Class #564

Reformer Alignment

65 min - Class
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Description

Join Niedra for this Reformer workout with an emphasis on alignment and stretching to open the body, building strength and stamina. Enjoy!
What You'll Need: Ladder Barrel, Reformer w/Box

About This Video

Nov 15, 2011
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Transcript

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Hi, good evening. We're gonna do an intermediate and it com advanced reformer class today. Um, these are two slightly different reformers, so we may have to stop and start a little bit to make sure they work for both of you. So let's sit down on the reformer coming to the side, back to the front, lift your powerhouse up, bend your knees and sit down, one bottom on, one bottom off, and then lie down on your back for footwork. So toes on the bar. Now I'm so long before you start, I want you to very slightly grip your ham caps and hemps. Yeah, so you have a slight pinch and bring the sit bones close together. So you have this like gripping movement. First Time just press all the way out, holding the back muscles of the legs and get length and then come back in one more time. Go out and pause, pause, pause, pause, check. Say out there, Susan, stay out and use the shoulder rest to get that length through the spy and work the inner side.

And then when the knees and come back in with control in your hamstrings. And here we go. And Go and out and in and press. And in Susan, keep the left hip down a bit and, and press and down and press and down and press and down and press and down. One more time. And now before we go to burden a perch just to stretch out the calves feed together and heals way down. This is not part, this is kind of just to work out the calves as you go out, push your heels down and press them out. So by the time the knees are straight, you're in full flex position and bend your knees to come back in.

Keeping the ankles very flex. Then press out again. So this is just to loosen up the ankle and come back in and see if can keep the ribs wide on the mat as you go. That's it. Keep going. Move the hips over a little bit and let [inaudible] there. Just a tiny bit that's too much there and out you go in, lengthen into this side, lengthen it. Good and down and press long, long, long, long, long heels down, Susan and in.

So by the time go come back in I, the time you get with your knees to straight, the heels have to have already arrived even more. There you see that drop, get rid of it on the way out so you have to go. So sometimes takes a bit of fig. You got it that a lot of work into the ankle just to figure out how to get that full release. Emma, that's lovely. And in good. Okay. Bird on a perch that just as so nice long, curved position, long toes and out you go and press and in left hip down, press and down and press and pull the machine in and press and, and press and down m press and down and press on down two more times. Very nice. Um, press Emma House's machine for you. Okay. On your heels flex. Now really pull the little toe up towards the knee. Maximum flex before you start. And I'll let you go. Press out in pause here.

Really pull the toes up and then bend the knees and resist coming in with your feet and press out and come back in and pull the little toe towards you, your outer an Omni and come back. And so you're always stretching that side of the foot up and down. So this is so lovely what you're doing here too though. This platform of the ball of the foot is right against the wall plate. Yes, add in.

I'm press add in, I'm press and in in one more time and in onto the balls of the feet for tendon. Stretch Chris' all the way up with your legs. Long legs and lower the heels. Innercise pulled together and lift up and press and lift up. That's so good Emma. And press and lift up. Very nice and press and lift up as you do this.

Use a shoulder rest to kind of rotten. Literally the pressure of the springs into the bottom and stretch and open the neck and the shoulders. So they brought in the shoulders, broad back of the ribs, broad, sacred and long legs. One more time and come back up and then come in, bend your knees and come back and set yourselves up for hundreds. So I would like you to start your hundreds at the 90 degree angle and every 10 you lower them a little bit further down. If you start to feel that it's too much on your back or you're working too much in the quads, that's your limit. If you can go all the way, the feed should be in line with your forehead so you start arms down, legs, up, head forward, legs to the ceiling, long in reaching with the arms, the hands in line with the shoulders. Start pumping with the arms. Breathing.

Fine. Exhale, lower the legs a little in two, three, four, five. Exhale down. Lower more into three, four, five. Exhale down. Lower more into three, four, five. Reach out through the fingers in three, four, five. Exhale out and reach into three, four, five. Exhale out and reach into four, five. Exhale out. Then reach into three, four, five.

Exhale out and reach into five. Exhale down a little more. Last one, three, four, five. I hope this was a hundred vendor. Knees in your arms and RAF, set yourselves up for shirts, my massage. So the arms are long and okay in this position, check that the sit bones are down. Nisa only shoulder with the part. So even though they slightly apart, the kneecaps are pointing straight forward instead of down.

And if you're in a grads, you want the straps just above the shoulder rest. So the spine is long. Extend up with the legs and lift up and over the top and over long, long, long legs. Bend your knees, roll the sit bones down, away from the feet nicely stretching through the lower back and push your feet down towards your bottom. Extend out and lift your hips up right away. Hips lift all the way over. Bend your knees down, roll down and keep your hamstring soft. Children's wider, Susan. Shoulders wider. Knees wider. I'm sorry. Need new and come in.

So keep going miu fine. Susan, when you come down, I want your knees to the shoulder and sit too close and don't push into the knees. Roll to your back. So press out again. So this is really an opportunity to stretch into your lower back. So bend your knees to your sh the shoulder rest. Relax the toes. That's it. Now start pulling your ribs down towards the Mat. Ribs down, stomach down. That's it. Keep the hamstring soft. All of this is soft. Do not try and stretch your knees at all. And now this is your Max.

Now take your heels and push your bottom down. Push, push, push down. There we go. Now archival, press out with your legs again. Lift up and over and now press the soles of the feet together. So this is the funky. Bend your knees and bring the soles of the feet together. You're slightly sickled little toes touch soon, Susan.

And now keep your feet here and roll your bottom away from your feet. So it's going to stretch into the outer side of your foot even more, even more, even more. That's it. So it's, yeah, and then flex your feet and push your bottom down. Yeah. So you have that slightly turned in position for a minute to open up the side foot. So press out again. Now here, your normal push out, lift your hips up and over. Now as you bend your knees, you're going to sickle a bit so the feet come together and they stretch on the outer foot. Now without this changing role, your bottom down. So it's a very different stretch. It stretches into the it band and to the outer calf.

