back, right so that you know the truth about your stretch. Very gorgeous.

Change legs. So the right ankle goes under, curves around flexes the toes back to your kneecap. You pull that right me, not just to your body, but to your shoulder, right? And then as you stretch your leg, you still your hamstring kind of run down to your sitz bone perhaps. And exhale. So as the Shin rises, the hamstring goes and opposition. And then we'll do one more. Stay there and, and articulate your foot.

And as you change your foot, feel your calf, your hamstring, even your belly changing every moment. Good and finish pointed. Walk your hands to your ankle. Good elbows. Why? But blades down, blades down. Do not work hard. Open your back and pull gently your spine over you towards your Shin. That is so gorgeous.

Take a big breath tip back till your leg is perpendicular like a tree. And walk down. Inhale and joy laying out. You got the Mat right there. It feels so good. Chin up and exhale. Climb. Now as you go down, leave your hands high longer. So when you leave him high longer, you've got to really lengthen your spine to the mat, Vertebra by Vertebra blades down.

Nevertheless though Christie and exhale and then when you come up, get your hands high a little sooner and that will help lift your belly and your spine and make you work okay to go all up to your flexed foot, flexing your foot, pull it down, elbows gently wide and see if you can bring your spine around like you're fitting inside the inside of a fit ball blades down though, right? So don't work hard. Open yourself. Let your exhales expand you and shed tension. Left-Hand goes to the inside of the left foot, right arm buzz out in your side, in your periphery. Very straight and strong. Take that left leg to the side and to the front and to the side and you're playing with, can I keep my hips square?

My shoulders square is my belly and balance. Right. Last time after this, I'd stay there. We're all down however far you like. Stretching the inner thighs, making your tummy work good. Roll back up and then grow tall. Stretching your spiny rec knee bend behind you. Even crossing that left ankle over high and rounding forward.

But even rounding forward, your blades are down. You're back. So what would you round would be your spine, right to squeeze your blades a little bit, just a TNC, and then look for some other place that you could bend. Excellent. That was good. That should feel so delicious. Okay, good. So now we're going to do semi circle chest expansion and five stretch. So you're going to lay down on your backs.

You can take your socks off and that will help you and bend your knees and plant your feet flat hip with apart. Okay. Now bring your feet as close to your sits as you can get them. If you can hold your heels and your ankles with your fingers, Great. If you can't, did you put your arms by your sides? Good ladies. That is so fabulous. So you're a bad hip with, so are your knees.

So your knees are pointing in the same direction as your toes. And your butt is down [inaudible] as best as you can. All right, so we're gonna start by uh, lifting the heels up high, curling the tail, and then the low back and then the mid back and then the ribs and go as high as you can like arch up. Stay that high and put your heels down and from the throat. Roll the spine away from your head. Wide shoulders, ease, fall. Exhaling your breath.

Very nice. Put the heels up. We'll do one more time. So when you put your heels up, fill your arches. Be Powerful and stand as much as possible on the inner line as well. Curl the tail, curl the sacrum. Curl the low back. Go Up, go up, go up. Feel your knees arch away from your chest. Put the heels down inside that arch. Roy your throat from the top to the bottom.

Undulating, reaching your knees way forward, reaching your ribs away from your armpits, your waist away from your ribs, et cetera. Gorgeous. So now we're going to reverse it. Curl the tail with your heels down and roll. The spine is articulate and snake lake as you can until you are chai, big glute and hamstrings. Now at the top, lift your heels, knees go away. Forward and try and arch even higher. Then roll the throat down and then ribs.

Yeah, exhaling your breath. Very nice. And at the bottom, put your heels down. Good. We'll do our time. Curl the tail, articulate what you hadn't articulated before as if you're playing the scales on the piano. Roll through and then go all the way up a huge arpeggio. Lift your souls and weight them, and then roll top to bottom. Leave your shoulders up, ish on the mat and let your spine go long and down away from you. Very Great Tommy income curling up into sitting and then into kneeling and take your hand weights. So you're going to kneel with your feet pointed hip with the part down on the mat and your arms are going to be four. We're going to do chest expansion.

