Class #1328

Stretch in the Body Center

55 min - Class
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Description

Amy teaches a Reformer class that works on finding a stretch in the center of the body. She starts with a warm up to help find space in the waist, then begins to teach the exercises in a traditional order. Amy works deep into each exercise focusing on the quality of movement throughout.
What You'll Need: Reformer w/Box, Pilates Pole

About This Video

Dec 10, 2013
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Transcript

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Hi everybody. I'm going to do a nice intermediate level workout this morning, so I'm probably falling in a rather traditional order except for the beginning here. So I'm going to climb in the middle right at the edge of them a carriage. I don't have any springs attached and I want to get right up to the edge and I'm going to do this to kind of mobilize my lower back and my spine and just get into that deep center of the body and I'm going to focus quite a bit on that space between the pelvis and last rib and really working to get that stretch and that extension of space through here, which I desperately need most of the time. Um, all right, so I'm going to stand with feet nice and parallel. I've got about a fist with between my knees I have my high bar up at the highest setting so that it can rest my hands just gently on the bar and as I put my hands there I'm going to press down a little bit and slightly out just to give some sense. In my upper body, it might lats and establishing some, uh, connection in my body and my upper back. So I'm going to breathe in here and then the exhale will be the flection of the lower back.

And I'm thinking a lot about that lift of space right there between hip and rib cage and rolling the pelvis under me, which is actually taking the carriage forward toward the uh, calves and then as a roll back or move the carriage back. I'm really trying to govern that with my pelvis movement. So again, exhale and inhale as I reach it back. So in a way you might even think of doing this just with your tail. You can curl your tail under you, pulling it toward your calves and then sweep the tailbone back. I'm going to do that a couple more times and tailbone four under toward the calves and then sweeping it back nice and tall through the upper spine and a last one here. So as I do this one, I'm going to pause and to stay connected to the space that's right above my head and just kind of feel like I'm continuing, even though I'm curling my lower spine, that I'm still reaching up through my head there and continuing to feel that space all around my center and then sweeping back and lift.

Now without moving the carriage, I'm just going to take my hands right to the top of my forehead. I'm going to do a basic little spine twist and I'm going to try to establish even weight on my sit bones and no movement of the carriage and all exhale [inaudible]. And so with my hands here, all I'm really doing is just giving again a little boundary for my, uh, eye alignment. Give me a sense of lowering my shoulder blades and kind of bringing the tips of the shoulder blades for rid of my body, widening my back. I'm gonna do one more each direction.

Okay. And, and an easy side, Ben. And for me this morning I'm going to take my arms out to the side. Sorry, one arm up. I hit my head and sliding the hand down the side of the reformer and just feeling like that opposite sit bone is the main focus of anchoring weight down there, opening my ribs toward the window and then bringing my body to vertical. And so the outside hand on the side of the reformer, I'm feeling the wood, but again I'm trying to keep that hip down, but work on separating that space and lift.

Just giving a body my body a little warm up before the foot work begins. [inaudible] one more each direction. Lift and reach into the side. Bend and legs and carriage staying nice and still. So the body is what's moving the spine is what's moving. And then I'm going to come all the way up. Okay.

So as I put on the springs for my footwork series, I usually like three red on these balanced body reformers and I'll lower the bar, just a clip there. And here we go. I'm going to stay pretty consistent with this, so I'm going to take myself into that Palase v heels together, toes apart. And then again before the leg presses begin, still working. Awareness and the upper body. So my back of arms, back, have shoulders, upper back are active just a little and my ribs are sinking down. My sternum is kind of relaxed.

I'm not bracing in my spine and I push and pull [inaudible]. So as we press and working through the springs, I really am trying to get that again. Stretch also through the waistline right there from hip to rib. Take two more. Press and pull. Press and pull balls, the feet wrapping in, bird on a perch and stretch and pull.