When you can go no further down, you flex your feet Susan, and then push your bottom down. Exactly. One more time. Press up in over bend so you slightly sickling. Have no souls of the feet come together. You're such lovely Mobil there. Keep the little toes pressing together so you stretch into that line. Yeah, exactly. And that's it, Susan. Yes, yes, yes.

Flex your feet and come in. Okay. Awesome coordination. So elbows in, lift your head and chest. Stop and arms and legs extend. Open and close. Bend your knees deep. Bend your arms. Extend Long, close the ribs and bend. Add a little variation. Extend Out, hold the position right foot goes out, come back, keep the pelvis quite left foot and back. Bend your knees, knees together. Susan, Bend your arms. And again, extend reverses, left foot and right foot and bend. Bend lower down and swing around for rowing.

So the legs along the arms along your shoulders are okay. Now sort of. Okay. So back you go, rolling back. Pull that straps into your sternum. Take your arms out with your thumbs to the floor. Push with the arms without the machine moving. Then come forth, thumps, touch behind you. And then big circle.

Pull the back ribs. Pull the ribs into the backwards Bape circle all the way over. Now grab your feet here, Emma. Grab your fee, bend your elbows, grab your toes, flex your feet and lift your elbows to the ceiling. And now pull back into the ribs so the stomach lifts off the size and you open up the back body. Then come back up. So just a little bit of kind of opening roll back again. Roll back, scoop and close your ribs. Don't go too so far, but down Susan, a little less strap should be above the there just to there.

Now take your arms out without changing your shape. Don't change your shape. Push as much as you can. Now deepen into the powerhouse and come up and pull the ribs back so the head is going to your knees, not to your shins. A little higher up now. Big Circle. Keep the hands together, reach them out. Do Not Hook Susan. Work the muscles all the way around.

Grab your feet and pull a little bit back as you round into your body and come back up. Very good. One more time. Rolling back. Opening up your back body. So spreading the shoulder blades apart. Arms Out, thumbs down. Push now deepening and deep and curve into your own body and pull the stomach up. Thumbs, touch, no hooking, no hooking and stretch the arms up. Keep rotating inwards. Now big circle all the way around. Grab your feet, elbows up, deepen into it and come back up just to open up the body. Next version and you'll have a long flat spine.

So elbows in line with your shoulders a little lower. That's it. Lift your chest. Good and hinge back 45 degrees. Only long position. Come back up and lift and stretch your arms out. Now long spine reach all the way forward. Long Body. Pull your hands down, back and big. Circle up all the way around.

Reach your feet and stretch yourself. Long head going towards your feet. Yes, come back up. So different. Stretch the last one you were rounding. Now you're going to stretch long elbows. Susan, I want the hand above the elbow there. Now lift your chest and hinge back. Go further. If you want to come back up and stretch forward and long, reach to the floor outside the frame. Reach back and reach towards your tailbone.

Stretch on the shoulders all the way up, all the way around. Grab your feet in length in your head toward your feet. Now different stretch long stretch and come back up. 90 degree angle. Lift your chest and hinge back, back, back, back, back. Come back up and stretch out and long.

Pull the arms down and back. Thumbs, touch, big circle all the way up, all the way around. Stretch over and down and come back up. Very good. Now Ama, beautiful work. When you go back up to this angle, you're going to have the spine long. If you go further than that and I think you can, you, you have to let the pelvis tilt because eventually you want to be at that position. But you can do it here.

So do you know the variation where the arms extend out? So let's have a go. Lifting he and jotting can parallel to the floor. Go now tuck the tail a bit so you can go Powell. Now stretch your arms by your ears and then lift up one long piece. Beautiful. And then big circle all the way over. Pull the hands down to the floor, back behind you and circle all the way around. Lengthen and stretch.

Grab your feet, lengthen the knees down. Everything opens up and come back up. Very good. Swing around. Face the front or the ocean. Susan. So reaching from the armpits. So elbows go back. So for me, Susan, I want the elbows behind your body. So the shoulder blade, the pinching sternum is lifting with shoulders are down. Can you get your elbows more back?

Good now pointed toes and reach the hands up for head height. Bring the hands down and lift your chest. Stretch the arms forward and reach through the fingertips all the way out. Lift the spy, lift the waist, lift the hips good and stretch and press down and lift the back up. And why? Get even taller through the neck and the head. One more time. Reach, press down and lift the stomach and the ribs in the back and all the way out.

Flex your feet strongly, hands by the hips and slide beyond your heels. Stretch and sweep forward and up. Forward and up. Forward and up. Lifting the arms up, all the way out and down. So I would like today you go forward and you keep extending into the strap extending. So it's a big arch rather than rolling up in lifting. Okay, good. Flex Susan and start drop your head, stretch in the powerhouse and keep reaching into the pushing into the straps that come up as tall as you can. All the way out and down.

One more time. Slide forward, flex into the heels and reach forward and lift. Lift. Press into those straps. Lift the powerhouse up all the way out and damn good. Okay. Shaving to open the shoulders, different variations. Thumb right above the occipital bone. Let's have the elbows behind the plane of the ears that it's the long diagonal.

Look forward and sit it down. Really move forward, Susan, and then press the arms up. The shoulders will come up a little bit, but this stretches and bend the arms back. Very wide. Lift in here and press, press, press and stretch from the rib cage and back. That's great. Elbows wide and stretch from the waist and back. And now pull from the hip through the waist, through the ribs to the fingertips and back. And last one. Susan, lift the chest more and press lifting from the tailbone and reach through the fingers.

