Class #1500

Reformer Snake and Twist

100 min - Class
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Description

Elizabeth Larkam is back, teaching a creative class she calls "Sequencing for Success - The Reformer Snake and Twist." Explore a sequence of movements to prepare you for properly executing the Snake and Twist, such as thoracic and cervical rotation, activation of the muscles of the feet, and pelvic rotation. Not only do you work up to performing the challenging Snake and Twist, but Elizabeth includes lengthening movements that stretch and release your myofascial web by gliding through different movement vectors.
What You'll Need: Reformer w/Box

About This Video

Mar 16, 2014
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Transcript

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Welcome to out anytime. I'm Elizabeth Larkam. I'm so happy to be back in this gorgeous studio with you to teach you one of my favorite new classes. It's called sequence for success. The reformers, snake and twist. I'm here with my colleagues. They are Ronda Priester. She's the owner of fit wise. Pilati is in wellness and El Sorito. Daniel Holder is with pinnacle performance in Salt Lake City and Norris Tomlinson is the owner of [inaudible] in Chicago.

Just yesterday, Norris shot two new classes, so don't miss those. In order to sequence for success for the snake and the twist, we'll start with rotation of the cervical spine because as you know, rotation is key for the snake. We have one red spring upon the post and the foot bar is down fairly low. If you're able to take the shoulder rests off as I am, do that. Otherwise, keep your shoulder rests on. Now come to lie on your back with your tailbone very near the spring edge of the carriage so that your shoulders are free of the shoulder rests.

You'll have the front of your heels in contact with the foot bar, with your outer ankle bones about greater trocanter with the part. Rub your palms together and warm up your palms. Place your left palm on your throat to remind your neck to relax. Place your right palm on your forehead so that the fingernails are pointing to the left and the little fingers side of your hand is parallel to your eyebrows. As you exhale, slide the carriage out using your right arm, your right hand to turn your head to the left foot bar adjustment.

It's in place now and come back this time. Aim Your eyes to the left at the same time as your head is being turned and come back the second round. Now keep your gaze straight ahead. At one point on the ceiling, eyes are looking straight ahead as your head is being turned. Now glide your gaze to the right corner of your eye sockets as your head is being turned to the left. Change your arms and do the other side. Turning your head, neck and eyes to the right in the same direction at the same time.

Come back to the center and keep your eyes at one point on the ceiling as your head is being turned by your left hand. Third Variation. Glide your eyes to the left, looking into the left corner of your eyes. Sockets as your head is being turned to the right. Take your arms now by your sides and change to the balls of your feet in the souls of your toes. As you exhale, turn your head, neck and eyes to the left. Sending your heels underneath the bar. As you inhale, rise to your toes.

Keep your head where it is and lower your heels and bend your knees. Returning your head, neck, and eyes to the center. Keeping your eyes straight ahead. Turn your head to the left. Sending your heels under the bar. Rise to your toes, lower your heels and bend as you turn your head to the left. Glide your eyes to the right.

Seeing into the right corner of your eye sockets. Raise and lower your heels and come back to the center. Turning your head, neck and eyes to the Rye. Heels underneath the bar. Inhale to rise. Keep your head there as you lower your heels and bend your knees looking straight ahead at the ceiling, head, neck and eyes or head and neck turn, keeping your eyes steady at one point.

Third Variation. Eyes glide to the left corner of your eye sockets as you lift your heels and lower your heels and bend your knees. Now of course you could do that with one leg at a time, but we have a lot of moves to do so we'll leave that now and you'll change up to having your long box on the carriage. Here we go. If you took your shoulder rests off, be sure to put them back on now, and those of you with nonskid mats, put the non-skid mat on the carriage also on the box. Also come to line your front now with the souls of your toes on the foot bar.

Push out and come onto your front [inaudible]. Now you have the souls of your toes and the balls of your feet in contact with the bar, one palm on top of the a on the back of your hand. As you inhale, bend your knees and make sure that your hip joints are at the edge of the box. We'll start from here. As you exhale, send your heels into Dorsey flection. Glide your ear, your right ear to listen to your right elbow.

Rise to your toes. Lower your heels, bend your knees and come back to center. Now glide your ear to the listen to the left elbow. Rise to your toes. Lower your heels and bend as you exhale laterally. Translate your head, your neck to the right.

Rise to your toes and lower. And now glide your ear to the left. Listening to your left elbow. Rise to your toes. Keep your forehead on your hands. Send heels above the bar. Look up underneath your eyebrows. Lift your chest bone.

Lift your arms, keeping your forehead on your hands. Rise to your toes. Lower your heels, lower your hands and bend your knees. Okay. And send your heels out. Look up underneath your eyebrows. Rise to your toes. Lower your heels, bend your knees and lower your arms. Twice. More. Exhale to slide out. Inhale to Ra, thoracic extension and lower.

Okay and keeping your cervical spine fairly neutral. It's more focused on thoracic extension, Roz and lower and bend your knees. Now we're going to take these long boxes off and put the jump boards on. Now that the jump board is in place, please put one red spring probably on the higher setting up on the post to come to line yours on your back. Slide with both sitting bones off the edge. Then one hand is on the shoulder rest, yes, and you can roll right on in to be on your back.

By all means, put your head rest up. That will make you more comfortable, I think an easier to access your abdominals. Start with your feet at the very, very bottom of the jump board. Now we're going to focus on the intrinsic muscles of the feet, activating that area so that when it's time to have your foot on the foot bar for the snake in the twist, your brain will really know where your feet are located and you'll be secure. Plant the soles of your toes and glide your heels forward, creating a doming action of your foot. This could be considered the Yonda. That's j. A, n, d, a, Vladimir Iyanda, the late checklists of Aki and physical physiotherapists. This could be considered the Yolanda short foot on parade.

What you may notice upon arrival at the top of the plate is that when you slide your heels forward, starting at the bottom of the plate, we'll do that again and come up to the top of the plate. There's an immediate connection or activation from the souls of your feet to your deep abdominals. Do your best to keep your toes long. Don't let your toes curl. Don't hide your toenails. Make them visible to the ceiling. Start at the bottom again and now you're going to make a v up to the left so your hips, hips stay in a neutral position in parallel and you make a diagonal up to the left so that the little toe side of your left foot arrives in the upper left corner of the foot plate, and then you retrace your steps, so to speak, and come down on that v diagonal.

Now we have one more branch of the V to attend to. Coming from the bottom, the middle of the bottom of the jump forward, driving your way up to the right hand corner, such at the little toe side of your right foot, stays parallel to the foot plate. And then you retrace your steps and come back down of very um, immediate way to connect the souls of your feet with your deep abdominals. Now we have straight leg chumps position your feet just above hip joint level on the center of the foot plate. And without bending your knees, you will do push ups with your feet. We'll do eight in parallel. Eight turned out and eight turned in. Here you go.

One end to end, three end four, five and six and seven external rotation, two and three and four. Five and six. Seven internal rotation, two men three and four. After you do this on both legs, give your left leg a turn by itself. One end to end, three and four, five and six. Continue with your left leg externally. Rotate and cross your left leg over the midline to the right side of yourself. Internal rotation to end pressing through the soles of your toes.