This part's easy. This, they're a little gift. Inhale, reach the straight arms behind you, opening the chest and cracking a walnut between your blades. Glance to the right glance to the left face center. Exhale ha. Build the belly pole and in with the air. Now when you glance, I really mean it. Listen behind yourself like someone's whispering this and left. Listen, right, soft throat forward. Exhale. We'll do one more set.

When you glance and listen. No, that your entire spine could twist. So is your eyes neck. So could your tail and the other side. Yeah, and let your whole spine change. Texture Front. Exhale. We'll do one more only in with the air. Put the shins down, the feet down. Good. Fill the entire spy. You own that whole spine. It's yours.

Do with it what you will. Arms forward, palms down. Look down at your knees, thighs. Stretch in a plank. Back and forth. Good back. Look down, literally past your tummy at your knees. That will give you a hundred curl. So look down dub. Yeah, that will give you a hundred curl. Not that you're going to sink your butt because you don't care about how far back you go. You go on a long lifted plank.

Very beautiful and enough. Sit down. You can keep your hand, which or not we're going to do short spine. So you lay on your back, you can have your arms by your sides, with or without you laid down on your back. I better not and use to your shoulders, heels together, head down. Good. So when you hold your hand weights there, it's different than palms down there.

Not only are they not on the mat if you can. Yeah. And also like this feeling of you're holding onto something and it it gums into your body. So as you inhale, you frog out where your tummy can keep your spine head down. As you exhale straight legs go over you and up. Now look at your tummy and keep your hips that high, but curl your spine and knee bend to your ears. And then as you exhale your last breath, keep your heels there until you can't roll your spine down to your legs or straightish. Yup.

And then when you can't go any further, knee bend and bring your heels to your butt again. Inhale frog out long, straight legs over and up. Exhaling, pull the hand, wade straight. Elbows up into your shoulders, curl the spine and bend the knees. Good. Roll the spine down away. Yep. Easy neck, easy chest. Turn in just a little. Let that stretch. T Q and then knee bend and bring your heels to your butt.

We'll do just one more. Okay. Everyone Tummy. And as you stretch out, draw the legs together. Straight legs over and up. And Joy. Cruel. Your spine like rolling like a ball. Roll down away from those feet, which you can see until the last minute right there above your eyes. And then knee bend and bring your feet to your butt. Very great. Okay. Come sitting up.

Put your hand weights away and put your towels back on your, and we're going to do knee stretches and we're going to do them on smaller towels because each one has to, has to move independently of the other. And so we need to have two towels. Or like Sam says, you can have socks on your feet, which make the whole thing simpler. Okay, so we changed to smaller towel, so we can do that of eventually as you get really good, you don't need towels or socks. You just levitate yourself right up, right? So yes, she will. I know Barbara, that kind. So you have one leg out, one leg in, and you're looking at your pelvis so you don't let it change heights and you switch and slide and switch and slide and switch and slide and switching. Slide. Good. Inhale for a couple and exhale for a couple. And not only are you looking at the height of your pelvis, but you're looking at your tummy and while you look at your tummy to pull it in, you pull your blades down, your back right there reminds you of single leg stretch.

Now bring both knees in towards your eyebrows and you're going to do both legs at the same time and help push out. Exhale home. Yes. Inhale out, exhale home. You're doing so fabulous, Barbara. Let your head drop. Keep your shoulders the most stable thing in the world and move your legs and stead right. Keep them here. Inhale, push out. Exhale, bring them home. Inhale, last one. Exhale, bring them home. Put your knees down and rest. That was so good. Very great. Okay, so now you can put your towels on the floor and we're going to do the most con mental control, ology exercise of the bunch we're going to do running. So we're going to pretend we have a foot bar in the air. So you lay on your back, bend your knees to your chest, put your hands behind your head, elbows wide, but in your periphery, as you curl your head and shoulders up, knees parallel because you run parallel legs together.

So Tommy in, as you extend your legs out into a long distance that your belly can hold, you have a foot bar that you're going to stand on. Bending one knee up and lowering the opposite. He'll give me this foot, bring this foot to me, right? So you gotta bend your knees from here. Bend one knee, lower, one heel bend with the other knee, lower the other heel. Bendon switch. Beautiful. Inhale for a couple exhale for a couple that sits.

