Full-Body Tower

Hi. I'm Lara Hanlon here back on the tower for a intermediate class with you today. We have our setup for our push through bar that we'll start within the springs for that as well as leg springs, and we will be using the brown bar but of course the springs for that attached later in class. We'll start today with both springs attached to our push through bar. So I have two different colors here, a blue and a red today. We'll start with both attached for some warm up for our arms and our shoulders feet go against the bars here, both hands onto the bar option to always have a slight bend in the knees, whatever allows you to really find your sit bones rooted into the mat and a lift in the abdominals to really support our spine.

Start by bending the elbows, pulling the shoulder blades down, pulling the bar down to maybe chin or chest height, and then returning it right back up to start. Inhale as the spring expands, our lungs expand, exhale pulling the belly button back to the spine, really maintaining this beautiful tall posture. Inhale to pull that bar down, shoulder blades slide down the back exhale bar returns with control. Two more times, opening up across the chest and the collar bones, lengthening out through the waist, resisting back up I know I have to be careful not to arch my back or splay my ribs here, focusing on that corset sensation around the waist. We'll add on bending the elbows once again to start pressing the bar through to the chin over the chest and begin to round forward for the spine stretch, taking it easy this first time.

I like to imagine a cape draping over my shoulder blades. The crown of the head reaching a little further forward as you continue to pull back in those abdominals. Take a deep breath in. And then exhale begin to roll up. I think of stacking one bone at a time back to vertical.

The shoulder blades pull down the back. The elbows will begin to bend back in, and we lift all the way back up to where we started. Again, from that tall spine. We start by bending the elbows on the inhale, rounding forward over the ribs, over the legs on the exhale. Chin tucked over the chest, head is heavy. Maybe you give a little shake loosening up through the back of the neck and the shoulders. Begin to roll back up to a tall seat, fighting and anchoring those sit bones down, tailbone down, shoulders away from the ears, chin lifts off the chest bar back to start.

One more like this inhale to bend. And exhale to round forward, opening up through the spine. If you're tighten the hamstrings, maybe feeling a stretch for the back of those legs as well beginning to roll all the way back up articulating through our spine vertebra by vertebra zipping up through the waist. Lengthening through the crown of the head. From here, we'll press the bar up, finding a hinge, lifting out of the hips, out of the waist, again, zipping up through the core, lengthening out through the arms, through the shoulders.

Keeping the arms straight beginning to round back. I always find this variation, spine stretch exercise with straight arms a little more challenging on the core. So really press the heels forward. Pull the shoulder blades down deep breath in. Exhale to dive forward once again.

Also a little more challenging on two springs. You, of course, have the option to change to just one feeling that forward stretch, keeping the arms straight, keep holding on tightly to that bar, shoulders away from the ears, belly pulls back and in. We find that forward hinge once again. We'll do it like that once more. Inhale to round and contract back. Exhale to dive forward.

Open up through the spine. Round back scooping out through the waist and pressing up once again. From here, adding on, we're gonna take a little saw stretch, right hand over, like you're gonna soft that left pinky toe, maybe you grab for the bar, the outside of your legs, something that feels good on your back through that left shoulder. Both shoulder blades pull down, really working to open up that side waist without lifting this hip. My right sit bone stays really firmly anchored to the mat deep breath in exhale maybe peek behind that left armpit a little further. From there, we'll keep the left hand holding on, start to round back and open up to a twist looking back towards the right fingertips, shoulders pull away from the ears. Again, both hips really rooted into the mat. Coming all the way back to center, bar presses up The right hand this time will stay on the bar.

Left fingertips reach towards that left pinky toe, maybe to the outside of the leg, maybe take that bar if you can grab it and start to open up through the waist. Deep breathe in. Shoulder blades pull down twisting underneath that right armpit. Feeling this beautiful rotation of the spine, one more breath in. One more breath to take it a little deeper.

And then right hand will stay where it is, begin to round and contract back, that left arm suites back behind us, opening up, looking back, shoulders soften down, take your gaze to your left fingertips to loosen through that neck. And then come all the way back to center with control. From here, I'm going to take one spring off the bar just because it's a little heavy as we move into having the feet on the bar, and then press it through once again this time placing your feet on top. So make sure they're nice and secure. I'm gonna go about hip distance apart with the bar just ever so slightly past the frame.

Reaching those arms forward, deep breath in, begin to round and roll back onto this spine. I'm wrapping the arches of my feet over the bar. I'm pulling my abdominals back. You could of course hold on behind your legs for more support. Head will release down arms float back. We'll do a few roll ups from here. Arms reach to the ceiling inhale, exhale to roll up chin over the chest, press the feet into the bar, pull your waistline back, crown of the head reaches towards the legs.

Opening up through the back of the hamstrings and the abdominals, pull back and in deep breath in, exhale to round and roll down vertebra by vertebra shoulders pull away from the ears, fingertips reaching forward, belly pulling back. Again, head and arms lengthen to the other end of that tower, arms up inhale, and exhale to curl up chin over the chest. Pull the waistline back. Make sure you have a solid grip of your feet over that bar. Again, keeping my palms facing inward to know that you can always grab those legs for a little more support if you need it. One more deep breath and exhale to round and roll back down vertebra by vertebra. Making sure we press down into the bar, pull down into the waist, lengthen the head, and the arms all the way back.

Inhale arms reach up. Exale this time curl up just to the tips of the shoulder blades, palms will press down to hover off the mat by the hips, We're gonna move into our hundreds from here breathing in fives. Inhaling through the nose, exhaling out. Focusing on the feet pressing down, the palms pressing down, belly pulling down, strong deep inhale, and exhale halfway there. Can we curl a little higher over the ribs, keeping sit bones and tailbone reaching forward, inhale through the nose, exhale out through the mouth.