Six and seven and right leg gets its own turn one end two, three and four five and push the foot plate away. Turning out in external rotation, crossover the midline so that your right heel is in line with your left sitting bone internal rotation. Your right heel is in line with its own side sitting bone five and six and seven and eight creative counting on my part. Okay, we're done with the jump boards now, so we'll take a moment to move them out of the way. You've prepared your cervical spine for rotation. You've certainly prepared the souls of your feet to know where the ground is located. Now it's time to connect the souls of your feet with your eyes.

We have one red spring attached and you have your box in the long position. I suggest having the foot bar down. Stand right up next to the foot bar and place the heels of your hands on the corners of the box. You'll start in spine flection, aiming your sitting bones down in the direction of your heels. Looking back towards your abdominals. As you exhale, slide the carriage out. Now continue sliding the carriage out and start with your sitting bones, aiming them up the wall behind you and changing your gaze to the front of the box. The box closest to the risers.

K, keep that shape as you slide forward. Now continue pressing through the sides of your ribs, asides of your hands, and move into a posterior pelvic tilt and spine. Fluxion your gaze towards your abdominals. And slide in here we have spine flection. Rounding your spine forward elongating from your tailbone through the top of your head, bringing your gaze to the edge of the box closer to the risers.

Okay, and keeping this shape in spine extension, our lengthen from the sitting bones out through the heels of your hands and start the articulation of your pelvis through your spine. We have another one of these rounding forward curl elongating, lifting your chest bone more than your chin, which is impossible, but useful to try and are sh and curl. Keeping your feet where they are. Keep your right hand where it is and put your left hand to the right center of the box. Rounding forward spine flection. Continue to Elongate.

Start with your pelvis emotion in motion, and then articulate through your spawn, aiming your gaze at the far right corner of the box. Our spine continues in extension and then the flection starts with the base of your pelvis curve. Okay. Rounding form elongating as you continue to push the box away, elongating spreading wide through the sides of your rooms. Change to the new side. Now your left hand nestles over the corner of the box and your right hand is just to the left of center. Rounding forward curl as your sitting bones.

Slide up the wall behind you. Fan, open the sides of your ribs with your gaze towards the left corner of the box, spine extension as you go forward and then move your pelvis over the head of your femur. So the light from the top of your head comes down towards the box. Continue in spine flection. Moving your pelvis over the head of your femur, sitting bones. Glide up the wall and the light from your chest bone illuminates the far left corner spine extension. Continue to Elongate as you change your spine into flection.

Last one of these curl and elongating into spine extension. We'll come back to the center and finish this at the center a little bit quicker. Start with spine extension. Looking forward to the edge of the box elongating there. Continue to elongate round in Karoo. Keep this shape as you go forward. A long gate in the spine, extension as you come back.

Um, [inaudible] and [inaudible] and arch last time. Meanwhile, back at the low front ribs, collect them in and up to your spine. This if you're in a tube within a slinky, now that you've finished with the spine articulation into length, we'll leave the box right here. Bring the foot bar up and change to one yellow spring. The lightest spring you have. We're going to address a medial hip glide, which is essential for ease of movement of the pelvis in the snake. In the twist for that, you'll have the box slightly asymmetrical, meaning move the box closer to the ocean and you move your box to the right side of the carriage with respect to the foot bar. Now brace yourself because you thought that Peloton is anytime was a family values a network and now it looks as if we're getting ready for pole dancing.

Just just be with us here and you'll recognize quite quickly that there's nothing in your Palladio's repertoire that quite gets at the articulation of your hip joint like this one. So here you are looking like you're visiting a fire hydrant except for the fact that your pubic bone is aiming directly towards the corner of the carriage. Here you have, this leg is in a neutral lunge, um, knee bend and um, your foot is slightly off the box. This hand is on the corner of a box and this forearm is braced here. Now as you exhale, lower your pelvis in the direction of the ground.

Sustain that lowering as you slide the carriage back and it's your left hand that's doing most of the pushing to slide the carriage back. Then you come forward, come up, take a breath, brace yourself, and then as you exhale, lower your pelvis in the direction of the ground and push back primarily with your left hand, somewhat with your left leg. Slide forward and up. Now you'll recognize immediately that one size never fits all. Everybody has different lengths.

Everybody's legs are different lengths with respect to their torso. And so we'll make a difference depending on how high your reformer is. How tall your boxes, um, how much of a, um, lengthening you're getting through the upper here. All right, now staying on this side, you're going to change so your forearms are on the bar and as you rotate your pelvis to the right, internally rotate your left leg so your left heel comes to the outer aspect of your left shoulder. Bend your knee more and turn your pelvis to the left.

I might've said left and right badly. I apologize for that. Turning your pelvis towards the right, bringing your left heel towards the outer aspect of your left shoulder, bending your knee a lot, turning to look over your right shoulder and then come back so you lower your pelvis. Slide the carriage back, turning your pelvis towards the right. It's the proximal aspect of yourself that turns first. Meanwhile, your lower front ribs are collected and we take that once more pelvis lowers turning your pelvis to the right. Bring your left heel to the outer border of your left shoulder blade. Turn your pelvis to the left. Now stay with us for the dismount.

Put one hand your left hand on the foot bar, your right forearm on the f on the your left hand is on the box. Your right forearm is on the foot bar. Drag your left leg up there. Stand on two legs. Marvel at the difference and we'll change the box to the other side. Now there always have been differences between sides.

There always will be differences between sides and Peloton. Instructors will always have work. Now we'll do the other side. So you arrange yourself on a diagonal so that your pubic bone, the pubic synthesis is aiming to the right corner of the frame. Your right hand is on the corner of the box. Your left forearm is on the foot bar. If you prefer, you could have the heel of your left hand on the box on the foot bar.

Also as you lower your pelvis in the direction of the ground lower first and then slide the carriage back a little bit lower more as you come forward and come up. We'll have three more of these exhale to lower and slide back. Inhale to come forward. Meanwhile, back at the left knee, steer your left knee over your second, third toes and one more of here. This way. Lower and slide back. Continue lowering and slide forward.

Place your forearms on the foot bar. Make sure there's room for your knee and turning your pelvis to the left. Your right knee more. Bringing your right heel to the outer border of your right shoulder blade. Turning your pelvis to the right.

Bring your leg down again as your pelvis turns to the left. Increase the flection, the bend of your right knee, turning your pelvis, ribs, shoulders, head, mechanize, and come back. We have two more of these. Lower rural rotate pelvis, ribs, shoulders, head, neck, Annise and return. Okay. Exhale to turn and return on the dismount. Use your arms to support you. Press on up, stand on two legs.

Appreciate the refreshment in your hip joints and get ready for thoracic rotation. Now we're going to have the box on the ocean side, so upstage here and the box is going to go right. Um, even with the edge of the carriage. Now my three colleagues will use their boxes, but because I'm on an allegro two on the ground, um, I'm just going to use a knee pad. We'll have no springs at all. Have your right knee, even with the right corner of the carriage and with no springs at all, you'll reach across with your right hand for the shoulder rest and your head will go in the far corner of the carriage. So launch yourself over there so that your left hand is on the shoulder rest. Um, closest to the camera.

Your right hand pulls towards you. Your left hand pushes away as the character glides to the left. Turn your eyes downwards to the right and then glide the carriage back to the right. Turning your eyes upwards towards the ceiling, pulling towards you with your left right and pushing away. With your left. We have two more of these. Exhale to slide. Inhale to return.