Try to stretch your whole spine all the way out to the side and cross your feet the other way. Take a deep breath in to hug the tree and close the arms. Lifting the chest and open. Keep the shoulders now and close. What's that? I'd like to upright. That's it. And now we've verse your breath.

Exhale. Inhale, lift the sternum. Exhale. Inhale, exhale. One more time. Inhale, exhale. Very good. Hook the handles behind you and just shake your arms out. [inaudible] hands in front of you.

So you have your third finger opposite your solar plexus. So little bit draping a little bit lower than the shoulder line. Lift you back up, lift your elbows up and our presses shoulders down. This is tricky. Now have a look at the palm of the hand because it's dipping. Lift the hand up. So this line that runs through a straight ah, so, and you make sure the crease of your wrist is and the palm is facing the front to lift the elbows. And now make a really that it, lift the elbows more.

Now pull the shoulders down, lift the chest, Choate, that's it. So pretty one joint works right against the other. Very good. And shake the arms out to, that's what you're going for. And Hug a tree. It's really common to kind of have the elbow dipping a bit when the elbow is lifted, then the hand depths. So then you need to, so Emma, rotate the hand even more on the way in. So it's just there.

So this added this more lift and that down against it. So everything's spiraling against each other in a way to create these beautifully toned arms almost there. So this line is a flat plane. Yeah. Shake your arms up. That's it. Yeah. And we're going to bring the ladder barrel over here now so that we can do swan on it. One of you is gonna do pulling on the straps.

The other one's going to do swan and then we flipped. Okay. So Susan, you're going to start. So Emma pulling on the straps first on your nose down. Second time, a little lift of the head. Third time bigger. Backbend so, so just go through your three set three and then three pulling the straps behind you. So the head you starting out, I would like your, yeah, so the spine is completely long and the first one is just shoulder. Squeeze your shoulder blades together and lift the cuff and down.

So we repeat that again, Emma, without lifting the ribcage. Just squeeze the shoulder blades. That's it. So you really work the upper back. Excellent. Now you keep all those qualities and mini backbend. Okay, Susan, here you go. Up to you. Come and open and lift. Good. Come forward, stretch, lift again. And soften the knees and open.

Really excellent stretch and nice and long. Pull the stomach up and bend your knees and down. So when you come to your long plane, I want you parallel to the floor. And I don't want you humped. I just want you like an Arrow shooting out. So up you come again. Lip, open the chest. Beautiful. Come forward, stretch, lift. Open the chest. Get this part of the spine to go in.

Lift the rib cage now stretch out length and reach. Then your knees and come down. Very good. One more time. Lift up. Did you do pulling husband and back? Good. And stretch out. Lift again. Soften into the chest. Bend the knees more. Good. Stretch out. Reach to the so long, and then bend your knees and come down.

Very good, Susan. Okay. Pulling on the straps, Emma. Okay. Um, whichever way you like to do it. So I'll just have a look at what's happening with you. So up you've come. Good, good, good stretch. Yeah. Okay. So let's, this is what I'd like, first of all, getting your hands in by the on the barrel.

Case it here just first time when you start lifting up, I like you to roll the shoulders up and back and start to lift and just push up a bit. So you open in the upper back, upper back, lift the tips of the shoulders. So you get that stretch in tee here. And then this nice lift. So that's the quality I want you to feel when you go into the back bend. So you're a little bit rounded. You really want to use your upper back. Okay, so come down again. Now go up and back. Now do the same thing but with the hand. So you're just going to go up and down, up open that you see right here.

And now can you take your arms for the app and keep this working and opening here. So that's it. And then go as far back as you're comfortable going. Beautiful. So this opens then come forward. And for me, I'd like you parallel to the floor stretched out. Now come up again. Keep the knees straight. Same thing. Get this upper back to open and then soften the knees to go a little further. Soften, soften, soften, soften, soften. Good. And then stretch out.

Nice and long reach. That's it. And Bend your knees and come down. Good. One more time. Now with rhythms, so just come up a little bit more and then relax into your backbend. Take the arms up and back. Lift the back. Go good. Come forward. Now come up again. Keeping the knee straight and reluctantly Ben, to increase your back. Bend. Lovely. Come back up. Stretch out long. Bend your knees and drape down. Okay, very good. Alright.

All right. Okay, so on your bats, Susan's got the little box and has gotten the big box. Hands above your forehead in this position already lengths in the shoulders and armpits down into your back. Dipping into the powerhouse. Arms and legs. Go up, open and reach out. Long towards your knees. Deepen and open your back body and bend your knees and come in. Keeping the power house active and lift and open and reach long. Keep the floating ribs down and come back in one more time and lift and open and reach towards your knees and come back in. Very good.

Come up for four teaser. So adjust your spring and lying back down. Let's see. Are you going to crash? No. Your just going to make it so that's gonna make it arms long. So in this position, am I bringing the hands down too? You feel the traction of the strap, but every time you come back here, I want you to really take that moment to open up across the collarbones. So now lift your head and chest. Bring your hands, suicides, roll up to teaser and lift and lower the arms down.

If it's too much, you can keep the knees soft too. And if that lift through the powerhouse and roll down. Roll down, roll down. And now you get to open and release and relax. Long legs and again, deepen into the powerhouse and roll to lift up. Circle the arms and circle one soda. Stay Down Susan two and circle three.

Reach and roll. Back Down. Roll back down, roll back down and release. And now before you come up this third time when you, I'd rather have a smaller circle where you use it, work from your back without, if your shoulders are coming up, the circle is too big if this. So here we go. Come on up again. Roll and lift. Sold us that armpits down your back and now circle whichever direction you want. Much better. Much, much, much better. So you reaching from the back of the ribs and then roll down, roll down a plus. That was super and release. Okay, hold the straps with one hand step off.