So the stretch is not just my legs but again I'll talk about that quite a bit this morning or today in through that space in the center of the body. Lengthen and fold [inaudible] and then the feed are actively held on the bar and I'm almost using them to pull me back into the stopper. You know, we are working our feet here, not just the legs. So we, I really want my active feet, oh nine and in and 10 and then we'll take the heels onto the bar. Take a moment to really flex the ankles and pull the outer edge, the lateral edge of the foot back. Sometimes that pinky toe gets a little lost. I have my ankles all the way together, my inner thighs all the way together.

Ah, and every now and again, just check those ribs. If you can relax them down into the body. Let your body kind of spread wide, your back wide. [inaudible] and nine and 10 so I'm going to go back onto the balls of the feet in the high heel position and I'm going to press out three counts to lower the heels. One count to lift, one, two, three, rise up, lower, lower, lower. Rise up, down to three, rise up, down to three and rise down to three.

Rise. I'm going to switch the tempo. One count down, three counts up, so down, pull up, up, up and up, up. And when I lower, it's not a sudden drop. It's still a stretch. So I'm stretching, lift, lift, lift. Last to stretch, lift, lift, lift, and lower lift, lift, lift and bend the knees who come home, one set into second position, heels wide. I'm going to go with some pulses and first 10 regular extensions.

[inaudible] so when I'm impressing here, again, trying to feel like I've energy out my head across my chest, really feeling like I'm making more connection with the mat and my spine. Inner thighs pressing in toward that center line of our body and a nine and 10. So I'm going to do the little double poles and a little percussive reading. I just want to get into my legs a little bit here with this down and and four, three, two and one all the way in. From there, just peel the feet off the bar. Take your legs into a stretch of the inner thighs.

Try to get a little more rotation from those hips. And I'm gonna do inhale, inhale, exhale, exhale. Again, same thing with flexed feet, toes toward the floor, and four, three, two, one keeping the ankles flex. Pull the legs right up toward the ceiling as strong. Squeeze in the Groin, up to the heels. Articulate your feet. Let's come back to parallel. We'll come back onto the foot bar for walking in place and I'm just going to do an easy set of 10 to three feel the up of the heels.

Lift, lift, press, press. The arms are pressing, the head has energy up, the stomach is long, right through hip to rib nine and 10 and we're coming all the way in. Okay, now I am going to roll up and take the foot bar all the way down and I'm going to reduce my springs just down to one red, so that was on three. I'm going to come down to one red and I want to lie down again and just rest my feet lightly on the foot bar and this for me to get some more kind of warm up through my mid body. I'm going to work on some rotation right here. So if we take the hands, you can either go onto the shoulder blocks or your pegs. You choose what feels best in your body. I like the blocks best actually.

And I want to think of pulling them off the reformer without thrusting the rib cage so that stays relaxed. Now with the lower body, I'm going to engage those abdominals and just barely let the toes touch the foot bar here so that actually demands quite a bit of that connection down all the way through those lower abs for me not to push the ribs forward. So I'm going to breathe in and exhale, rotate the knees toward my left light feed on the bar. And Inhale Center. I'm going to do about five, maybe four each side, sorry for each side. And so what I'm trying to do here is keep that feeling of length through my center legs pressed together. One more each side, kind of a plain rotation. Now I'm going to take that right leg and reach it up, cross the knees right over firmly and rotate.

So having that top leg on top gives this whole lower shape, more weight because I have this top leg pulling this leg down and the other foot on the foot bar is still light and I'm going to do the percussive rhythm again and I'm feeling like it's not a bounce at all. I'm thinking of stretching. My knees are lowering my knees toward the floor and inhale, inhale, exhale, exhale and four, three, two and one going a little further on the next inhale and exhale and stretch. So I love this series to get you know, into a different plane of movement early in the session. And then if I take my knees to the right, lowering down again, easy rib cage. Here I go. And inhale, inhale, exhale, exhale, some le allowing that outer hip line to lengthen feels really nice in my it band down and four, three, two and one. I'm going down again.

Inhale little further toward the floor and exhale coming home. Okay, we're going to just slightly different, so I'm going to take it up and reach and cross. Now with this one, I'm going to reach my top leg out straight and take a moment to reach the top hip toward the foot bar so that I'm lengthening and getting that good sense of length again in that way. And now I'm taking this leg up toward the risers. Same breathing. This is a great wake up for the hamstrings here. Yeah, and four and three of most are really demanding a lot in my abdominals helping me pull my leg up toward the risers and then cross return and uncross the legs.