Exhale to sly. Inhale to return. Stay low. Put your left hand on top of the shoulder. Rest where your right hand is located. Pull with your right push with your left. Slide to the left eyes glide down to the right and eyes glide up to the ceiling.

Upon return, three more of these slide and return. It's some thoracic rotation with the lateral translation twice more. So I mentioned creative counting here. All right, now stay low. Bend your left elbow and puts your left forearm on the carriage. Come up onto all fours. No rotation for the moment.

Only aside glide slide so far to the left that your right knee can no longer touch. Pull your left elbow towards your right knee. Turn your pelvis around the head of your right femur. So the light from your left knee cap aims towards the ground. Inhale to slide. Exhale to return and hover or exhale to slide.

Inhale to return and hover once more sly and return. That's three variations. Kneeling at the far side of at the Ed spring edge of the carriage. Now we have some more variations. Relocate the box so that the light from your chest bone can be directly between the shoulder rests. Okay, your right fingers point where you're going, your left fingers aim straight ahead.

Position yourself so that your elbows can be fairly straight with your shoulders down. And again, the light from your chest bone is shining directly between your hands. Now looking down at the carriage as the carriage slides to the left, make a nose dive straight down and return. Exhale. Nose goes straight down. Inhale to return. Try smore swing into thoracic rotation, but keep your keeping your cervical spine fairly steady.

We have four more of these. This time your ear listens to the carriage. Your right ear listens. Your eyes look at the edge of the headrest. So this is thoracic rotation. A little bit of cervical rotation, but not a lot. Two more of these writing your listens and head looks at the far edge of the headrest.

Now colleagues move your boxes out of the way so that you can stand where the box was previously located. You'll position yourself now. So the light from your chest bone is directly between your hands. Your feet are shoulder width apart and your knees are bent. Um, I don't play golf, but I'm told by my golfing clients that this is revolutionary for them. So check it out as you bend your knees more, make a nose dive directly down to the carriage, pushing away with your left hand and pulling with your right. Keeping your knees bent.

We'll have three more of these nose and eyes aimed straight down, aiming your sitting bones up the wall behind you. Twice more. Oh, and up. Oh over now the only change we'll make is the turning of your head. So your right ear listens to the carriage as your gaze tracks to the far end of the headrest. Please don't look at the ceiling. That would be too much cervical rotation and the focus here is on the tissues between the ribs and the pelvis.

Now place your ankle bones close together. Your elbows are straight, your right fingers point the way your left fingers aim ahead, aim your sitting bones up the wall behind you and aim your nose directly down towards the carriage. It's further away. Now, no surprise to you. That's because your knees are extended. So of course they'll be different lines of a tug, different lines of strain through different vectors of the Fascia, which of course is what we came for. Now turning your head to the left, your right ear listens to the carriage as your gaze tracks towards the far edge of the headrest. We have two more of these you could inhale to turn and exhale to return. Now of course the new side of weights, so relocate your box and we'll meet you on the other side. Position yourself so that your left knee is even with this spring edge of the carriage. Okay, now as usual, there are no springs attached here.

Holding the carriage steady with your right hand. Reach across with your left hand and pull towards you in order to keep the carriage steady. Bring your head to the far corner off the carriage and the heel of your right hand goes on top of the shoulder rest. You were pulling with your left hand towards you and pushing away with your right and that force couple of your arms will encourage rotation of your thoracic spine to the right as you slide the carriage to the right. Glide your gaze downwards towards the left.

As you inhale, slide the carriage back home and glide your gaze upwards towards the ceiling. Continue this action for [inaudible] more glide and return glide way. Eyes go opposite the direction in which the carriage just moving and once more here, stay low. Relocate your right hand to the top of the shoulder. Rest left-hand Poles, right hand pushes, eyes glide left and I slide right.

It's a lateral translation of the ribs with respect to the pelvis accompanied by some rotation that's brought about primarily by the force. Couple of your arms stay low, but your right forearm on the carriage and put your left forearm on the carriage as well. Um, no rotation for the moment. The light from your chest bone is between your arms as you inhale slides so far to the right that your left nation foot can't touch. Exhale, pull your right elbow towards your left knee and hover your whole right shin foot off the carriage. Three more of these. Inhale to slide. Exhale to return and inhale to slide. Exhale, return and hover, or for that matter, why not. Exhale to slide.

Inhale to return and hover. Relocate your box now so that your chest bone light can illuminate the space between the shoulder rests. Your left fingers point where you're going to the risers, your right fingers point straight ahead and get right above the carriage so that both elbows best you can can be fairly straight. As you inhale, take a nose dive right on down towards the carriage. Exhale to return. Inhale, pulling with your left, pushing with your right.

Exhale to return twice more. Sure. Okay. Continue with your left ear listening to the carriage and your gaze looks to the edge of the headrest as it approaches the risers each time. Return the carriage to Home Bay.

Hey [inaudible]. We'll do one more to celebrate the train just because we can now colleagues, move your boxes out of the way and come to stand so that you are directly above the space between the shoulder rests, feet our shoulder. With the part elbows are fairly straight. Bending your knees, slide the carriage to the right and aim your nose directly down in the direction of the carriage, which is further away and really to our advantage because we're ready for that. Inhale to slide.

Exhale to return twice more. Inhale, fanning. Open this side, ribs and the back ribs to make room for your lungs. Now turning your head, neck and eyes to see the the edge of the head rest. Your left ear listens to the carriage and you return. Inhale to slide and rotate.

Exhale to return the carriage slides and you rotate around your central axis. Straighten both legs now and bring your ankle bones close together. You have a more narrow base. Aim your sitting bones up the wall behind you as your head, neck and eyes, your nose. Aim straight down to the carriage. Return with your chest bone between your hands.

Inhale to slide. Exhale to return. And for variety sake you could try exhaling. Do you prefer the inhale to return? Both breath patterns are of course possible. It's quite up to you which you prefer. Turning your head, neck and eyes so that your ear listens.

[inaudible] twice more. Stand your ground with your sitting bones over both feet, sitting bones glide up the wall and return. Now that we've finished quite a bit of thoracic rotation, it's time for rotation of the pelvis and the lumbar spine. For that we'll do a Feldon Christ inspired bridge and I'm all find my hairband while you put two red springs on and we'll keep the foot bar up. This foot bar is up a little too close.

I'm going to put it down just one notch. So here you are lying on your back. Make sure that the head rest is down and that you have your outer ankle bones in line with your greater trocanter. Two Nabil bones lined up with each other, leaving your right foot where it is with the front of your healing contact with the foot bar. Cross your left foot behind. Now the little the little toe side of your left foot is in contact with the foot bar.

It's as if your left leg were functioning as the kickstand of a bicycle. As you inhale, open your left knee to the side and as you exhale, lift in a neutral bridge. Lift and rotate towards the left so the light from your navel is aiming towards the left. Keeping your right leg steady where it is. Close your left leg towards your right leg and land your pelvis. We'll do three more of these. Inhale to open.

Exhale, turn lymph. Stay up. Inhale, turn a little bit more. Close your left leg towards your right and land. Another two of these. Inhale to open. Exhale, turn live on the inhalation. Turn a little bit more, keeping your head, neck, and eyes directly at the ceiling.

