Class #3410

Beginner Mat Breakdown

40 min - Class
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Build a strong foundation with this beginner Mat workout with Adrianne Crawford. She teaches a class tailored to healthy bodies so you can develop a good understanding of the principles of Pilates. She starts with fundamentals that will teach you about the subtle details used in many different movements and then moves on to more traditional exercises.
What You'll Need: Mat

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So Hi, I major in. I'm going to be teaching a beginner breakdown of the mat exercises. So I have these two lovely ladies who are going to speak in by lying down on your backs. Good. So this is more tailored to the healthier body. Like if you have any injuries, I would, I would suggest checking with your doctors or your physical therapists and finding out whether or not this is for you. Um, move a little bit, have your feet, knees bent. We're going to start with your knees and feet hip width apart. Oh, you're just trying to start to get a sense of where you are on the mat.

Just kind of getting to relax, getting your minds focused into your bodies. Get your shoulders bailing out where they are, your hips, your waist, your feet. You'll have to try to get in a tension out of your body and just start to relax into it. We are going to end up moving quite a bit, but we just want to start to get yourself here. Good. I want you to think of your shoulders being straight across one shoulder to the other, your next. So I want you to think about the big nice and long. And then I want you to think of your shoulders down to your hips being nice and long. One straight line, right shoulder to right hip, left shoulder, the left hip. Keep your tailbone.

So your lower backs from 10 cos you try to keep them really relaxed. And then I want you to begin by thinking of lifting your waist. You're plying it in, flattening it out and growing taller in your spine. Begin to try to get rid of any arch in your back, flattening your spines down, but still letting those next lengthen. So as you pull in, don't start to hunch up in your chest or your next. You want to keep them nice and along and then you're going to relax.

And we're not start with what we call an imprinting exercise. And what you're going to do is kind of what you just did, where you try to get rid of that arch in your back. So your tightening, what we call your powerhouse, everything between her shoulders and hips. You're in a sink, your backs down, but you're also, as you're pulling down into the mat, you're thinking of lifting up and you're going to count just three. Once you're there, two, three that you're going to relax. Did you do that four more times where you sink your spines down, you lift your navels and you hold two, three breast, three more times, sinking down, pulling in, growing tall, hold two, three rest and tomorrow. So you just kind of getting that sense of where you are and getting those muscles. Just start to work at rest.

And the last one, thinking down, holding two, sorry, rest. I want you to take one leg and extend it out on the Mat and hold. Keep your chest broad. Think of that one leg, squeezing your seat and kind of tucking your bottom underneath you. So in other words, you're wrapping the outer thigh around and into that inner thigh at the same time that you're doing that, you're going to begin to imprint your spines and hold two, three then arrest and have you do that two more times with that same leg. So now you're gonna begin that rap, but then you're also going to imprint, be conscious of what's happening in your knees or your shoulders or your toes.

They shouldn't be tenting and rest even though you're working. One more time. Wrap an imprint. I see you both working very nice to Surrey rest. We're going to alternate. So in other words, you're going to go to the other leg, switch switching sides and you know hold. And then you're going to begin to wrap the thigh around, pulling up into that waste and imprinting.

There shouldn't be any light between your back and that mat. And usually there is a discrepancy between both sides cause we all have a weaker or stronger side. And sometimes it's more prominent on one side and at arrest. Each time you do that, you're going to hold for three counselors. Do tomorr squeeze, wrapping the thigh around. Feel your inner side engaging and hold two, three rest. Well, last time leg is long or up the thigh.

List the waist. Keep the tension out of your shoulders and your necks and rest. Now then journey and just take a moment to rest. Good. Now let's go ahead this. It gets a little more challenging because the gravity that you're going to have both like straight, same exact thing that you did with the wrap and the imprint, but now as you can tell with the legs long, you'll have more of a gap in that lower back so it gets a little more challenging. Like I said. So begin with the wrap.

Outer thighs are really pulling around and you're going to feeling those inner thighs kind of engage and also zip up. Think of the legs stretching out long and now imprint spine ad. Hold that for three, two, one and relax. Two more of those. Begin to arap. Keep those legs long so don't feel the muscles pulling up.