And let's do beginning Sua, breaststroke, beginning stress, stroke. Have you done that with me? Not that I need to. Okay, so I'm not sure if you know this when Emma or not, but basically what you're going, you're going to get into position with unique apps over the edge. And first of all, all you're going to do with be here and then you're going to keep the chest up and go for a swim. So you don't need to be spotted. It works the upper back. Yeah, it's wonderful because it gets his upper back engaged. So you want the kneecaps right over the edge of the box.

Keep your hands right at the front frame. Now legs are straight, Susan, and just squeeze your shoulder blades together and lift your chest very slightly so you're looking forward instead of down shoulders up away. This is good. So the whole trick. No, keep your hands here right now and get the shoulder cuff lifting up, up. Look forward. Now keep your face above water and go for a swim and keep lifting your chest up so it makes the lat work and it makes the upper back work with area. They get very weak. Very good. Emma? Two, three more times five. Yeah, it's hard work. Six. You're drowning, Susan. Six and eight. Okay. Oh, okay. Somebody resuscitated me, but it's wonderful because when you get into the bigger one, this upper part of the back needs to be strong.

Great place to get yourself building up with kind of out dire consequences. Horseback transition. Oh well not that one. So the new haven't done this transition wall aisle. So let's actually, you know what? Let's have you hooked the handles behind you just for a minute and place your feet on the side of the box with your knees just below that edge of the Bach.

Just so we kind of review what happens. So you actually have this inward rotation of your legs. Let's have your hands right here. So with out and your slightly, the spine is long. You know you're on your sit bones and your shoulders are right over your hips.

Now just lift your bottom up and squeeze. So inner thighs work, but do not tell lower spine that didn't sit back down so you can find your adductors and lift and squeeze. Yes sir. The pelvis is long and down. Now you lift up and squeeze and now bring the tail under you and close the ribs as well. So you go into a scoop position, sit back down and te onto the tail long spine, Susan. That is to going back from extension, dislike contraction and lift up in scoop into the powerhouse. Good. And sit back down. Good. One more time like that.

Squeeze and sit back down. Now extend the legs out so you keep that IX internal rotation to the adductors work because of what's going to happen. The legs want to roll out because the inner thighs a week. See if you can lift up and deepen into the powerhouse. Sit back down and again, sit up and pull the ribs back.

Tail under you. Sit back down. Now we're going to add the arms, so scoop and lift out and come back down. It's okay. And lift. This is really the part that's good. Emma and down. One more time and lift scooping and sit back there. Awesome. We're not going to do strap today. Yes. In his eyes. That was very good to op. You get and long stretch theories. Take the boxes off.

[inaudible] brings up, dress this up. And for me, uh, when you get into your plank position for long stretch, once your shoulders right above your risks and then your feet as long as they need to be. So I don't mind. Let's see what happens to you Susan. Okay. But bring your heels more forward. So I would walk your feet a little bit up the headdress up. No other direction so you can bring your heels over your toes more forward and walk your feet a little bit for the back. So I don't mind if the feet are further up the headrest, but I want because tall, I want the shoulders over the hips and then a long plank. Nice. Narrow hips.

Look up and press out with the arms. Keep the heels forward, Susan and back and press yes and back and press and back. Bend your knees down. I'm bringing you into the next year and down. Stretch toes curled under you and make sure your little toe out of for two not turned out. You're exactly peril Hubble N***a. And squeeze my hands. Yes. And lift up broad shoulders. Press out, press out long stomach and come back in and lift the sternum broad shoulders pressing up and come back in and lift up through the upper back. And one more time.

Press out and lift up. Now look straight ahead, come up on the fingertips, lift the chest a little bit more. Take your head up and back. Lift the sternum and now look straight, come up to a vertical position on your knees. Lift your arms up to the ceiling. Good. Lift the side body and go up and back. So you have a lovely back bend and then come back up again. Put your hands down on the foot bar on the football.

I'm just moving you back and lift up. Four up stretch. So bottom up, head into the knees. So for me, old style, we tried to get our forehead here, so it's a deep stretch deep in there. So you really get to open up in the shoulders quite considerably. Then as you press out this area, stay stable. Shoulders, they stabled. Press your hips up, bring the hips down, come straight forward over the foot, the foot bar and pike up. Head to knees and press out. Hips come down, come straight forward and pike up.

Head to knees. And one more time per out. Come straight forward and Pike, way up. Head to knees. Really give yourselves a stretch and then lower the feet down for elephant. Now shift the weight a little bit forward now. So you're not, that's it. So big scoop, broad shoulders, heels down, toes up. Press the carriage back and bring it in. And press and in, um, press and in, um, press, toes lifted.

Press and press two more times. Press and press now saying forward. Lengthen the spine a little bit more. Take your right leg up so it's parallel to the floor for Arabesques. Flat, flat parallel to the floor. So the hips are square. Push out in three times. Bring it in one, bringing it into, bring it in. Three, take the leg to the side, flexed foot again and in the shoulders they parallel to the floor.

Two and three stork pose. Bend the knee in front of your chest. Bend it up to your chest. Hips stay square again and one and two and three change legs. Very nice. So press carries out a few inches. Lift the leg up parallel to the close of the hips. Have to be narrow. Flex foot.

He put in line with your bottom and bring the carriage in three times. Very good. Take the leg to the side again, three times one, two, three. And stork pose. Bend the knee in front of you and one keeping the sacred square two and three. Now for the stretch, lift your heels up against the shoulder. Rest. Another variation of Arabesques.

Press the carriage out a little a few inches and take your right leg up to the ceiling. So the hips are no longer going to be square, but your ribcage should be squared. So the shoulders, they square, bring the carriage in three times. Keep the lake high and high and high. Change sides. Press the carries out. Lift the leg up, uplift the hip turnout, Susan, that's it. Bring this down and bring the carriage in.