This can also be done with the carriage extended away from the foot bar, which I've done before. So I'm gonna now take my leg toward the window. Take a moment to unhide this hips. You've got to take that time, get that elongation and that extension here. Then the leg is ready and pull it up. [inaudible] really nice way to stretch those hamstrings. [inaudible] and four, three, two and one.

And then cross return and leg and finish. All right, so that feels really nice for me to do. I'm going to go up and add a another blues though. The blue spring coming down for hands and straps, knees up, arms ready, going right up into the 100 that I am going to do a little bit of the change of level. So as I've got my hands by my hips, knees in that 90 90 you'll see me change positions momentarily. Here I go right up to the ceiling and I'm holding here for four pumps.

Sets for now. Lower the legs just a little bit there and hold. Considering this as an evolving chess lifts, you never really get cozy going back here it go lower just a bit. And continuing to open the chest four and down a little bit. Lower and whole that length in the waist. Three, four, one more set going down and take my toes about eye level and hold. And for three, two last breath cycle. Fold the knees in, arms come up and arrest. Okay, I'm going to choose to do rollover right now and need to take my head rest down.

Hands go back up into the straps. I'm going to come away from the shoulder blocks just a little bit, the rollover or a overhead. So let's bring the arms to those 90 positions. Inhaling, exhale the arms down. Now I want to lift my hips and roll myself up over my shoulders. Flex the feet open to the width of the reformer.

The arms are solid and as I roll down like I'm dragging my heels right along the ceiling and take the legs just a little lower in together. Arms and legs to 93 repetitions of the sexercise flex. I'm also thinking of energy out the top of that head away from the tail. Of course, we've got that oppositional queuing and connection and this time pulling the knees. I'm actually gonna fold my thighs and fold my thighs closer in toward my chest.

I am still an over level pelvis and I'm working on that space between the ribbon hip full the elbows. Lift the head. Let's do three. Coordination and press open. Pull in, curl a little higher as we fold the elbows in. And two more pressed open-close fold in and elbows. Last one, press open, close fold in fold and all the way down. Straps in one hand, coming up for a little rowing.

So I'm going to take off the blue spring facing back and to do rowing facing back and the hands to the sternum. Three repetitions for me this morning. So I'm going to start with my uh, hands nicely close to my chest, lifting the elbows and setting those shoulders down. Nice breath full. There's that space and exhale and roll the pelvis back. Now holding the carrot steady as I opened my arms out to the t, I'm going to start to pull my arms back first. Excuse me, then flex over. I'm going to reach my hands low to the springs so I can really feel that scoop of my abdominals and the reach of my shoulder blades down. Lift, hook up into that stomach. Really lift.

I'm going to take that moment to stretch my hamstrings. One, two, three, two more times. So pelvis rolls out from underneath and just like we did in the warm up. Now is that open this time I'm going to go ahead and make the decision. Palms face back, pull the arms first. Body and arms are pulling and I'm going to reach my fingertips. Low, sends those long tricep muscles.

Staying on the sit bones circle going for the stretch and up. One more time. Elvis under open and arms. Press and body over. I'm going to reach my fingertips. Low scoop that stomach up in, in and stretch. Can we get a little higher reach of the arms?

A little higher as a circle Ola or a round. I'm going to hold on a flexed ankles for three breaths. All right, I'm going to come up this now for some pulling straps. I'm going to stay on one red spring and keep getting into my shoulders and arms. Chest over the end, grabbing the tape. All alright and then feeling that set up.

So I have my front body actively long, my back body actively engaged but not too much yet because that's where the work is. I'm going to do three repetitions and as I pull my arms, I'm going to aim a little bit out to a 45 this morning hold, and then I want to lift my front chest just a little bit higher, just a little bit, and then everything will come down to pause. Two more arms, a little bit toward a 45 hold, aiming the chest. Then just a little bit higher and down. And one more time. Establish that 45 and Lyft, Lyft, Lyft, and harassed. I'm going to take one breath cycle to let my neck rest the t press. I'm pulling my hands all the way back. I like to hold onto the canvas loop. Palms are facing the floor, little lift in the front chest, three repetitions, arms coming toward the hips. Now closing the arms more into the body, not at 45 and open and pulling in.