Feel the reaching away from you. Pull the waist in, lift that, get rid of that gap in your back as best you can and rest. Last time wrapping, reaching and lengthening. Hold to three and rest. You're going to bend your knees, hip width apart still on the legs. You're going to bring one knee into your chest and just give that leg a nice little stretch.

As you pull your leg in, I want you to think about not lifting your bottoms with it so your bottom should stay down. The leg comes in, but in other words, keep your tailbone from curling up. You want always to think of the spines being really long. Take that one leg straight up to the ceiling. You can give it another little stretch. Keep those tailbones pushing down, and now you're going to keep the leg up. Put your hands at your side.

I want both of you to bring that leg to 90 degrees. That's where you're going to begin. Sometimes that can be really hard depending on how tight you are. If that's too tight, you can bend your knee or you can lower the leg a little bit more. Great. So let's go ahead and demonstrate that by lower your like a little bit more, cause the tighter you are in those hamstrings, that's good.

The harder it is on that flexibility. If you don't have it, all right and, but because you guys are okay with that, you can go a little bit higher. All right, so that's just so you know. Now you're gonna take that same leg and lower it about two inches. Now remember that imprint you just did. You want to imprint your spine and count to two or three to we'll say three and now you're going to challenge that powerhouse, that imprint, or you're going to lower the leg another two inches and count to three. It gets more and more challenging with gravity. So the lower that light goes, the harder it becomes.

But you're working right and continue working that leg down. I want you to keep going, holding each place for three counts, two, three, lower. One, two, three, lower hold two, three. If it feels like it's hard on your lower back or you're feeling like you're straining, stay where you are and just hold that for three counts at that level. Working the leg up, you're going to come a little bit higher. So about two inches up and count one, two, three, continue working your leg up. Hold in. Printing two, three. Make sure your neck and shoulders are relaxed and hold two, three, a little bit higher. Whole two, three, little bit higher.

Whole two, three. Now there's point is high as you can hold for five, four, three, two, one. Bend your knee. Rest. Okay, so it's work. Every, everything is work right? When you're doing plays, it's good though. Break your other leg in. We're going to do the same thing on the other side, but they're great stretches. And if you can just work your south into a level that get it, it'll improve if you do that on a daily basis. All right, so now you're gonna take that same leg up to the ceiling.

You can give it a stretch if you'd like. You haven't already. And then you're going to get to a comfortable level. Ideally 90 degrees, if not a little bit lower than your hip, towards your other foot towards the mat, holding for three, two, one, lower for two inches and count again. One, two, three. Remember as you're doing this, the idea is to keep your backs long, but also flat. You don't want to be arching your spine here too. So you're engaging those muscles between your shoulders and hips. Well, a lot of it is abdominal, but it's also your seat. It's your shoulders.

Add a little bit lower exactly to three. You can both go a little lower. Hold two, three. Working your way up and increments. Holding two, three, a little bit higher. Two, three, lift two, three up to three. Go ahead and go as high as you can and hold for five, four, shoulders relaxed. Three, two, one, bend and rest.

Good. All right, so now that you've done that, let's go ahead and let your arms stretch for a moment. So you're gonna take both arms straight up to the ceiling. You're going to reach them back behind you. I want you to go ahead and let your backs aren't cheering. Let everything kind of loosen as your arms come back up.

You're going to go into your imprint so slowly lift the arms so you have that support in your powerhouse. Lower the arms to your side and access here. Incorporating a little more breathing here. Inhale, arms can go up or reach back. Let your backs relax. You can exhale, add another breath in, arms come up, exhale, arms come back down and imprint Walmart time, arms go back, stretch, arms come up. Exhale, rest. All right, you are going to go into the hundreds next. So in the preparation for hundredth, get some smiles for this. If you know what these are, you'll you might smile cause they are not easy exercises.

These are warm up exercises there to get the blood moving there. Also to get that powerhouse engaged. So when we first do these teaching wise, we like to do it in a modification way because everybody has a different level on different strengths. Then you first have to show that you can support yourself. So let's start with your knees into your chest.