One and two and three step down. Very nice. So step off. So two different variations. One for stretch, one for stability, long back stretch, so and foot, hand, foot, heel on the foot, a shoulder rest. Pull the toes up. Broad shoulders, broad collar, bones drop. Press out, lift, come back in, drop, press out, lift, come back in, drop, press out, lift, come back in, reverse it. Scoop out, drop and lift. How far can you get the carriage press and up. And one more time and press and up broad shoulders, shoulders down, bottom under your shoulders, not so far forward there and snip off. So right at the end you're in a vertical plane, not out. So let's, um, I'm just wondering, just to kind of practice this, we're going to improvise in a minute. Emma, keeping the shoulders wide, just down and up a few times just to get this sense of keeping this versus here.

Yeah, that'd be, if you can work there, that's great. Yes. So very broad. You can bend your feet. So the knees are bent mass, so the hips want to be right under the shoulders. Bend your knees like you're sitting in a chair and the hips have to be under the shoulders. So you're like this. Okay. That brought them back back, back, back. Now Bend your elbows and press ups. It's that, that they keep the shoulders wide. That's it.

And press and up. Two more times in press and up in one more time and press very good and up. Okay. Shake your arms out. Stomach massage. So you have your little pads. So let's do a variation.

Ramana would sometimes do with us. Where you act, you get the pad right in the front am I? You may need to push it out just a little bit or, okay. Let's see what this one, this one, what I want is your sit bones in front, so you're locked in, so it's almost impossible to have your shoulders on top of your hips. You're going to be a little bit back, but it catches the lower spine and gives you a huge opportunity to lift up. I think this foot bar is a little high for that. That's the feeling. So you try and get the shoulders as close as you can, but you have to fight for it every step of the way. So press out, press lower, yes, lift.

So you're really locked in with that sits tail. The sit bones are locked in. Then you pull the stomach up as much as you can, as fast as you can. Go four and five you okay? Six, seven and eight and nine and 10. Okay. Release a spring. Take your arms back to the shoulder. Rest, lift your back so you'll be leaning quite considerably. Back and broaden in the shoulder. So Susan, I'm going to give you a really hard time. I want your hands lower and now lift up right into this part.

Yes. So you really get to stretch into here and lift up. Up, up, up, up. Good. I'll let you go again. And Lower and one and lower and two and lower. Yes. And three very nice. And Lower and forth and lower and five and lower and six and lower and seven and lower and eight. Okay. Take your bottom a little bit back, just a little bit back. And you want to be on two springs. Now see him. Get your shoulders over your hips with your simple, just under your butt.

Lift out of that lower spine, presale out, and come back in. Press out on Pittstown Susan and press. Yes. And in am press and in am press and in am Presnell hands are shoulder height preserved in twist 180 degrees and in press out in twist as far as you can and in press out and try to get right to the middle of the reformer. Yes. And twist. Very good. One more set and twist. Good.

And last one and twist and in now hold the carriage and preside again with both legs straight. Take your right leg under the reformer and in and out six times with this like bend your knee. Bend. You need, so you come in and out with the right. Yeah. So you just push with one leg and after you've done your six, you changed sides and you flip that fit. Good. Susan tried to get your children your rib cage over the hips. That's it. There we go.

So it really is an opportunity to kind of stabilize the hips cause they want to go bait. Floppy both feet up, bend your knees, come in, hold the foot bar with your hands and stretch with both legs. Press all the way to straight. Lower your heels down, lift your heels up and bend your knees to come back in. And again, press out. Nice long stretch. Lower your heels down, lift your heels up and come back in. And one more time. Press out keeping this deepen into the lower spine, not the shoulders down. Keep this up and press and come all the way in.

Okay, good. Now let's do beginning tendon stretch. So I'd like you both to sit with your sit bones just in front of the character, your feet on the, um, with your bottom just in front of the foot bar. And so the sacrum is, you're kind of locked in and your feet on. Yes. So have you done this one before? Do you know? You know this one? You may not know this one, Susan.

So you want your sit bones just in front of the bar so you're locked in. So just press out in, in with your legs a few times. If your bottom's not in the right place, you get thrown backwards. So you need your bottom locked in front. You need your s yes. So as you push out, you don't get thrown backwards. Good. That's it. Now Susan, I'd like you to flex your feet to now push out again, deepen into the power, skip your legs out and bend over, and then lift your bottom up and push the carriage forward.

Push it forward. And then lift your hips up. As you bring the carriage back in, in, in, in bottom, comes up. That's it. Sit back down. So bend knee, so you start every time from this position. So start every time from sitting, you push out, you bend over, you push the carriage further out, and you come back and lifting your bottom up. So you've bend over. Yeah, bend over. Now push the carriage further out and straighten your arms. That's it.

And now as you come in, lift your bottom up, lift your bottom up, lift your bottom up all the way, all the way, all the way. And then sit. Yeah, yeah, yeah. So every time you just learn that first part. So we're just doing bend over, deepening in into the powerhouse. Press south with the arms. Push the hip. That's it. And I tried to lift the hips straight up, straight up, straight up, straight up, and pull the toes up. Him. And one more time. Now Emma, I'd like the, the bar.

The feet. Yes. So you get much more of a flex going. Creasy stretch the whole back of the legs more. Press out and then push the carriage out. And now lift the hips straight up, hips up, head down to Satan. That's very good. Up, up, up, up, up and sit back down. Lovely, lovely, lovely work. Now let's do, let me see how we're going to place ourselves. Who? This one, I think we'll have to be here. Susan, you will be at the back and mia, you'll be facing this way to stretch into this outer part of the legs, which you later. Some crazy ones of us used to do on the reformer after tendon strength.