And I'm really accentuating my chest reaching, trying real hard not to lift my head. Reach the chest, chest, chest. Now I want to take five tricep extensions, keeping those elbows high too. Okay. And three and four and five and I'm going to rest all the way. Hook my straps and I'm going to turn my box now sideways for some short box work, lifting off the loot, put on a few more springs to stabilize the carriage and I'll grab my bar. All right, so again, I'm going to pull my feet up into the strap and pulled them out wide.

Scoot back pretty far, probably three or four reps of each position. So hands are shoulder width and I'm going to really first again recommit there is my length, my goal breathing in my goal for me right now is not how far back I go, but the quality of this connection, that awareness, they're breathing and when to use that to pull me up and over feed. Stay nice and tod on the strap and rolling up to sitting tall and again, and I'm not using a weighted bar. I've just got a Dow. Whoa. [inaudible] last two. [inaudible] AH, okay. [inaudible] [inaudible] last one.

Wow. I still have energy though. Reaching out the front here, even though I'm moving back away from the bar. [inaudible] [inaudible] and flat back for me. Arms stay in front of my body. And so I can keep that connection with integrity. So I'm hinting back, inhale and lift that side body up and exhale and inhale [inaudible] I have that pretend moment that someone's on top of the reformer pulling up bar up toward the ceiling with me so that I can keep that long flat spine taking the side Bend, uh, and stretch toward you and center. Stretch the spine and bend way from you and center.

Three side opposite hip stays anchored ribs open. Set those shoulders in between each one, one more and open and center and open. So as I take my rotation for someone to lower my arms to get my neck around my rotation here, I with my arms up, instead of thinking about this, let's say I'm coming towards you, my ribs towards you. I'm going to think of the opposite side of my ribs coming around, my body towards you. And that's what's going to take me into my twist and a hinge.

So I'm going to think about my, this side coming around me coming around me, around me, around me, around me, around me to take me into that hinge. And again I lift and take my side and reach and twist. One more each side, lift and twist and lift and twist and up and stick underneath for climate tree. So I'm going to adjust my pelvis. I'm going to take that elbow under and really try to pull my chest up toward my thigh and extend and bend three times.

Extend and Ben and stretch. Now hand at the ankle. I'm going to flex the foot. I'm going to bring my torso toward my Shin here. And then as I take my tree back, I'm gonna try really hard not to adjust with a big forceful body shift on the Mat. I want to try to do my muscular to bone adjustment, if that makes sense. So I'll show you the main instead of this whole thing. I know I'm a little out of whack right now, so I want to think, okay, muscles, what can you do to get my skeleton a little more organized?

Walk down, open the chest, take that leg up there. Do one leg circle around and up. Chin toward chest and walk. I'm gonna flex the top foot. I want to hold on and then come back up to vertical recenter. Let's go again. So I'm coming back, pelvis under just like we did in the warmup. Walking down can soften your foot up there.

I am going to do another leg circle. I'm crossing toward my midline, around and up. Flex the foot. So reluctantly. Let this leg go down. Bring your chest toward the leg. As we come up, let's go one more and walking in the hands down deep stomach contraction. Change it. Use the back muscles to extend the spine and a leg circle and rolling up, up, up, and reluctantly let the leg go down because you bring it up. Okay, I'm going to do the hand at the ankle, hand on the box, and then again, deep pelvic tilt. Take the leg open, trying to really get a groin stretch there. I do this when pretty often, so you guys probably know it's coming. I am in a back bend. Now when I come up, I want to try to leave my leg out there to the side again, reluctantly bringing it up, reluctant this, they get strong curl, curl, curl, and let's do a figure four [inaudible]. All right, all that on the other side.