There's a progression in these that you'll eventually do where you end up with legs straight out on the mat and they lift up and you're right into your a hundred position. But for beginning purposes, we're going to start with the knees bent, heels together, toes apart. So in other words, their knees are going to be in like a front position. They're open. So that is your position, your arm. Do you want to think of them reaching out? Long chest is broad to there. That's correct.

Good. You've getting some engagement in those shoulder blades. You're getting those wings to pull down. So that's where the reach is coming from. Your fingers are stretching forward. And then I'm going to have you lift both arms up off the mat above the hips. Pray high about 68 inches. We're just going to start with the arms, getting that idea. What the breathing's all about.

The breathing's going to be in through the nose, out to the nose. Long breath in for a full five count and a long breath out for a full five counts. So while you're breathing, you're going to pump the arms. Go ahead and begin pumping arms. Breathing in through your nose. Two, three, four, five. Exhale, five. Keep going. Inhale to five, and you can start to go a little bit quicker, a little more vigorous on that pump. Think of those shoulders pulling down.

You still got that imprint going on. Expand the lungs on the inhale. Two, four, five. Now ring lungs out on the exhale. One more like that in two, five. Exhale. Two, three, four, five. Go ahead and arrest everything. So drop your arms, drop your legs. Good. So now that you know where we're headed with the breathing, we're actually going to go into the exercise, and this is where it gets challenging because you're going to lift your heads up and that puts more weight into that powerhouse. You're going to start to feel it more in your abdominals. Once again, bring your knees back into your chest. Same exact thing with the arms.

Same exact breathing, but this time your heads are gonna come up. You want to think of those next lengthening as you curl up into your sternum. Letting those ribs drops. Arms are out, knees can stay right where they are. And now brewery in two four five two three, four, five oh all. I'm going to have you do about 30 or 40 cars. Then I want to show you the next level in two four five three, four, five in two, five oh two three, four, five.

Go ahead and arrest. So these are all different levels you can go. So if you, for instance, have neck issues, you can keep your heads down, but continue that breathing and getting that engagement. If you're next are okay with this, you could always add them and then rest them and between to start to strengthen them. But if they're really okay, you've won, ideally had the heads up looking at your waist the whole time. When I move on to the next level, so both knees are going to come back. And this time though, you're gonna stretch the legs straight up.

So the legs will be straight. There's becomes more challenging. But it's also a beginner exercise. When the legs are straight, depending on your level and your strength, reach the arms out. You're going to, once again lift your heads, but let's take your legs to a comfortable level. You're going to lower them to about 45 degrees. That's it. The legs are long. You want to wrap, you're getting that imprint into the mat and now breathing tooth, it's five going into a 400 here in two, five, two, three, four fun. Keep going. Five on. Watch your arms up here and big strokes down, down. That's it.

Get that oxygen moving. Get that energy going through your body. Now this is too easy. You can always challenge your powerhouse by lowering those legs to you to get those arms way above the hips. That oh two five two five two, three, four, five. Now, if this became difficult, you go back into that modification where the knees are bent, correct? I know two, three, four, five. So that's what you can teach yourself.

Knowing that out air, both of you, bend your knees and rest. So these are progressive exercises. They can you just add to them and they get more and more challenging. I'm going to have both of you set up face each other. Once again, you're in ease are going to be bent hip with apart. Yeah, and I want you to hold onto your thighs. Your heads are down and you're in what we call a seeker. The heads are forward.

You're looking at your navel, you've got that alignment. We were talking about shoulder, shoulder, shoulder to hip, hip to hip. You've got this framework to work with. We call it your box and everything within that box is your powerhouse. Lot of muscles involved here, but a lot of it is abdominals, lower back, shoulders down. Chest is still broad.

You are going to start around backwards, but as you go backwards, your arms are still holding on. You're going to just go back to where your arms are straight and that's where I'll want you to start. Keep your feet from lifting, so go to where you can keep those feet from moving. Thank your tailbones kind of curling underneath you so you get a kind of pelvic curl hair. Once those arms are straight, you're going to incur all four or you're trying not to pull with the arm, but if you need a little assistance, they're there for you. And forward shoulders, relaxed knee, stay hip width apart and going back. We're going to go a little bit quicker now. Romana always had as moving.