Close your left leg and land. Do we get another one? We shall open turn lymph. Inhale, turn a little bit more. Collect your low front ribs so you're rotating around your central axis, but not so much extension there. It's more rotation change to the new side, the front of your left heel in line with your left sitting bone and cross your right foot behind. As you inhale, open your right leg. The opening of your right leg is an invitation for your pelvis to turn to the right side. Turn a little bit more on the rotation, allowing the weight of your right leg to drop in the direction of the ground.

Close your right leg towards your left and land. Inhale to open. Exhale, turn lymph. As you inhale, inhale to the back of your lungs. Don't puff your lower front ribs to the ceiling. Turn a little bit more in close to return and land. Two more of these. Inhale to open. Exhale, turn, lift aiming your left knee a long way from your left hip joint, rotating around your central axis.

Your right leg is the invitation to come back to the ceiling. To neutral and land. Inhale to open. Exhale, turn, lift. Inhale, turn a little bit more. Exhale to close and land first side again. Place the front of your right heel in line with your right sitting bone.

Cross your left foot behind. Starts the same and then goes on to sliding the carriage back via knee extension. Inhale to open. Exhale, turn, lift. Stay up while you're up. Adjust your left foot so that the metatarsal heads can be in contact with the foot bar sliding back, bringing your right inner thigh to meet your left inner thigh and open. So bring the top leg to meet the bottom leg and return. Continue this action 3m and foreign and we have four more of these, both shoulder blades including the right shoulder blade in contact with the carriage so that your thoracic area is fairly steady while the lumbar area is turning, lumbar and lower thoracic or turning.

With respect to the upper swing, your left leg up, land your pelvis. The new side awaits the front of your left heel and contact your right foot. Cross behind. Inhale to open. Exhale, turn and lift while you're up. Adjust the metatarsal heads to be in contact sliding back. Bring the left inner thigh towards the right thigh, lifting your pelvis, turning so the light from your navel turns more to your right.

Meanwhile, back at the left shoulder blade, it's in contact with the carriage for more of these five and six and continuing the spiral pelvis. Lumbar spine moves together and the upper thoracic move as well. Come back to the center. Close your right side to the left and land on down. Now we're going to put the short box on the carriage in preparation for a quad repaired abdominal exercise. For this, we're going to need the foot bar all the way down, so bring your foot bar down and that will create a platform for your box.

For this, we'll have one yellow spring in the lightest position, so one yellow spring in the lightest position. We'll put the box on top of the cockpit here. We're going to practice two versions of this. The reason that we have the box sub supported by the foot bar is that you'll be able to use the side of your hand on your forearm and your elbows as a base. And that way you can save your wrists so you have one yellow spring or one light spring in the heavier setting and come to your knees to all fours here and note that the box is secure, it's supported by the frame and it's supported by the foot bar, which is all the way down.

Now place your forearms and your elbows on the box. You have options for your feet. You could have your feet on the headrest. You could have your feet wider than the shoulder, wrists as you like, and keeping the light from your chest bone directly between your hands slot, between your forearms. Slide the carriage back from hip extension. Now sustain hip extension and slide the carriage back by movement of your shoulders. Now the light from your chest bone is over the springs.

Move your knees forward and bring yourself forward chest bone directly between your forearms. Inhale to slide back XL to slide further. At the moment. Your torso is taking a ride on the movement of your hip joints and the movement of your shoulder joints, knees come forward. Now change your hands. So both hands go to the left corner of the box.

Keep your knees where they are, and windshield wiper both feet to the right edge of the carriage so you have a diagonal. Now from your hands to your feet, keeping the light from your chest bone between your forearms. Slide the carriage back from hip extension. Go further back from your shoulder joints. Bring your knees forward and your whole torso forward. Three more of these. Inhale to slide back. Exhale to slide further.

Inhale to come forward and return knees back, shoulders wide on your rib wall forward. I get so fascinated with my cuing. We're gonna do one more. I lose track of the count of four. So just in case you're frustrated and saying, well, why doesn't she make up her mind? Are we doing four? We're doing five. I set out to do four and then I get interested and think, oh, maybe one more would aluminate this change to the new side? Both hands to the right both feet. Flip to the left, inhale to slide, exhale to go back.

Inhale to return. Okay. Knees back, chest bone goes further back, knees forward. And for the moment, um, we're editing out, um, rotation. So there's no rotation that's just at this moment. And once again, inhale to slide back. Exhale to slide forth. So we have been at three different angles with respect to the box.

Now just remove the box long enough in order to take the spring off and we're going to do some more variations. If you felt that that was quite sufficient challenge to have the assistance of the spring to return, please keep the current spring in its location and you can practice the more demanding variation of the torso organization with the support of the spring. Okay, we're going to start the same as before. So come onto all fours and this time you don't have the assistance of the springs, the assistance of the spring to bring the carriage back. So, um, gets your life preserver ready so we don't have to call the coast guard.

All right. No, I'm just making sure that my box is really secure. Um, ages ago, it must've been in the nineties I made up this idea of using the box so that we could save the risks, but I created that idea using the studio reformer. And now that the allegro two is here, I don't feel quite so secure with this particular location. Inhale to slide back. Collect yourself now because there are no springs here. It's the just you show to return three more of these.

You could also have exhale to slide back. Take a breath while you're here and exhale to return. Exhale to slide back. Collecting ribs to pelvis. Inhale to suspend. Exhale to return. And once again, usually you can use the exhalation for the increased effort to bring your knees forward towards your elbows.

Change your hands to the left corner of the box and windshield wiper, both lower legs to the right side of the carriage. Now it's going to start this same of hip extension, but as your hips extend, turn, rotate your pelvis, your lumbar spine, your ribs, shoulders, head, neck, and eyes to the left. Looking over your left shoulder and di rotate gliding your left knee towards your right elbow. Slide back, turning pelvis, ribs, shoulders, neck, head and eyes and return the pelvis starts the rotation. Turning around the head of your femurs, spiraling up your spine and return. Meanwhile, back at the shoulders. Glide your shoulders down towards your elbows, turning to see where you're going. Turning, coming back to see where you've been. Now. Change to the new side, both hands to the right corner. Swivel both feet to the left. The light from your chest is between your hands, your forearms.

Press your forearms into the box to reinforce your thoracic kyphosis as your pelvis turns to the right follow with your ribs, shoulders, head, neck, and eyes. Meanwhile, back at the left collarbone, widen it and return so as your pelvis rotates to the right and reinforce your shoulder blades descending your collarbones widening and you are very well prepared for this rotation of the pelvis with respect to the thoracic spine. Come back, given all the sequencing that you've done before, get it. Sequencing for success. Here. We are making our way gradually, gradually, gradually to the twist. Now we're going to get rid of this box just for the moment and take more focus on the thoracic area. So please put this box, park it.

We'll need it shortly. Again, we'll have one red spring probably on the lighter setting as you like, and we're going to be in a mermaid life position. With respect to the springs, you'll have your hand at your hip joint turning to look over your left shoulder. Aha, the Fox coming in. As you inhale, lift your left sitting bone. Turn your pelvis, rib, shoulders, neck, head and eyes. Scanning the horizon to see over your right shoulder. Continue looking over your right shoulder and reach back and down with your left sitting bone ise sweep across the ground. Now you make a full circle with your eyes. Inhale, scanning the heaven's for signs of intelligent life. Exhale, looking down at the ground, reverse the direction. Gaze goes across the ground, out the window, across the ceiling.