Arm under the knee and sitting as tall as we can and extend Ben Extend. And then last one, shoulders are square, hand on ankle flex, hands on the toes. And then I'm gonna lift my center and try to bend toward my front leg. Try No right in. Here is a chance to square things out. So if you're looking at yourself and this hip is back here, take a moment before you roll back and use these muscles. Square that skeleton.

Now, right now as we roll back, send that pelvis under. So I think in my tailbone coming way out, up to the foot bar, and then I'm walking down, softening the foot is I go one leg circle over, round and up. Flex the foot, walk up the tree. Reluctantly late. Take the leg down. You're rocking your chest towards your side. Getting a little more square. And here we go, leaning back and take your body down.

Over the top leg is reaching up. Your foot on the strap is solid curl chin toward the Shin. Reluctantly lower the leg one last time and pelvis. Oh cool. Lift rolling up. And okay, the inner groin stretch hand on the heel or ankle.

Other hand on the outside of the box if you've got that. And accrual the hips again. So I'm trying to pull my leg away from my center line. Ah, going into an arch, going into that back, Ben and Carl keeping the leg over there. Bring the torso toward the front leg. Deep contraction.

And at the very top is our figure four. And then last year was on the shirt box. We're going to do some site over. I'm going to face away from you first changing feet and I have my uh, my shin up on the edge of the box here and I want to flex my ankle and lean out. And again, take this back, this bottom rib side everybody and just turn it toward your front facing just in case there's light. And getting set up when your brooms are back. So turning that hands behind the neck, we're just doing five and we're bending and we're coming up into a flat line and we're going to hold and we're vending and we're coming up and, and each time we come up we can take a moment and re settle the shoulders in case they snuck up there. Bend over, lengthen and lift. And last one, bend, lengthen and lift. And that's plenty.

And I want you to settle for just a second. Pull this foot in. Let's do a little mermaid stretch. This side you just contracted, but we're going to stretch, stretch, stretch, like to enter, we have these stretches between some of the contractions. All right. Parallel, solid, nice and anchored. Again, take your underside and just wearing it forward a little bit. Hands behind the neck, sweep the neck long. And here we go. A bend and exhale.

Hold and bend and, and Ben [inaudible] and Ben [inaudible] and the stretch one last time. Okay. And then, and lift [inaudible] and rest. Then this needs just a little bit. I've put my hand on my, my foot and I'm doing a slight mermaid desk type of stretch toward the other side and we're up. Okay, let's take our box away. Okay, Brina, come back around for some semi-circle. Actually, no, I'm going to do, I'll wait for a second long stretch series. Excuse me. So we'll put our strap down.

I'm going to do one red spring, maybe red in a blue hand foot, secondhand, second foot. Now just take a moment here. I don't want your heels so high that they're, you know, past the shoulder block, not too low that you're standing on that. So you're just kind of an amid mid tippy-toe. Let's go five repetitions. Inhale as we push the carriage and exhale, bring it in.

Proud chest coming through the arms and prs [inaudible]. So working those springs, but still feel that waste. Feel your energy stretching through your ribbon, your hip line, four and five [inaudible] hold little push up and rest the down stretch. So I want to think of reaching my heels back first. Swan, the chest, five reps, inhale and exhale is if I could do a high swan dive with my upper back and keeping my swan dive in my back as I push. Yeah, using the hamstrings. Lift up through the lumbar spine. Two more up, up, up last time.

Trying to get my upper back. Get that upper back, upper back, upper back. Now quiet reformer. As we transitioned for up stretch this morning, I want to have us go into the mid ball foot and just for a moment reach those sits bones up. Reach the head, make sure it's right there between the arms but that your neck is long. Here we go. I'm just going to do three of the full up stretch. So as I play I'm an o curl into it.

So I'm trying to crawl all the way to the bumper and lift and let still in it cause somewhat of a round shape on the way back undulate into the flat extended spine and push and squeezing, hugging the midline with my arms, with my inner thighs, with my abs lift and undulate tail away from head. Head away from tail last time. The objective, they're getting long. Hug your midline. Lyft [inaudible] the elephant flat feet. Now elephant for me this morning. I'm going to go round back again. I'm trying to get this connection.