There was never really a long pause through anything. She liked the idea of people moving and less talking. So let's go ahead and go back girl forward. We're going to go right into the next one. Stay there, arms forward, going back. So now this is the next step. If you, those were easy, you could reach the arms forward and then during yourself up.

If they're not you stay where you are. You hold onto those thighs, correct. Now they're still fairly easy. You can go all the way down. Rest your heads. Let's have both. You rest on the mat, reach for your thighs, curl up, pull into your waist and articulate over the hips. One more time. Going back all the way down so there's no momentum coming up, but you're in control of the movement. There's time.

I'm going to have you stayed down and arrest. So if you're able to do what these ladies just did, we can go to the next step, which is the leg straight. Alright, so heels together, toes apart. Now because the legs are straight, it makes everything a lot harder, right? Because that here's that same gravity with your spine. It's kind of up off the mat. You want to go into your imprint. So remember how you wrapped her thighs? Good. And then you ended up pulling your backs down. Butt lifting your spines.

Well that's what you're doing here. Take both arms straight up to 90 degrees. Deep breath in. Continue that wrap. Start to pull in and start to exhale. Lift your heads and start to rise up off the mat. Keep pulling and keep pulling and keep pulling in and out. Nose to your knees. Stretch. Now once you go forward, that's a good stretch.

The only thing she's missing is a scoop through here. I want to see you. There we go. So we're getting nice, rounded back and then go back down. Now here comes control as you go back. Keep it controlled. Goes slow wrap, pull in, lie down, take the arms to 90 degrees. We're going to do that two more times and then we're going to add a little flow to it cause there's six principles to pull out is one of them is flow. So you're going to end up moving. All right, now let's just kind of get the move, the idea of what you're doing.

Let me see those scoops. Good, good. Go back down. Very nice. Actually go ahead and go into the flow. You guys are doing great. So even at a beginner level you can move, come up. If this is, if you've progressed from the knees being bent in those where no problem. Come up and stretch forward and now a little bit quicker. Go back down, two more. Up over.

They start to feel really good and go back down because you're stretching as you're strengthening last one up. Good. That's it. And all the way down and both of you will rest on the mat lying down on your backs. All right, your knees are going to be bent hip with the part. One knee comes into your chest. You can take that leg straight up. Now this is a little bit different than you did a little earlier. Don't let to let go past 90 degrees, so a little lower right there. Great.

All right. You've got that framework going shoulder to shoulder, shoulder to hip, hip to hip. Your your nice and long and centered. In other words, you've got that imprint going on. You want to keep your hips from moving on these so you keep that powerhouse engagement. You're going to circle your leg towards the inside of your body. So you're gonna go in. If your right leg is up, you're going to the left shoulder, left hip, right shoulder, finishing at your nose. So it's a circle within your frame, so don't go too wide yet. Keep them small. That's it. And you're only going to do five where you should really feel this is on the inner and outer thigh.

That's where you should feel it. You should feel a stretch. If you're not, it's probably because you're moving a lot in your hips or you're tightening your knees too much. You're going to reverse your circles five times. Correct? Now I have their opposite legs bent, which may give you more support for your back. But on the other leg, when we go to that, I'm going to actually have them straightened her like for demonstration purposes. Okay, so that would be at, you're going to rest your legs, you're going to switch legs, you're going to take that leg up and you're going to extend the other one out. So if that felt really not too challenging, you can have both like straight if it fell challenging, have that one leg bent, long spines, but anchored, right, you've got that in front going on, you've got that wrap going on. And now circling in towards the right and coming back up for your left, whatever side you're on. Lyft good. You can feel the other leg will want a wobble.

Stretch it out if it's straight and reach it. So both legs are helping support you. The lower bigger you get with these, the more challenging they become. And if you very reversed, I hope just five, you're working on getting that leg up towards unit, so higher each time. More stretch three, four, and rest.

Bend your knees, both of you are going to sit up, the legs will be straight. So first set up like straight everything is about moving and exercising and strengthening, stretching. So in the next transition in your transitions, you're still working hands at your hips. You're going to literally lift your bottoms off the mat to sit towards your heels. Good cause you're now getting ready for rolling like a ball. So for beginner amount of vacations, we're going to have you hold on to the back of your thighs. Exactly.