Yes. You're going to go out to the side, take the leg as far up to the back as you can and then keep it up as high as you can and then that, so it's a huge opening into the sides of the like Susan, I think if you stand so both of you are going to be bending over. Yeah. Put your hands on the frame. You'll be here. You have no, no, you're going to be fine. Just like that. Oh, maybe not. Maybe sideways goes sideways for you. So Ben Dover, lift your right leg up to the ceiling to sideways. I'm sorry. Right, like up, sideways and get it hip height as high as you can. Let the hip go up. Now take the leg behind you and let the chest come down and push the leg higher. Now keep it that high and bring it back to the sites.

He worked very strongly in the hip, in the hip, in the hip. Good. Bring the leg down. Good. Long Spine, Susan. Lift the other leg up. Lifted up. Flex your foot higher. MIF you can take the leg as high. Get the leg to go up. So going into towards split. Take the leg back to the side, letting the hip lift.

I can see that modern dancer there and then come down and come back up. Okay, very, very good overhead now. Okay. Yeah. Two springs arms along. Make sure you're a little bit in front of the shoulder rest they have room to roll up. [inaudible] bring the arms down, legs over and lift those hips way up to the ceiling and then roll down.

Reaching through the arms. Hips come down, legs down and arms up. And again, arms down, legs over and push your hips with me. Push you into my caps even higher. Susan. Push. There we go. Then roll down, roll down. Nice. Long hips and out. And again, arms down, legs only. Parallel to the hip. There we go. And then lift up. Keep pressing your hips forward to lift. Good. And then roll down, reaching the feet to the ceiling. Roll, roll, roll. Low the legs all the way down and then hook the handles in behind you and set yourselves up for semi circles. Foot bar is down.

Okay. To slide forward, I would like to hand write at the bottom so they right close to the edge. And then you have your elbow straight to this. No one even as they're nice long. Susan, move a little bit to your left. There we go. Stretch your elbows. Good. Okay. Starting rolling down from the sternum through the ribs, through the waist, hips to the springs.

Then press are keeping your bottom on the springs. Are you caught? And Emma, just keep on going. And so Emma, three times. Good. Just halfway out Susan. And then lengthen your size out. Roll down ribs, waist, hips, bottom. Press. How I know Chris out halfway lift up and come back in.

Emma, do you know how to go down between the springs with your bottom to the floor? Now, right here, press your arms away from you and let the bottom go right down. So eventually your bottom goes between the springs to the floor. You have this huge in the d. Well, depending on how long your body is. Yes. So when you go down, push a little out, little out so you're not on the bar.

Now get your bottom between the springs lower you go as deep as you can. And the whole thing is, this is getting a stretch one way and all of this is being stretched the opposite way. And you present the, some people bottom glides on the floor and then you will see the big, that's it. Okay, now you've done both directions, which you have to, you have you, can you give me, okay. Press out, roll through the sternum, the waist, bottom down, come forward. And you're getting caught. So nice stretch. There it is. Okay. Reach forward with the hands. That's good. Hold the foot bar.

Stretch your thighs away from you. Pull the reps in a bit. Good. And now flex your feet to the same stretch with the flex foot position. They have a good stretch in your thighs. And then we go back with your feet. Um, let me see off of your chest expansion once two springs, two or one up to you. You know what Susan, I would like you on one spring. Emma, you're probably good on two because I knew I'd want more work. So I really want to see the most important thing for me is to see the shoulder blades moving together.

And then as far back with the arms as you can. So nice long spine shoulder blade, squeeze together, head to the right, head to the left, look straight, release your arms and pull and squeeze those shoulder blades together. Had to do left to the right and straight and release and again and pull ahead to the right to the left and straight and release and pull. Really Pinch, pinch, pinch. Even more and head and head and straight and release.

Both of you hook the handles for a minute down. Just let's do this once without. So if you work with broad shoulders, so the shoulder blades are not coming together, you're working much more in the Latin, in the arms. But I really would like to see how much you can pinch the shoulder blades right together. Romanis to say crack the walnut to really get this area to work. And then you see really stretches across there and wakes up those muscles. That's good. Really? See I'm just one more time to practice it.

So sometimes if you work too soon, too fast with two types of spring strong spring, you just can't get it. Cause those muscles can be pretty weak for a lot of even very strong people. That was lovely. Okay. Um, thigh stretch now. So ad, make sure you on three springs arm's a long scoop. The pelvis, psyche, make sure your legs are parallel. So Emma, maybe if you can, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah. And also open the toes of your feet and spread them a little bit into the mat. So it's like you're doing this with your feet. So if possible, your little toes should be pressing into the mat. Yes, that's right. And you press your shinbones down into the mat.

Now for me, I would like you to lift these two sit bones up, close the ribs and look down. So you're like stomach massage or in around shape. Now keep lifting the hipbones up as you hinge backwards and press your feet into the carriage. Yes. And come back up. Not Bad. Very good. Close the ribs even more. Let your head drop. Yes. Lift in here and hinge back again. Make the size. Take you back, back, back, back, back, and press the hips to bring you back up. Very good. Do you want to do a back bend and back? You Go. If you want to. Nice, narrow hips. Take your head and shoulders and open out.

Close your head and chest. Close your ribs and lift the hips up. Lift them up, lift them up, lift them up. Very good. Hook the handles behind you. You do back pens. Go into the Susan's going, hey, you know what I'm talking about? The ones where you go back to the bar. What's that?

Okay, I'll spot you. Have a look. Um, that's probably so two springs. So all of these are kind of progressing into the deeper backbends. So the arms are going to come out lift. No, let, let the pelvis be loose. That's it. That's the head. Go back and back. You go back, back, back, back, back. Bend the elbows. Bend the elbows to the bar. Now pre-stretch and bend, stretch and Ben Stretch. And when you want to do the knees, push and pull two, three. And here you go.