That's my goal and I want to sink my heels. Lift the toes, lift the ribs and stomach and a little faster. One and two and four wrapping the shoulders, wrapping the ribs and seven and eight and nine holding on. 10 coming down for the knee strip series I like to read. Feel free to change it. You can do any spring Combo. You want her going round, flat, knees off. Here we go. So establishing that curl of the pelvis, that length between ribbon hip. I like my head kind of right above my arm line or else I'll get a little caught in my neck, but I want to feel the focus in that lower half.

Here we go, but tucking those ribs back and I actually went in three, four, five really committing to the curl under and forward of the tail. Seven, eight, nine, 10 flat back, tail away from head. Little Swan with the upper back and, but the knees still hugging the midline and four, five, seven, eight, nine and 10. Now we go to flat, back in, around back. What I'd like to do, transition is stand up first, start coming down into the curve. Make that be about the round back. Eventually knees are low. This morning, this is where I'm at.

I might be able to get a little lower and four, five and six, that three inch band around the middle, pull it back and, and nine plus my counting and 10. Alright, so now I want to do semi-circle this morning. I would love to take my foot bar down. I'm going to stay on to red springs and as I move out, okay? I tend to be a person that does a lot of turnout with my leg structure. I'm going to work parallel in my thighs or my semi-circle today. Okay.

Just as an effort to keep a little bit more length in the quadriceps. So as I start on the balls of their feet, pulling the carriage forward as much as I can without rolling on the ankle. And I'm gonna Pause. Lift the gin. So then here I go. As they start to roll and move the carriage back, watch the heels. I'm going to let my heels come down for just a second.

Then bring the spine to the mat, then into those springs and push. Not all the way, I don't have a stopper in there, but I'm going to stop about halfway back so that I can really feel my heels against the front of the reformer to get that pelvic curl. The keep the pelvic curl coming into bridge and then forward, forward, forward. At some point, I'm going to allow my heels to lift so that it can keep sending my knees out over my toes. Then as I go back again, trying to push the carriage a little bit since the heels. Then bring the chest down away from Chin spines, raping over the Mat and let the uh, the pelvis just sit down in this rings. So it's the glutes and hamstrings. Now Push, then pull the heels very steady at the front of the carriage pelvic curl lift, sending the knees out into space. Forward. Who are Ford One more this direction and I'm gonna push a little bit.

Get the heels to den, touch and sync. At least stretch the body over the barrel or the edge of the reformer and coming in. All right, I'm going to the other way now, three times. So I'm going to stay in my hybrid and I'm going to go back. I'm going to put my heels down. I'm gonna sink my chest. I'm going to allow my pelvis to drape over the edge and come as close as I can.

Now here's why I have to make a choice. I'm going to lift my heels up. I'm going to start to send my pelvis forward toward my thighs, thighs toward knees. Then push up a little bit higher so it's slightly different. Semi-Circle. Then maybe we've all done. So finding a little variation in how to stretch the front line of the quad.

[inaudible] [inaudible], [inaudible] and stretch. Now I'm going to take one hand off. Feel the edge of the reformer. Take the other hand and I'm going to continue pulling myself forward. Close the knee is a little bit, soften the rib cage into the mat and enjoy the quadriceps stretch. Two breaths. [inaudible] I'm going to let go nice and sweaty.

So I'm just going to slide right back up in there and come around. Okay. I'm going to do now a little bit of weight bearing on my elbow and I think I want to just do one red spring here. So it's the going to be a control front. I think I'll be okay on the low bar.

Yes, he'll hand, he'll have hand. This has always been a nice safe way to get in. I think. Push the carriage forward, look at that foot bar and set one foot right in there. So it's in line with where that your leg is going to be in line with your hip and then look and stand with both feet. Okay. And then let's just take a moment to feel a plank on the elbows.

Lifting the navel up. Do what you need to do to organize the shoulders. And I'm gonna Insert lifting my pelvis up and try to engage my lower abdominals to lift my hips. My head is not on the mat. It's close, but it's not on there all the way. Shoulders stay above elbows and I'm piking [inaudible]. My eyes are looking right at my toes. I want to get those hamstrings, linkedin note. [inaudible] I'm going to do two more. Yeah, just reaching forward toward the headrest.