And I want you to, this is difficult, the big transitions in the beginner positions because there's a lot of control that's involved. So you're just good at balance first. In other words, your feet are going to come off the mat and you're kind of scooped into that power house into a nice c curve and you're kind of balancing on your sits bones now without letting the legs move too much. I want you to think of rounding backwards as if you're going to lie down. I only want you to go maybe two or three vertebras and then I want you to stop. And I want you to come back up without dropping the feed back into your seat. Now do that again and go just a little bit further with control and then come back up. It's not easy.

These are challenging exercises. And so now go to where you have control as far as you can, but stay in control of it and forward. Okay. And one more like that. Nice and easy and forward. Drop your feet, grab the top of your knees and lift your back. So I teach that when somebody has very loose hips or they have more curve in their lower back, cause they kind of teach them how to curve it.

Smile a little take. All right, so now that you know where it's coming from, we're going to put that into a roll. So you're literally going to roll back in her and come up. Still hold the thighs. We'll start there. Get into your sea before you go anywhere. I want you to initiate like you just did.

Remember how you went in a little bit back, got a deeper into that curl, then put it into a role. Exactly. Yes, exactly. That's your rolling like a ball position. Now control it so there's no flop. It's smooth as very good. Now that's simple.

Take a hold of your ankles so you now your arms are in a different position, making exercise more challenging and back around. Find your balance sheet time. These exercises, you're just breathing naturally, trying to stay as relaxed but as control through each movement and as centered as possible. Very good. Last one. Come up to balance. Place both feet down. Stretch the legs out, or you can exactly put your heads at your hips to lift your seats and stretch back, which both of you did. All right, I'm going to have both of you lie down controlled. Remember how you roll winter. We're in those roll ups while you're gonna roll down.

So control it down, articulate with the wrap and the scope of the waist and rest. Bring both knees into your chest. This is a coordination exercise. It's called single leg stretching and put your right hand on your ankle and your left head on her knee. And these can be difficult because a lot of times your head will be up and that can feel tough on her next, but you can always put your heads down and add them when you're ready.

Let's keep your head down for just a moment. And now that you've got your right hand on her ankle or your left on your knee, you're going to take the opposite leg and take it straight up. Let's start with that leg straight up. So now you have good, you feel your backs are nice and anchored. Well now you can take that extended leg and lower to where you still have a nice anchored back. The lower it goes, the less control you have in that way. So if it doesn't feel like your backs or all the way down, keep that leg at a level that you got that. Okay, stay there. Now I'm gonna have you switch hands.

So left leg comes in and your left hand has now transitioned to the left ankle. So outside hand will always be on your ankle. Switch hands, switch legs and hold. You're still long here, but you're still imprinted like a little higher because I want to see your back supported theory. Go and switch hands. We can easily fool ourselves in these because when you're moving and your legs and arms are moving, you'll lose some of that sensation of where your backs are and that's what I want you to really focus on is where is my spine? Switch legs, switch hands, Walmart time hold. Now you've got the arms in a great position. You've got that outside hand on your ankle. Keep your elbows up.

They stay up so they're actively engaged. Their shoulders are down, your chest is open. I want you to go ahead and lift your head. Now that you've got the coordination of it, mind body, right? You are going to keep your heads up. You're looking here. You've got that nice anchor in that lower spine, pulling in the opposite legs of stretching away. Switch hands, switch legs. These are quick. You're gonna move flow, right? One, two to think of pulling the knee towards your ear, but pulling up in that waste at the same time. Don't let your elbows drop. Walmart set to each side and then go ahead and arrest heads down.

Feet down. Next exercise is the double leg stretch. You're going to bring both knees into your chest, heels together, toes apart. Knees are open. Yeah. If you feel like you're not on the mat, scoot yourself down. Reach for your ankles. If that feels like too much of a stretch to go all the way to the ankles, hold your thighs. A lot of times if somebody has knee issue, I'll have them hold their thighs so they're not crunching into their knee so much and sometimes it just feels better there. Okay, so we're going to just start with the arms and legs just to kind of get the articulation of it or the coordination of it.