So you are connecting the motion of your pelvis via your spine to your head, your neck, neck, your head, and your eyes. Place your left hand at the top of your right shoulder. Remind this shoulder to come down and press the heel of your left hand. Rise your right hand isn't it, and push away. Now stay within your panes of glass.

Those are panes of glass from the eighties or before that you're left sitting bonus down and reach up and over to the ceiling. A big rainbow, your left fingers are reaching towards your right hand side, bending of the thoracic spine. Push away with your right hand. Lift all your abdominal layers, wringing out your spine and rotate both hands, elbows straight are on the standing platform. Shift to the right and as you come into spine extension, turn ribs, shoulders, head, neck, and eyes. Look over your right shoulder and wiggle your left toes. You might see them, their shift more to the right and slide back. Inhaling, fanning, open the sides of your ribs.

Exhaling slide, lateral translation, extension and rotation. Believe me if there's, we're going to do one more of these. If there was a move forward, we've got some names. Inhale to slide up. Exhale as you slide and bring your left hand next to your ripe hand. Three more of these. Inhale, fanning. Open your left ribs here, left lung. Exhaling. Shift to the right and turn to the right. Looking over your right shoulder, wagging or wiggling your left toes. Inhaling, making room for your ribs, your lungs making room for the left deltoids there and once more.

Inhaling, exhale to return. Slide back. Stay low. Stay really low and turn towards your left so your left fingers drape towards your right hand. Reach out with your left arm, left fingers reaching away from your left foot and sweep the ceiling. As you come to vertical, keep the volume of your ribs on top of your pelvis. Push with your left foot and you'll slide to the right.

Holding on to the shoulder rest. Windsurf I used to know something about wind surfing, but not so much anymore. Shift to the right palm up. Fingers spread right elbow pokes up and then turn towards the shoulder rests. Inhale to sit a little taller. As you exhale, rotate towards your left. Hold on to something that's within reach. Wrapping your left arm behind.

You can keep your right hand where it is or hold on to the back. Shoulder rests. Inhale to sit a little taller. As you exhale, turn your head, neck and eyes to the right. Seeing over your right shoulder, lots of rotation there that will serve you very well for snake and twist. Now easy on the unwind. Look towards the risers. Let go carefully and then swing around to the new side. Faced the risers and turn around.

Here you are on the new side with your left hand at the back of the standing platform. You're right. Sitting bone is aiming down in the direction of the ground. It just has to aim there with your right hand at your hip joint. Turn to look over your right shoulder and scanning the heavens for Zines of intelligent. Inhale, I knew I saw it here somewhere. Turning over your left shoulder wagging, waving your right toes.

You might see them or somebody else's curl back and look down at the ground. Once again, inhaling, the pelvis starts the motion and it undulates through your spine and the light comes through your eyes and you see your toes. There they are. I couldn't find them yesterday. I found them today. Now reverse the direction. Gaze sweeps across the ground and then gaze sweeps across the ceiling aiming. You're right, sitting bone down. That's what pole should pelvis down again, pelvis, ribs, shoulders, neck, head and eyes rotating through inflection and then rotating in the direction of extension. Puts your right hand on your left shoulder.

Slide your left shoulder down and glide out. Left you listening towards the floor, right fingers reach for your right heel, right fingers. Sweep across the ceiling and right fingers. Sweep beyond the foot bar. Push away. Make room for your spiral. Rotate and face the ground. Hands wide apart.

Shift to the left and come up into lateral translation, extension and rotation. Wiggling your toes. There they are. Slide to the left and push back. Inhale, fanning. Open low. In the sides and the back of your ribs. Shoulders descend, shift to the left and turn to the left. Looking over your shoulder.

We did three on the other side and we'll do three on this side just because we can. And every single repetition is not actually a repetition, but a new opportunities. Slide your right hand to your left to feel. Um, the changes that you can make, the changes you can discern. Shoulders descend in the mile fashion web because as you know, different vectors, every single different vector makes a difference in how you can facilitate glide and hydration and um, more pleasure in the proprioceptive Lee rich myofunctional fashional network. Well, since we're speaking about pleasure, we could go on here, but it's probably time to stay low and stay really low.

Turn to your ride with your right fingers. Drape towards your left hand. Now stay low and Elongate your right arm. Reach out across the, towards beyond the foot bar. Come up to the ceiling, push with your right foot and you'll slide to the left, right hand holds onto the back shoulder rest. Make a diagonal lateral translation to the left, right hand pulls, left hand reaches flex your right wrist lecture left. That's your left wrist, your left Elbow Norris. It's hard enough with you facing the gorgeous view, but when I'm behind you saying that left is right, that's enough to make anybody crazy. I apologize. Seriously.

I apologize. You're thinking. Well, last I checked, that was my left hand. You're correct. It is your left hand right here. Listens towards your right heel turn so that both hands hold onto their respective shoulder rests. Inhale to sit a little taller. As you exhale, wrap your right arm around behind you and bring your left hand to the new shoulder. Rest. Hold onto something that's within reach. Inhale to sit a little taller, turning pelvis, rib, shoulders, neck, head and eye. And then turn your head, neck and eyes to the left. Looking over your left shoulder, lifting your chest biome to catch some of the rays from that Sun.

Easy. Now letting go of this, looking at the risers and flip around where we started, so it's time for a different um, quad repaired box extravaganza. This time, we'll have no springs at all. So take the red spring off and the box is going to go diagonally with respect to the carriage. Now my colleagues are going to use their boxes, but because I'm on a low reformer, I'm going to show you how you can use a foam roller. So we're going to pause while I get the foam roller plus your box diagonally with respect to the carriage. If you are on a carriage that's low to the ground, then you have the advantage of being able to use a roller, which is also on a diagonal. And you can see that I'm placing this rollers so that there are maybe [inaudible] say six inches between the roller and the edge of the foot bar or the edge of the frame.

That's because I would like the roller to be able to have a lot of excursion here. All right, now, um, please bring your shins onto your box or your roller and place your forearms onto the carriage. Now we're going to do a bit of a rehearsal and here we go. Slide out and come back. Okay position your box or your roller as need be. And then join us for eight of these just to get a rhythm going.

Exhale to slide out. Inhale, draw your sitting bones towards your knees. Exhale to slide out and come back and create a swing. And three in and four, four more of these as you slide out hollow, oh, or draw all the abdominal layers up towards your spine. Meanwhile, back at the collarbones, widen them also and come back and return. Now it's probably clear to you who's having more fun here, and that would be me with this roller. So of course, if you have a reformer on legs and you'd like to use the roller, just put the roller on the box and you'll be fine with that.

Now we're going to add rotation, which would be as you slide the carriage out, turn your pelvis in this case to the right. Here we go. Turning your pelvis, ribs, shoulders, head, neck, and eyes to the right and your sitting bones up the wall behind you and bring your elbows back in. Rural OT and return. Continue, rotate. That's a three. Whoo. And return and for each time rotating a little bit more. We have four more of these NGO sitting bones up, elbows pull towards your knees.

You'll find that with no springs you have to use a lot of proximal control. We're going to do one more here to keep the carriage from banging into the frame. Now as fun as that is, surely the news side will be different. Relocate now on this side, put the headrest up. Why didn't we do it on the first side? Because I forgot. So sorry. So in the future, keep the head rest up and you'll have a few more inches of excursion and you won't need to worry about being silent, especially you know if you're practicing late at night when the others in your household are asleep, come on to your shins and position your chest bone directly between your forearms. We're going to take eight plane and then eight with rotation. Push off, slide out and return each time. You could have the idea of going a little bit further, right?