Okay, cool. I'm going to do four little movements of the carriage one. [inaudible] that's really about my shoulders down, my back and forth and I'm sweating and I'm slipping a lot so I was trying to not the lose it there. Everybody come on in chess expansion. I'm on one red. I'm going to reach down how I want to Hook my toes right over the edge.

A little extra. Organize my closed. Okay, so here we go. Let's bring those fists right by her thighs. Roll the shoulders back, press the pubic bone forward as you can. I'm going to check my layman in the window there and then Paul turn, turn, center return. Inhale, lift. No other way at the head and heart center. [inaudible] her. Sure. Center. Hamstrings. Really working. One more pattern. Each side.

Huh? Open the chest open one more time. Poor and turn and turn. Center. Release. Okay, so I'm going to go a couple more exercises. I'm going to do the size stretch. Yes, another quad length thinner.

I like them and need them. Oh, adding another red. I'm going to kneel closer now into the shoulder blocks. All right, so what I want to work on here first is a pelvic tilt, then say knee stretching than the hinge. Because I can tell I'm a little short here this morning. I can see it and feel it. So in all my effort of trying to get my links here, I'm kind of missing some of my hip flexors, so that's all right. Take a moment and go for a pelvic tilt.

So that for me it has to really come from way up high in my hamstring and deep low abdominals. There's what I've got them and to take that and continue pelvic tilting. I'm looking right at my ropes now as I come up. I don't want to lose that pelvic tilt. If I can help it hold hold at the very end, I might give it a little breath. I'm going to go back at it again.

Then inner size as well. Hugging the midline. Hugged the mid line hamstrings. Deep Tail Curl. Yeah, and up. One more time. And Pelvic tilt. Full Body.

So I just checked my wrist. I was seeing I was cheating my wrist. I want to keep that pelvic curl lengthen a little more, holding it, holding it, holding it up under those knees and a little release. I felt better with that. Okay, so I'm going to take it into maybe a little mermaid stretch now. So one red facing you organize. We'll do the nicer kind of comprehensive here, meaning a side bend.

You'll see. So let's go ahead and push. I'm working in, keep my opposite hip on the Mat. I'm going to turn putting both hands on the reformer foot bar and I'm going to try to turn my chest toward the spring and three elbow bends. [inaudible]. This space is long again between ribbon hip and I'm relatively even weighted on my hands if not perfectly. I'm looking for that and then the back extension up and out three times here.

So I liked the middle red spring, middle spring because I can look right at it and try to line my spine up with it. I want to reach back again. Change hands, do rotate, get that hip down, get that hip down and then bring it in. And then the opposite hand is a shoulder block and open, open and open and bend your elbow and reach out in its space can come all the way up and we'll turn toward the foot. Shoulder blocks reorganize. It is anchored as this in this hip as you can and here we go. We are side bending. Inhale and exhale, rotate.

Set your hands. Try to set them with even weight. Three Benz one [inaudible] and three and keeping the spine and extension. Lift yourself. Follow the line of that spring. Try to feel even weight on those arms again and press back. And two, I'm slightly pulling my hands out on the foot bar is if I could rip it wide or were extend the width of the bar and the last one, reset the hands and all the way up. And then toward the shoulder blocks.

Ben Stretch. And let's come all the way up. I'm going to do a couple more exercises. We're going into twist and we'll see what happens. We'll see you in Elsa hand, probably a front split and hand and then you get that foot on that foot bar. If you're sticky, sweaty, put a sticky block there. I want to get weight over arms, so I've done some things to prep for this, so I'm weightbearing quite a bit of prep. So then as I stepped my second foot up, hopefully the carriage doesn't move.

Aha Darn. And then I'm going to start to move the carriage out. I'm going to curl myself down just a little bit so I can really establish kind of even weight on hand and feet. Now could I not move the carriage anymore as a twist and give a little profile, look toward the feet and I'm going to do that alluded more fluidly. Turn hip down toward the springs. Lift and back up. Last one.