You're going to take both arms and both legs to 90 degrees, so arms length goes straight at the heels. Stay together. You're at a plotty stance who hails together total apart. You've zipped up those legs. You're going to take your arm, circle them around, keep the legs still as you circled. Now as the arms come in, grab onto your ankles or grab onto your sides. Bend your knees and exhale so you're pulling in. So in other words, they're going to all come together. Arms, legs goes straight up, burry. Then circle the arms. Exhale, grab onto to the ankles or the thighs.

So that's the idea here. Now where it gets challenging is when your heads come up, you're gonna lift your heads, look at your waist. Either hold your thighs or your ankles. Your you should be able to see through your, your knees. So they should be a little wider. They're good.

Arms and legs go out at the same time in a hold. I want you to hold that position cause I want you to think about where you are. If your lower back is not supported, get those legs up higher. If you're okay there, curl into your sternum a little bit more. I know it's hard. Hold now. Keep the legs still as you circle the arms.

Add Bend and come in burry. Then this is a breathing exercise. On that out, you're really expanding lungs. You're inhaling on the and you're exhaling, reign that air out. Inhale, stretch, exhale in on the out. You're adding more of a stretch. You really think of those arms reaching, reaching, reaching behind you.

But at the same time you're stretching the legs out so your waist is lengthening. So let me have you hold that. Let me see you stretch. Where's your support? Get that support in that lower back and then come back in tumor, reaching out. Bring it in. Walmart. I'm rich. Bring it in and arrest. Both of you are gonna sit up. Legs are apart, fader flexed and her legs are straight.

This is called your spine. Stretch forward. Both arms are on top of well lined with your shoulders should say, and ideally, exactly. You're trying to lift in her back. If you're really tight and your hamstrings, you bend your knees, but go ahead and bend your knees just so I can demonstrate. And then you want your knees from falling out. You want to keep them straight up, right, so they're not turned out.

They're straight up. Parallel to your hips, but you're still tall now because she has the flexibility. I'll have her straighten her leg. So those are the things you want to think about. You're going to think of lifting up through the waist, right through those ribs. Breathe in, squeeze your bottom. Keep growing tall. Keep growing, Holly.

You start to drop your chins and exhale down towards the Mat. Curly in to your spine. You go as low as you can. Now the arms are gonna stay shoulder hut, so your heads will drop between the air. Now Scoop in, keep the wrap and the thighs as you stack one vertebra back on top of the other to sit up tall. All right, while more like that brewery, then lift your backs. Lift your waist up, going down your feet, stay flex the whole time. Try. The goal is to get the crown of your head on that Mat. So if you can go lower, go for it. And then come back up. Yeah, we're going to add a little flow. So these are going to get a little quicker. Deep breath in. Exhale, lower lower dam and come back up.

What's hard is once you get down there, your hips will kind of fall forward. I want your hips to, so stay there to pull back more. That's where they should be way back here. Good. And then come back up while more lift your waist grew tall. Exhale, keep growing tall. As you go forward, that's it.

Go as low as you can. Grab onto your feet, give yourself a stretch where you can grab your ankles and come back up. So those are a lot of the modifications you can do. Now that you know those modifications, I want to show you the flow. So we're going to do all of that without stopping. So move forward and I'll have you begin by lying onto your backs.

Getting some giggles here. That's good. All right. Getting mentally prepared. We're going to begin without the preparatory exercises of the stretches, but right into the a hundred so bring both knees into your chest cause we're at a beginning 11 beginner level. You're going to reach your arms forward, your lift your heads. Look at your waist, you're going into your hundreds. Go ahead. And because both of your are capable and had that support. Legs are straight. Breathing in. Don't let your per body bounce that stay still, you're reaching two, three, five but in two, three, four, five, five. Squeeze your seats. Reach those legs out. Two, three, four, five two, three, four, five 50 to park out two, three, four by 62 five really getting shot strong.

That's it. Seven two, three, two, three, four five 82 523-FOUR-59TY-2452 take four, five. Sit Up face forward, feet, hip width apart, holding your thighs or you can have your heels together, toes apart. Round your backs start to go backwards. When your arms just straight, you're going to stop. Deep breath and curl those hips. Let's see that articulation, that lower back. Exhale come forward. And now going all the way down to the mat, reach the arms out, go all the way down. Deep breath in and come all the way up. No momentum, so no jerking through it and arms long.