You're coming up again and up. Sit back down. That's pretty good. They're getting better. Your back's getting a lot looser. You want to have another go or that's it. Okay. So remember, don't Tuck your pelvis. Let the back be a habits. Natural curve. Take the arms up. If the rib cage way up at the shoulders.

Come up for now. Yes. To get more length in the trunk and then start to come back, back, back, back. Bend your arms, bend them and put them on the foot bar. Yes. And you're just going to do arms today and two and three. Now press your hips forward and come up. That's it. That was it. You have to power up from the last sit down. Book your head down.

Do you want to have a go? No, they going to be hip with the part. Not sure what the distance is. So the arms are going to come up. So first of all you just like Cobra. The both thing is you want to let the ribs lift so you have ways space here. Good. Now keep lifting and back. You go back, you go back, you go bend your arms, bend your arms. There you go.

Bend your elbows and stretch them as much as you want to and bend and you push up with the chest pain and you're coming up from the labs. Yes. Good. That was good. So on the way back up, you have to focus extensively on this cause the first temptation is to kind of do that. But you did that perfectly. You want to have a go again? No, this is it. Okay. Arm circles. But it's, it's a wonderful one because it's preparing you for the super advanced work that opens up this area. It's very, it's a huge stretch into that part of the back. What are we doing? I'm circles. So one spring now. Nice lifts, Susan. Yes. And for both of you, as you do your circles, I want to keep the shoulders down.

So circle the arms. Yes. Susan. Yes. Am I even more down in the so that you reach the shoulders from the lower ribs. Good. Reverse it. So the shoulders go down as the arms come up. Lovely and too. One more time and three. Excellent. Sit down. Put the um, handles back behind you. Set.

Let's do second long box. So I know you've never done second long box, but you'll be fine. So you put it same position. The foot bar is down. So now you want to lie on the box with your naval in the middle just to begin with. No facing this way, facing this way. So the first three you want the navel just about in the center of the box, which is more important for Susan, it was a much smaller box. And you, Emma.

And first of all just lift up into a co, the equivalent of Cobra. Lift your chest up and check that you're really using your back muscles in your legs. Now what's going to happen is you're going to lift your legs and rock forward, but you want it. It's a much more small movement. You can walk up and down a few times with your hands just to the feeling. Are you going to do it without the arms and up? So they offer come forward.

So lift, that's it. And Up, good and up. And then put your hands down in west. Good. So the trick in this is because it's so much smaller platform, you can't rock as violently. You can say as you do on Mat. So this is now mater to try and lift, lift up, stretch your legs so the legs already. And as you come forward, your legs are gonna lift up, tap, engage the hamstrings and up. So not so big a movement because it's a smaller box cause without hand you don't want to fall down. So that's it. So imagine you have no hands and up. That's it.

Two and three. Very good. Okay, now, um, bend your knees and grab your ankles. And Susan, I would like you for the back on the box too far forward and three times your lift up for Baupost lifting up and then your into rocking and two and three. So basically what? I'm pant. Okay, you both rushing ahead of me. You bring your feet to your bottom, pull your feet down, and then give yourself a stretch and lift up. Shoulders back and lift and pull down. Bring your feet to your bottom and lift up.

And one more time. Pull the feet down to your bottom and lift up as high as you can. And now three times you rock. That's it. And then stretch your arms out in front of you for swimming. And one, two, three, four, five, six, seven and one, two, three, four, five, six, seven, eight and very good. Step up the box. Bend over, grab your ankles, give you a lower back, a good stretch, bend your knees a little bit and pull your stomach in and then slowly roll up. Roll up, roll up to an upright position. Very, very good. Turn your box sideways for short box.

Okay. And if you want to stick, we have great big monster sticks. You'll have, you should have a stick somewhere. Okay. And sitting with your feet in the straps.

Wrap your hands around your waist, then roll back, rolling back as far back as you want to go. And then curl back up. Very nice and roll back again. If you wanna take your arms back and give yourselves a stretch you can and hold on to the frame if you want to. One, come back up and then one more time doing whatever you like to do. Rolling back.

Okay. Nice stretch. Very good. Lengthen into the heels, Susan the Yas, and then come back up and then bend forward. Grab the hat, your hand, your calves, and pull your head down and give yourselves a nice little stretch. Okay. Come back up and flat back. Hold the stick and lift your spine up and nice. Lift up through the hands and shoulders down Susan and hinge back and come back up and hinge back and come back up.

Lift a little bit more and hinge back, not so far but longer. And bend forward and stretch down. [inaudible] come back up with side to side. Lift the arms up. Nice. Lift out of the waist, shoulders down, Susan and over to the right and lift and to the left and up. So keep going Emma. I end up Susan, pause for a minute. Broaden in the shoulders.

Yes and again there and ups are just a little bit different priority. Good. And then you give yourself a stretch. Yeah, much better. Kay. Bend forward and down and then go for your twists. Lifting up. Nice broad shoulders. So let's bring the hands down just for a minute. No worries. Lift your head and chest up. Hands right in front of you.

Now as you go up, you may have to soften the elbows a little bit, but I want you to imagine your faces like a picture frame. So you float the arms up. If it's going to here, it's a different muscle groups. So today I'd like it even more with the shoulders down, even if the elbow is a slightly soft good twist to the right and extend out and come back up and twist to the left and extend out and come back up and twist it a right and roll onto the right hip a little bit and come back up so you get more of a twist and twist to the left and you can twist more. That's it. And come back up. And one more time. Nice. Slip through the chest and twist and reach and up and other side, lift and twist. And then on the way up you you, that's very good.

And bend forward and stretch down. And then tree bend, one knee, bend the right knee into your chest. Now get the thigh today as closer to your chest as you can, right? And keep it there on the way as the leg goes up, don't let the thigh move away. Good and down and lift and down and lift up. Walk your hands up to your ankle and flexing 0.3 times and two good and three. And then climb down your leg, rolling back hip, stay steady.