Four more of those, keeping the light from your chest bone at the time being between your forearm. Yes. Usually the inhale will initiate the motion. Last one and exhale will return. Now you will add rotation, rotating how? Elvis ribs, shoulders, neck, head and eyes looking over your left shoulder, which means that there's a lot of um, uh, demands placed on the stability of your right shoulder joint here.

Press your right elbow, your forearm into the carriage. Continue for more of these turning your right lung to the left in front of you. Turning your left long to the right behind you must to coming up. [inaudible] right and return [inaudible] and rotate and return. So we're going to take standing side bend, stretch.

Uh, we'll use one blue spring. The boxes will go out of the way and I'm just going to take the roller offset. I'll be right back for the standing side bend stretch. Each person has an optimal height that they ought to be with respect to the carriage. You can see that. Um, for me working on an allegro two without legs, I can stand on the floor with my foot on the leading edge of the carriage and have the pelvis level during the, um, sliding out of the carriage. Now for my colleagues, it will be a good idea to take a look at what would be their optimal height. So then, yeah, would you use this box as the sitting box and that will be your standing platform and we've created a moon box or a small box for Norris.

You may not be able to see it, but you'll be able to see that when Nora stands up, he is towering above us. All right? Now we're going to use a blue spring. So check to make sure that you have a blue spring connected to the carriage and then stand on your box or your platform or in my case on the ground and your leg, your foot will be towards the back part of the frame and your gesture foot, your gesture leg will be forward. Place your hands at your hip joints so that you can have the intention of having a level area level space, a level across there. In this case, aim your left sitting bone in the direction of your inner right ankle.

That's just to avoid a hip hike left sitting bone towards your inner right ankle with your right big toe slightly off the edge so that you have a safe contact there with the carriage. You might also use a piece of non-skid material to help keep your foot from sliding away. As you exhale, push down, making a footprint on the carriage and slide the carriage out. Adjusting your standing foot to get just the right, the secure angle. Now we'll be here bending your left knee and sending your left leg away, leveling your pelvis. Aim your hip joint down and out so the ball of your femur will drop a little bit and as the carriage slides out, your femur head will glide medially.

Hmm. When did I do that before and feel that before this time. Slide the carriage out and stay. Now. Plant the sole of your right foot firmly on your platform and slide the carriage a little bit further. Slide your left hand down on the outside of your left leg and reach up and over for which you are well prepared and your left hand will take a hold of your right wrist, encouraging side bending left ear listens to the ground.

Inhale to bend. Exhale to pool with your left hand pulling your right fingers beyond the risers. You could hold on to your right elbow or above your right elbow side, bending, fanning. Open the right ribs. Hold on to both elbows, poking your elbows a long way from your ears, a long way from your hips. Now slide the carriage out. Stay there.

Turn your left lung upwards towards the ceiling. Turn your right lung downwards towards the ground. Turn towards the ceiling as you slide the carriage out. Turn towards the ground as you slide the carriage in. Inhale, rotate and extend. Exhale, rotate in the direction of flection. Stay inflection.

Push the carriage out and as the carriage comes in and move into extension, turn. See the ground below you turn. See the ceiling above you look straight ahead, interlace your fingers, press the palms of your hands a long way from the top of your head, keeping your knees extended. Reach your hands beyond the risers and shift your pelvis towards the right. So your right greater trow canter moves to the right as your hands are being pulled to the left side. Bending, elongating the distance, the lateral line on your entire right side. Easy now come out before you get slingshot at across the studio.

Come down from here. Marvel at the difference between sides and change to the new side that will require relocating the boxes. Stand your ground on your left foot now and have your right foot forward over the edge of the carriage right. Big Toe is hooked over the spring edge of the carriage so that you have a good purchase there. Hands at your pelvis. Plant the sole of your right foot down, creating a footprint there, aiming your right sitting bone towards your inner left ankle.

Push out and stand your ground on your left leg as you bend and straighten your right one. Getting accustomed to this. It's great. Elongating the right side of your waist, the right side of your spine. One more here. Now push out and keeping your right knee extended. Slide the carriage further to the right. Stand your ground here.

Slide your right hand down the outside of your right leg and reach up to the ceiling with your left hand. Reach beyond the risers as your right hand holds onto your left wrist. Pull with your right hand. Bend your right knee. Exhale, send it away. Inhale to then exhale to reach twice more bin and elongating.

Sending your right left little finger along way from your left little toe right hand holds on at your elbow or above. Bend and push out. Inhale to Elongate. Exhale to reach a little further, twice more of them and rioters listening to the ground. The light from your chest bone is straight ahead. Hold onto your elbows. Press your elbows beyond the risers.

One more of these and then we'll start the rotation. As you bend your knee, turn towards the ground and as you extend your knee, turn towards the ceiling. Inhale to bend. Illuminate the ground. Exhale, illuminate the ceiling. Reverse. Eliminate the ceiling. As you bend, illuminate the ground. As you push out and rotate and rotate, stay over here. Look straight ahead at the ocean. Interlace your fingers. Press your palms away from the top of your head.

Press your hands beyond the risers as you was straight legs, you glide to the left so your left Greater Turk cantor moves to the left. Bring your right are closer and closer and closer to the ground. And when you just can't go any further before it's too late, come to upright and bring yourself back in. Come down from here. Now pause there and we'll put the boxes at the top of the carriage. Now I realized that there was no similarity, almost no similarity whatsoever between the repetitions we did on the first side and the second side. So I suggest that you just choose your favorite one.

And then when you practice this again, just pay no attention to me. Do the repetitions that's most suitable for you to get the most length in your lateral line. Okay. Now we're going to go to high kneeling on the carriage and for that we'll use one yellow spring. Take the blue spring off and put a yellow spring on. We'll leave the foot bars down, come to meal on your carriage and you have options here. Hmm, probably we'll use the cord that's furthest forward so your knees are in the center of the carriage center, Front to back and center right to left. You'll have the long loop around your right wrist and you'll have your left hand on the shoulder rest, aiming your right elbow up to the ceiling.

As you can appreciate, you just prepared your lateral line in side bending in the standing side, bending. Now we're going to take that side bend range of motion and put an arm and arm exercise on top of it. Leaning over so your left ear listens to the ground. As you inhale, turn your left lung to the ceiling. Exhale to turn back and see your feet behind you. Inhale to rotate.

Exhale to come back twice more. Push with your left hand, turning towards the ceiling and turn back and turn and turn back. This time, rotate and stay rotated and extend your elbow. Reach to the ceiling, Bend and look back at your toes. Inhale to push up.

Exhale to bend or exhale to press. That's fine too. Inhale to bend, drawing your right shoulder down prior to and during the lengthening of your right arm. Change now so your left hand gets the uh, long loop. Knees together best you can, right fingers are reaching towards your right knee, ear, neck, shoulder, and ribs. Go into side bending and reach out. Lengthen so from your left knee through your left little finger and reach your right fingers towards the carriage and towards the edge of the carriage. Inhale to look down at the springs as you bend your elbow.