So when I leave you, your amazing mind is going to keep that foot bar right there. Exactly. Easy chest and collarbone blades down and curl the spine. Nice Christie. And curl the spine, right? But it's so beautiful. Smile Fam. Thank you. Last breath.

Bend the knees to your chest, hug them in Ho and then roll forward and stand up. And we're going to finish with the side splits. So on the side splits, you can be on your mat or on the floor. We're going to face me and you're going to have one. You're gonna, you're gonna stand on both your, um, small towels, but one foot will be stable while the other foot slides. So as on the reformer, you're in a parallel leg position and you try and stay parallel. Arms are out to the side in your periphery and they're strong and they pull into perhaps and they lift and hold you as you inhale.

And then the right leg exhaling is gonna calm to meet the left. Inhale, push out the exhale, come home. Beautiful. Inhale, push out. Exhale, slide it in. The more parallel, the more you feel the best of the inner thigh, all the way up the belly to where the so has finishes and pulls on the diaphragm on the inhale and lets the diaphragm return on the x one more in and out. Stay out and we're going to pick the flowers. So keep your legs very sturdy, round your spine forward. Touch the mat if you can.

Curl up, keep your legs right where they have been. Pelvis on top, arch the spine up, return with the belly in open arms and now the other leg is going to come in. Exhale the left leg Yan. Inhale it out and exhale it in. Good. Stand down and you're negotiating the whole time.

Like how much weight on one part of the foot, the other part of the foot, et cetera. Yes, keep it parallel at the trickiest moments. Nice bite. One more in and out. Good. So now unfortunately your tushes are to the bat, so you've got to show them that you keep your hips square on your legs as you twist to do the saw. So you inhale, you bring your right ribs to your left thigh, but don't change your pelvis. Tommy rolls you up. Exhaling brings your arms to the side. Inhale, twist, exhale, reach. You bring your cheek towards your cap and your left ribs to your right thigh and your belly lifts you and stacks you taller than you were as you twist will do.

Only one more exhale. Nice shift. Dab reach arms apart from the center of your spine. Belly from low, middle to top, twist you right. Gorgeous. Last one, everybody. Yes, twist more than you have yet. Beautiful. Take advantage of that moment. Let the lowest belly start you up in the twist, only on twisting you continuously as you rise now, take your feet and toes in. You can leave your towels, heels, or bring them with you toes. Heels. Bring your arms down to your sides.

Congratulations. You did it. Yeah. Hey, good job. My hands are, Ooh, you sweat girl. But that's that sticky stuff. Yeah.

Comments

1 person likes this.
Great class Rachel. This is a nice variation from other classes I have done for reformer on the mat. My arms are feeling it! whew! Thanks!
1 person likes this.
Nice session...love the slow precise pace. Gliding disks are a great "poor man's" reformer carriage...towels works okay too! Love the "taller than when you started". Thank you!
Thank you Rachel! You are always fabulouse!! Love the towel work!
I loved it enjoyed the detail instructions ,beautiful movements where can I get this mat?
Malak~ I believe that the 'mat' they are using is part of the Tower apparatus and so not really a mat per se. Click here to see our Tower classes so that you can see why I think that. :)
AC
1 person likes this.
nice! it's always fun to see what different teachers use to simulate the reformer. agree this is hard to do without a strap -- I guess I need to get a sandbag.

I would love to see another 'reformer on the mat' class that uses the small barrel or the reformer box.
Hannah is right that these mats are part of a Wall Unit (Tower/Pole System) made by balanced body. It is however a Mat much like the traditional Mat Joseph Pilates used. Sometimes people don't realize that the Mat is an apparatus itself.

Wall Unit Mat
2 people like this.
Thank you Rachel, you are spectacular, what more can I say?
I really enjoyed this class. The towel work was great and I improvised with the strap work.... tucked my feet under the sofa.... worked a treat!! Thanks Rachel.
Outstanding, Rachel. Great workout!
Sherry
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