Go all the way down and stay down straight and both legs on my mat. Arms up to 90 degrees. You've got that idea where you need to change. If you need to modify this deep breath in, curl your Chins, wraps the thighs, pool in and stretch forward and quickly. Now go back, but controlled quick does not mean out of control. And four more. Up over, nose to the knees.

Calm back down as you go to stretch. Don't let your hips fall forward. Keep pulling those hipbones back to really at a really deep sea to warm up. Oh over stretch. Take the momentum, Matt. As you come at Walmart time and up, put in in stretch all the way down. Stay down. So lie onto the mat. Lying flat. Bring one knee in and take it straight up the other knee.

Let's start with it bent. So Ben, that opposite need do maybe two with the knee. So bend your opposite date. Do two with the knee bent. Keep your chest open. One to straighten your opposite leg on the mat and do three more same leg and stay within your frame. Don't make these huge thereabout control and strangling. Two and three, reverse it five times. Circling down and around and one, two, very good. Keep those hips still so don't go too big. If that means making it smaller to keep that control. That's what you do.

Had bed switch sides. Start with the other one, bent the opposite leg, two circles, and then you'll end up with the leg straight. And now straighten your legs and three more war. Don't get too big to reversing five times to the nose. Shoulders relaxed to three. Very good. Very, very good. Four and rest. Both of you are going to sit up, your legs are straight.

You're going to put your heads at your hips. Sit at your heels, keep getting ready for rolling like a ball. Grab onto your thighs or your ankles. You know where you should go, where you feel like you're in control. Heads are down. You're in your seat. You stay in that sea and rolling six times. Go back finding that balance each time you come up. Remember how you initiated, where you fell back into those hips.

Remember that? Sorry. So there's no hop. That's it. That's it. You might not come up five last one. And fate down. Hands at your hips. Stretch backwards.

One leg into your single leg stretch position so you are lying back down on your back. Bring your heads up. Look at your waist. Opposite leg is long and off the mat I would say much higher for both of you. Keep going up with that leg, Celia right there. Switch legs, switch hands, elbows are up. You've got that coordination. You know where your, your outside hand goes to the ankle and switch five times one. What? Choo are you pulling it to? Are you reaching three, four, four, five bowls, legs in double legs, heels together, toes apart. Deep breath, a big circle. And exhale. Exhale to stretching, arms, stretching, legs.

Three breathing. Exhale four last one. Reach and go ahead and sit up for your spine. Stretch forward five times. Legs apart. Feet are fluggs tall. Once again, if you need to bend those knees, it's called your spine stretch for a reason cause you're stretching that lower back so it's not all about your legs, even though you might feel it there as low as you can and come back up and tall. And all the way down. Keep pulling in. Keep going. Keep going. Keep going. Keep going. Pull this back. There we go. So yeah, she has to squeeze and then come back up. Go ahead. All right, back up. That's it. Beautiful. Last one down, grab onto your ankles or wherever you'd like and stretch.

Have both of you may sit up and that is your beginner modified mat.

Comments

3 people like this.
Thank you for not rushing the demonstration of the modifications. Enjoyed the class. I can’t roll like a ball but stay in the beginning position instead.
Thanks Lynn.
Luisa Z
thanxs Adrianne, I love this lesson for beginners!
Karolien V
1 person likes this.
Great class which really tells you what to watch for to correctly do the excersises so you can get the most out of them. I’m of to a good start! Thanks!
Rajashree Srirangarajan
Love this session!
During spinal stretch, if one has high arched back (and tight hamstring) do you recommend exaggerated C curve  or posterior tilt ?
Susan H
Adrienne's cues and awareness to recruit and lengthen is really excellent.  
Winter J
I think this should be labeled as a 1/2. It was so fast toward the end!
Jodi S
Thanks for being there. I find it much more difficult to do a class when I’m not surrounded by classmates. This is the next best thing.
VASILIKI K
I love it!!! Thank you!!
Venetia
Very first, as I transition from a lifetime of yoga - I welcome this fresh new challenge 👌🦅 thank you
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