Exhale to look up in Hail to bend. Exhale to turn. We'll have two more of these. Inhale collecting your lowest front ribs towards your pelvis. Last one, find your left shoulder. Slide it down. Now reach to the ceiling. Fingers. Fan the ceiling, and then bend your elbow and come down. Putting this loop down.

Now change to the new side. Okay, nice. Are Together, front to back, and right to left. This time it's your left wrist that gets the a short loop and your right hand, the heel of your right hand leans onto the shoulder rest, keeping your left elbow band. Inhaling, seeing the ceiling above you. Exhale, there are your feet behind you. Push with your right hand, turning your left lung in front of you to the left and then turning your that's turning your right lung in front of the left. Here it is right long in front of you to the left, left lung in front of you to the right. This time turn. Bring your left shoulder down and push out.

Reach up and over and left elbow to the ceiling. Three more of these left shoulder comes down as left arm goes out. Turn in your thoracic spine with respect to your shoulder, sliding your shoulder down. Change now so your right hand gets the long loop left. Fingers slide down towards your left knee.

Left ear listens to the ground side, bending right fingers string beyond the foot bar. Left fingers reached to the carriage and over the edge. Bending your left elbow, your right elbow he has right left. What is it? Bending that elbow and turning to look up. Look beyond your elbow to the ceiling. Inhale, rotate.

See the floor below you. Exhale. See the ceiling above you fanning. Open your right ribs as you exhale. Slide your shoulder down in the direction of your right pelvis. One more of these band and reach keeping your write up of straight.

Reach up to the ceiling and then come down by bending your right elbow and put this loop down. You've been kneeling now on your knees. And so we will change the standing on your feet in downward dog or the the upside down, the stretch for that. Each person will have a different bar height. So Norris, would you put your foot bar up on high and um, Rhonda would, she puts your foot bar on, um, all the way down. And Daniel, you'll be on the middle height for this. We're going to use on, my suggestion would be to use a red and a blue spring. Um, could be on the lighter setting or on the heavier setting. You can test it out to see where you would feel the more secure. Okay.

Climb aboard your carriage. Create from footprints with the souls of your feet and the souls of your hands, the palms of your hands, the back of your neck long looking back between your ankles. As you exhale, slide the carriage back. As you inhale, bring your entire spine closer to the legs that are sliding forward. Exhale to slide back. Inhale to return.

You could also inhale to push back. That could help make your spine more stiff in a beneficial way. Inhale to slide back, keeping your left foot where it is. Cross your right foot in front of your left. Anchor your right heel down. Bring your left hand next to your right.

Looking back between the shoulder rests. Inhale to slide. Exhale to return. Inhale, bringing your entire torso closer to the legs that are sliding towards you. Your entire spine, especially the spine between your shoulder blades comes closer to your legs, other side. Now relocate both feet to the new diagonal. Bring your right hand next to your left hand. Inhale to slide. Your whole spine comes closer to your thighs.

Meanwhile, we have a few things that check in. Um, your lower front ribs are collected towards your spine. Both shoulders are sliding a long way from your neck and from your ears. Uncross the current limbs now and reach your right hand towards your left ankle, Shin, knee, foot. Your right hand can reach across to your ankle or can hold on to the shoulder rest, rotating towards the left. Push through the sole, the palm, the heel of your left hand, and make a strong connection between your left hand and your right heel. You can look up towards the ceiling, the top of your head down changed now to the new side.

Stand your ground on your right hand. Cross your left arm across and make a clear diagonal from your right hand to your left foot. Also a clear connection from the sole of your right hand to the palm of your left foot. I know that I just love and mixing those two things up. Now come back to the center of downward facing dog and we'll have four more Murphy's standing your ground, elongating the distance from your tailbone to the top of your head. Come down from here. Now the last stop before snake and twist is the high kneeling side leg kick, which is inspired by the [inaudible] advanced Matt exercise, high kneeling side, leg kick. But I've created a version on the reformer.

For this. I'll suggest one blue spring or one red spring and the foot bar all the way up. If you are unfamiliar with this exercise, I recommend using a blue spring initially so that you won't be struggling with the weight. There's so many variations of the torso. It would be best for you to get familiar with those first. Now come onto your left knee so your left knee is in the center of the carriage front, back right left. Your left hand will be at the back, shoulder rest and your right big toe all the way forward.

Just make sure you're still dressed and then reach your right arms straight up to the ceiling, minimizing the flection or the compression of your left wrist. Inhale to glider. Exhale to come in. If it were a photo shoot at your house, you could reach your right arm up. Otherwise, collect your right hand up underneath your left ribs. Rotate now to place your hands on the shoulder rests.

Slide at in, in the light from your chest. Bone between the shoulder rests between your thumbs. Stand your ground on your left knee and open your left arm to the side. Looking down between the shoulder rests. Steering Your right knee forward over your third toe.

Put both hands on the back shoulder rests. Activate all the abdominal layers to facilitate your twist, your rotation to the left, pressing from your right heel to your right sitting bone and open your left arm to the side. Focusing on your right thumb, aiming your chest bone light over that area. Change now to the new side. Swing around, pivot around, puts your right knee in the center of the carriage, your left big toe all way forward. Create a huge wingspan, very expansive between your right hand and your left fingers. Inhale to slide up.

Exhale to return. Make a big statement there with your left hand for your holiday greeting card, and then use your left hand underneath your right ribs. Collect them there to remind your ribs to lift up. Put your left hand on the shoulder rest. Slide out an hand and continue this action with your right arm out to the side. Two more. Here I cut the other one's short. Sorry.

[inaudible]. Now both hands will go on the shoulder. Rest to the back. Here's the dog and live interest from the sole of your left foot to the heels of your hands. Broaden across your collar bones. Last stop on this train. Open your ride arm y to the side.

Draw your left knee upwards towards your hip joint. Steering your left knee forward over your third toes. Change now to the first side. Again, we'll take something similar and hip extension. The heel of your left hand is forward and then you will have your right foot towards the back. Create a big wing span and here we go. Send your heel down and rise to your toes.

Lower your heel. We'll just do two of these on this side. Heel down and raw ass and lower change. So both hands, each hand gets their own, gets its own shoulder rest. Exhale to push. Inhale to rise. Open your left arm, Hugh and Roz and lower collect your low front rib says you widen across your collar bones both hands to the back, shoulder rest, heel down and up.

And I'm steering your knee forward. She said to herself over the third toes. And then if you're able to do that, take your left hand off the shoulder rest. I am extremely tenuous here cause my knee joint doesn't rotate to provide a very good platform. Oop. Can you hear it in your voice? Turn around to the other side.

Left foot will go all the way back and ride him forward. Stream why? Between your hands healed down here and then hug underneath your ribs. Healed and rise. Just keep your left hand down. Nora sets right turn and hold onto the shoulder rest.

Now looking between the shoulder rests both with your chest bone and with your gaze open. Your right arm to the side left lung is turning in front of you to the right, right lung is turning behind you to the left. Both hands on the back, shoulder rest, standing high on your right hip joint best you can there leaving your left hand where it is, open your right arm wide to the side. [inaudible] a much better voice I must say on this side. Change now.

So it's ready for our versions of snake and twist. You might think, oh for heaven sakes, haven't we already done enough complicated and demanding material? Certainly of course we have. But this, um, this progression is, is right for everybody so that everybody can appreciate the um, movement material that comprises the snake and twist. We're going to put the foot bar all the way down now and change the springs first. The foot bar comes down and for, uh, this one I'd recommend the introductory version of the snake and the twists. I'd recommend one red spring on the lower setting.