And then on the way up as you climb up, bring your stomach, your thigh and your chest to your knee and lift the head towards the foot. Very good and go down again. Nice and long. Very squared. Hips and climb back up again. And long spine lifted powerhouse. One more time going down. Open out and climb back up and [inaudible].

Flex your foot a bit and shoulders are hard down. Lift up the spine even more good. And then bend the foot for your side. Stretch. Place a foot above the knee and bend forward. Even stretch from both sides of the hips. Very good. Okay. Change sides, Ben, the other knee, n and if the leg up one and to [inaudible] and three walks their hands up, flexing point. Shoulders are down, the you're reaching up through the crown of the head, two and three very good.

And walk down your leg, deepening into the powerhouse, opening the chest and close and climb back up stomach to thigh and chest, knee and head to foot long spine and go down again. Open everything out and close climbing back up. Shoulders down and lift out of the waist. One more time, going down very square hips and come back up. Keeping the left hip along both sides of the waist long and lift and cross the leg over and stretch forward and down. Very, very good. Okay, step off, take the box off.

We are going to skip knee strip series but long's find massage. Okay. So would you work with the same links to the straps on this machine? Oh, I see what you do. Does that give you more languages? Okay. Okay. Okay. Alright. And you? Same length. All right.

Slightly different. I'm more used to working with graft so some of the rules are a bit different. So place your feet in the straps, two springs, [inaudible] just to get a sense of your body being long and organized. Just do a few frogs back and forth. Good out in, in a few times. Just to get that sense of Nisa exactly.

Shoulder width, not wider so it's not very turned out. Make sure your spine is nice and long and then press out and do a few leg circles. Opening up and together. One and two and three, two more times and four. And on the fifth one you roll up onto your shoulders. No, reversing it. Now. Roll right up onto the shoulders. Roll up, open the legs out, and then reach out with the knights and roll. Roll, roll.

Reaching through the feet and bring the legs together and roll up. Try not to whichever you prefer for you, but don't that. That's it. Yes. Out and roll down and see if you can get to completely perpendicular plane. If you cancel legs, go into the ceiling and up, up, up, up, up.

That's it. Open without lifting the leg and now reach with the feet and later. Awesome and long, long, long. Now reverse it. Open the legs out and lift the hips up. Bring the legs together, lift the feet to the ceiling and reach out with them. Reach out, reach out, reach out as you roll down. Good. Again, press lift the legs up, hips come up, legs come together and extend way out. Way Out. Way Out. On the way down. One more time. Open hips up. Susan, lift the legs above the hips and extend out. Out, out. Very good. And roll down just a few more frogs just to loosen up the hips.

One and two and three. Now bend the knees in. Grab the straps from inside and take your legs out to the side so you have a big open. But I'd like the heels opposite the sit bones to bring them down. Dang there. So you have that exact line. Now you'll slowly start to take the legs over your head so you stretch.

So you have a little bounce and you move them up. At some point your pelvis will start to lift up off the floor or the [inaudible], the legs as close over to your head. That's it. That's it. Yes, you bring your feet towards the floor so your bottom comes up and you drop the straps is four. Stick your feet towards the floor as far as you want to drop the straps. Reach up with your hands and grab your ankles. Eventually you will some assault off the reformer but not tonight.

And then you roll down, soften the knees. If you want to just give yourselves a lovely stretch, Susan, hold your ankles, hold your ankles as you roll back as it's just a lovely way to stretch yourselves out afterwards and to kind of work all the angles of the hips. Bend your knees, sit up and set yourselves up for running. So three or four springs, whatever you prefer. Good lying down on your back.

Long arms headrest is up and press all the way out and toes and nice articulation. Make sure you work full range of movement. That's it. Very, very good. Come back here. I know you're going for a walk and place your heels on the corners of the bar for pelvic lift. So knees and feet in the same angle. Lift your hips up and place your hands under your sacrum.

Now let's have your sacred block. This way, Susan, hence this way and I want a sacred, not talked. That's your height. And now let the hands come away. Susan right here and per out in 10 times. So you don't want the pelvis tuck now that just the measurement of high high your bottom is, and then press out in it. So you want your pubic bone long and that's it. So your pelvis is exactly parallel to the floor rather than short, slightly different work into the whole trunk area.

I'm six and seven and last one and eight. And then roll down, roll down, roll down, bring your knees together, give yourselves a hug, give your legs a hug, and you ladies are cooked in. Then you had an elegant sufficiency Alla Romana.

Comments

1 person likes this.
I wish I was being taught by Niedra ! really enjoyed the hands on tactile cueing, the classic work, and the attention to detail. Bravo! Thank you very much! I would love to see Niedra teach a Tower Class.
Loved getting to all the advanced exercises! I have been a little tired of the standard class.
I really loved how the prep version of some of the advanced exercises were presented. Will be using some of those when I teach, thank you! I love Niedra's teaching style, always explaining the "why" and keeps it moving.
Every class that I do, with Niedra teaching, reminds me of why I love pilates so much. I felt amazing after this workout and loved it..thank you Niedra!
Neidra,, this was great class!! I never saw that version of stomach massage with the single lEG. Actually alot of exercises I never saw. Thorough workout. Amazing!! Jamie
This was a wonderful class Niedra! Thank you! I'm still feeling it from Monday!
Niedra, loved this class, as always. Especially liked the prep for the tendon stretch- that helped me alot cause I've always had trouble with that exercise
Thank you Niedra Gabriel again for another lovely class! always learning something interesting. See you in the next workout :)
Niedra Gabriel
Thank you Judit - love seeing you again in the next workout, very cool!
I just did this class and it was excellent! Going to my favorites!
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