Stretch that inside hip down toward the spring and up and carriage down. All right, I was sticking a little bit or sweating a little bit there. Okay. Hand, foot, second hand. Second foot. Alright. [inaudible] so again, try to take the carriage out if you can help, but try not to move a too much more. You twist between what you've just said. Ooh, nice adjustment.

Re Twist and lift and stretch and he inside hip stretches down to where the springs is. If I'm yawning that hip down that space between my hip and my rib. Again, that was the best one out of those three and every turn. [inaudible] all right, so what I'm gonna do now guys is finished aside with a nice hip stretch. So I'm going to stay on the red. He'll go foot, a little front split kind of strapped. So here we are.

Yeah. For a moment, just let your head drape down over your shin. And if we move the carriage back, keep yourself draped forward over. And I want you to go ahead and try to extend your front knee as much as you have Hafter all that work. Hmm.

And then rebend and come forward. Okay. One more basic one or with our knee down on the mat. So my front leg here, I'm trying to retract that femur back into my hip joint and reach that hip joint back. My bottom knee is just past my hip line slightly and then coming in. Now if I do that with a little more elevation, okay, I want to keep my chest on my front thigh.

I only have one red spring on here, down in there. So I want to be a little bit mindful not to lose my control. I also want to really sense this straight leg and why am I draping my chest just to give my back a little rest when a square my hips. Now I might search for little more split, little more pushy with my back heel and I'm coming in. I'm not quite done.

I'm going to sit the knee down and I want to take both arms up, up and back, slightly and second leg, and we're, then we're done. All right, well I'm definitely more awake than I was when I started in class. So here we go and I'm very warm. So leg is folded. I've got my knee down and I'm starting course not quite square so that when we move the carriage, this is a chance to try to adjust that hip [inaudible] the back leg. I'm connecting to my glutes and my hamstrings and that healed to push the carriage back and then as they come in, lifting that stomach wall up and again, uh, and coming up. Well you can stay with those or join in actually.

Well, yes. Okay. I didn't go quite as far. That's all right. So here we go. So I'm going to go a little further now making sure that back leg is very straight and strong. So the glutes and hamstrings are active, active, active, and coming in. And last time a little further, now I'm going to hold it. I'm going to go for little bit more stretch. Bring in my abdominals up off my front leg, trying to go for more split, more split.

Lift the abdominals coming in that last little bit. Knee down and arms up. Lift up out of the pelvis, up out of the lower back. No compression down. This is all about that. Lift your final opportunity and return and arrest. All right, thanks for working out with me. I'll see you next time. Bye Bye.

Comments

Loved it! Thank you for all the quad stretch/lengthing work! I really need that too. Oh and I loved the seated warm-up. I have a new client that sometimes can not figure how to move his pelvis..I am sure this will help. Thank you for all your great tips! You look great Amy! Love your top!

p.s. Took my comprehensive BBU exam last Thursday! It's official....finally fully certified. :)
LOVE Amy's classes!!!! Thank you!!!

Connie, congrats on passing your comprehensive!! I recently finished my last module now just preparing for my comprehensive test out through BBU as well.
Thank you Connie! That seated warm up is very useful and many people connect to this and achieve the posterior/anterior movements much easier. Glad you're going to give it a try with clients! CONGRATULATIONS!!! I knew you'd pass Connie, way to go!!
Thank you Claire!! I really appreciate the positive feedback!
Loved your class and the way you work. Beautiful.
Thank you Hila!!
Dear sweet talented Amy, I've missed you! Thanks for the great workout and creative pelvic loosening at the beginning.
Thank you Kerry.....have missed hearing from you too. Glad you enjoyed the pelvic loosening at the beginning of class!
Thanks Amy! I had a tough 35 mile bike ride yesterday and my entire body hurts! This was the perfect routine to loosen everything up and get a great stretch! You directions are so clear.
Hi Kathy.... So glad this class helped loosen you up after all that riding! I appreciate you taking the time to comment on my teaching and my class!
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