[inaudible] and we're going to use that Short Fox for your forearms. So get your box, it will go next to the shoulder rests. Now you've created a little cockpit, a cockpit for your feet and for your forearms. And as you can see here, if the spring is too light for your mass, you won't have enough assistance for the return. If the spring is too heavy, there will be too much compression at your shoulder joints.

So after you do your first one or two rehearsals at home, you may pause us and make a spring adjustment. You'll come onto your knees on the carriage and then puts your um, uh, right foot forward or your outside foot forward and your inside foot will come back behind you. You'll be in a crouch position here. Yes, I know. Not very elegant, but we're getting there. You'll be in a crouch position with both knees bent and both elbows bent. Your weight is on your forearms and then you'll push out a little bit and come back in, push out and come back in, have your gaze towards your thumb sliding back and forth here. Now you can realize that at moment that you've had enough. Oh, you have to do is put your knee down and it's over. Not a big deal.

Change to the new side this time as before your outside foot is in front on the wooden platform. Your forearms are on the box and your other foot behind. Slide back and forth a little bit. Getting accustomed to this push out, not very demanding for hamstring flexibility here. Put your right knee down and come up to the new side.

But this is what we'd like, just little bits to get accustomed to. The feeling of the snake and the twist. Now we'll take a bit of rotation with that same baby snake, making it into a baby twist, right foot comes forward, left foot comes behind. No surprise to you. The pelvis starts to rotate as you push out. Hm.

Pelvis, lumbar spine. Once smaller and lower thoracic rotates also change to the new side. Okay, the outside foot, forward the inside foot back as you slide out, turn your pelvis towards the left, rotate and come back. [inaudible] come back twice. More pelvis, ribs, shoulders, neck, head. And eyes turning [inaudible] and return.

Put your right knee down, change up to the next side. Now if you have difficulty with risk compression, this could be what we just saw, your version of the snake in the twist. If however your wrists are comfortable with increased weight bearing, then you could get rid of the box. We'll keep the foot bar down and we may lighten up the spring just a bit, maybe a blue and a yellow, but if you're comfortable with the red, you could leave it there. Fine, no problem. We're going to have longer levers here, which is why I suggested that a lighter spring may be more comfortable.

We'll see. You can have your left hand on the carriage either in front of the shoulder, rest or behind the shoulder rest and your right hand over the edge of the carriage. Climb up onto the carriage now and you will have your right foot on the foot platform and your left foot crossed over slide and return. As you inhale, the light from your chest bone goes beyond the shoulder. Rest sitting bones go up to the ceiling. Inhale to aluminate. Beyond the shoulder rest.

Exhale to come in. Inhale to slide. Exhale to return. Climb off here now and change to the new side. Okay.

You will have three points of contact. Your right hand will be on the carriage in front of or next to the shoulder. Rest as you like. Your left hand over the corner of the carriage, your left foot on the platform. So now you have three points of contact and then your right foot comes on top. As you inhale, make a handprint down with your right palm.

Exhale to come up. Inhaling the light from your naval shines across the carriage and beyond the right shoulder rest broad and across your right collar bone and come up and push out. I'm going to come up, change now to the first side and we'll add rotation with that same um, hand placement. So this time as you slide up, your pelvis will turn to the left. Make your three points of contact, one, two, three and climb aboard as the carriage begins to slide, turn your pelvis towards the right pelvis. Rip Shoulders, neck, head and eyes. Continue to push out with your left hand and then return anchor your left shoulder blade down your rib wall, turning pelvis, ribs, shoulders, neck, head and eyes swing. Your left sitting bone up to the ceiling, turning left, pelvis left long turning to look over your shoulder and swing your left sitting bone. Anchoring your left shoulder down.

Push out a long gating, your spiral and return climb office and the new side away. Make your three points of contact. The outside foot. Two hands. Climb aboard as the carriage slides. Put weight into the heel of your right hand. Turning your pelvis towards the left.

Seeing beyond your left shoulder, right sitting bone steers up to the ceiling. Exhale to sly. Yeah. Inhale to return. [inaudible] fanning. Open your right ribs, making room for your pelvis to turn to come up.

Exhale to slide, pushing your right hand along, way from your left foot to make room for the spiral. Finally, now we'll bring the foot bar up. I suggest bring it to its lower position first and then later on you could practice with higher and higher positions of the foot bar. We'll bring the foot bar up. Now this would be an excellent time for you to get some non-skid material to make sure that your foot will not slide on the foot bar and you could also do a spring test mostly to see that it's going to be all right with the compressive forces through your wrist and through your shoulder.

I'm just going to do a spring test here. [inaudible] seems fine there. What I'd recommend is that if you have a high reformer or former on legs, Norris, you could put the box next to the carriage in the back. Righto. And that way instead of having such a high step, and it's not that you couldn't do it, but you can show the group here. Exactly. So that way you could bring the floor up and you can stand on the box when you climb up. All right, as you like.

So here you are with your points of contact. This time you are the heel of your left hand is on the top of the shoulder rest, minimizing your risk compression but sufficient so that you can have a steady grip here. And then you minimize the compression of your right wrist. Also, your right foot will be on the carriage, on the foot bar, and then you climb a board. We'll do two snakes and two twists sliding out. Inhaling x hell to come back, opening your chest phone to come forward and up through your collarbones and then turning your pelvis to see over your right shoulder and return. Inhale to a long gate road and return easy on the dismount now and change to the new side.

Bring your non-skid material, your foot with you. Right hand goes on the far shoulder, wrist, left hand goes on the corner of the carriage and your left foot will stand its ground up onto the foot bar. Two snakes and two twists. Inhale to push out x held return. Yeah, turning your pelvis, ribs, shoulders, pushing the heel of your left foot from the heel of your right hand. Meanwhile, back at the right shoulder blade. Snuggle it into your rib wall and return easy on your dismount. Now, thank you so much for joining us in sequence for success. The reformer, snake and twist.

I look forward to being with you next time on PyLadies anytime.

Comments

4 people like this.
Elizabeth thank you for your inspirational ideas , humour and exceptional cueing . Its a joy to watch you and to be inspired to see my clients perform these movements Thank you
just beautiful. thank you Elizabeth. :)
Thank you for the lovely preparation for these challenging exercises. Snake and twist never felt this good!
thank you for the safe and accurate sequencing & progression to this most challenging move !
forever grateful to you Elizabeth Larkam ~
Pele
1 person likes this.
Loved this! Lots of unique variations and yummy stretches for the computer age. Liked the snake break down. Felt accessible. Please do a tower or Cadillac class sometime.
Pele
1 person likes this.
I also liked how I felt my core really working without having done the usual flexion oriented stuff in the usual classes.
love this work out...
Taghrid K
1 person likes this.
An amazing sequencing with so many interesting exercises. I loved all the preparatory rotations of cervical, thoracic and pelvis, and all the different combinations, that seemed to make that snake and twist so accessible so your body just glides easily through them. I really loved your class and will look for more!
wow! Such is the richness of this material that each individual sequence could be a seperate class! Thanks Elizabeth and thanks PAT.
Thank you for such a detailed step-by-step approach to the Snake and Twist. This should make teaching this difficult exercise much easier for our students.
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