Two more deep breaths in. As you exhale think of that corset tying tighter around your waist. One more strong breath in and out. Hold it here. Take a deep breath where you are. Curl up a little higher, watch that belly sink a little deeper, and then release the head down and the arms down, feel your shoulders, your collar bones open.

Chinstays lifted away from the chest slowly begin to pull those knees in just towards about tabletop Making sure our pelvis stays in this neutral position, belly pulls down as those legs extend back long. Really feel a crease at the hips here, deep breath into bend. Palvis stays anchored to the floor towards the mat. Belly button pulls down, lengthening through the front of the hips and thighs, squeezing gently into the back of those legs. Really working our foot mobility here.

I like to think of a mama bird holding onto a perch or onto our baby bird. Wanna drop them over the canyon, really hold on to that bar. One more time, knees bend in, inhale. I like to think of my knees coming, maybe over my hips. It's gonna depend on your hip mobility here, exhale to extend.

Sweep the hands to the base of the neck and skull deep breath in and then exhale curl up to the tips of the shoulder blades this time with the hands behind the base of the neck and skull for support. From here, left foot stays on the bar, right leg draws to tabletop just like before, but without the bar, and then extend it back long, staying lifted over the ribs, pressing to the right foot as that left knee draws in inhale, and exhale think ribs close, pelvis stays anchored. Right knee and breathing in and extend and left and extend one more time each side open up through the hips and the legs deepening through the waist. Left. And extend this time a right leg pulls in inhale to stay, exhale twist, left elbow towards that right thigh, back to center on the inhale, up and over that right rib cage as you exhale, inhaling center. Lift and twist focusing on that neutral pelvis, thinking about our seat belt right across our hips, lift and twist one more time center, up and over.

Come back to center, still lift it. Right leg extends, right foot wraps over the bar left knee and inhale, lift and twist. Back to center, up and over, pulling back in that left oblique, inhale center, lift and twist. For her to up and over. One more time inhale.

Low belly pulls down, twist over that left rib cage back to center, left leg onto the bar, and releases down. Arms press down. From here, starting to bend those knees in, again, focusing on our neutral pelvic position, that low belly a little more active, keeping that connection as we extend those legs all the way up straight. Maybe the bar shifts a little bit. Again, it could be in the arch of the foot. It could also be closer to your toes, something that feels stable for you.

Use the back of the legs to pull the knees back in. Deep breathe in. Think of that corset tying around your waist, engaging the back of the legs. Pressing into the palms, whole body connected here as we extend and control that push through bar. Again, just like that, knees draw in, legs extend up opening through the back of the hamstrings. You should really feel your feet and your calves working to hold this bar.

Pull it in with control. Think of lengthening out through the legs, out through the crown of the head. This time we'll add on knees, bending, legs extend. Inhale to hold once those legs are straight. Pull the belly down to begin to tuck and curl the pelvis up. We're aiming for a long diagonal through the toes, through the hips, to the shoulders here.

My ribs stay connected. I'm tucking my tail underneath me so I can really lengthen through the front of my pelvis, but keep my ribs connected, chin up away from the chest breathing, and then exhale to roll back down through the spine bone by bone vertebra by vertebra opening up through those sticky spots in the back, back of the pelvis anchors down, and then we bend the knees in, and we press the bar through holding on, wrapping with those toes, that prehensile position, it means to grip or grasp. Again, knees bend in, legs extend. Inhale, we hold. Xhale, we tuck and curl the hips back up pressing the palms down, pressing the feet into the bar.

Adding on this time, that right leg floats up and back. I keep my hips square and stable, reaching through the toes, pressing the right foot into the bar. Left leg floats up and back. Think of the back of that left sit bone reaching for the bar, so the hips stay square. As my right leg lifts, I'm engaging the left glute and hamstring to stabilize, lengthening through the hamstring, reaching through the toes, one more left leg up and back.

Press it forward and down, holding it here. Squeeze the buns, lift the hips high, chin up off the chest breathing, exhale chin away from the chest as you roll down bone by bone once again and join that articulation, pelvis anchors, knees draw in legs lengthen long. Feeling the back of those legs and feet really working. We'll do this one more time. Inhale to bend.

Exhale to extend. Link them through the legs. Inhale. Curl the pelvis away from the mat squeezing those glutes. Starting with the left leg, adding a flex of the foot, open up through that foot. Finally, if you're starting to cramp, in the sole of your foot or in your calf, that flex should feel really good. Right heel reaches up and back.

I'm making sure my pelvis stays square yet again, focusing on our alignment first and foremost. Reach up and away with that left heel. Doesn't matter how far your leg goes. What matters is that your pelvis is square. Your glutes and your core is engaged.

Right heel reaches up and back. Press it back onto the bar. Let's do that one more time. Feel so good. Link them up. Maybe further overhead squeezing sit bones butt cheeks together, knitting those ribs together, pressing to your palms for support last time, press that foot back down, holding it here, squeeze the seat, lift up a little higher breathing.

Exhale to lower all the way down, vertebra by vertebra, sit bones, tailbone lengthen out, legs bend in and lengthen out. Keep those feet wrapped. Be very careful, especially if you have like a metal bar here, your feet are sweating, make sure it's stable, arms reach back up, breathe in, and exhale to round and roll up. From here, carefully take that bar, take your feet off, give them a little wiggle if they need it, and then we'll meet kneeling facing the push through bar. We're gonna continue to use it here for a little bit more spinal mobility. I'm stacking my hips over my knees, my shoulders over my hips in this beautiful vertical line setting up for some cat cow stretches.

Make sure tops of the feet are pressing down. Little tuck of the pelvis, so I'm lifted in my core very much engaged into the back of those legs after what the last exercise. My arms are about straight. So think about the distance you're set up, not too close, not too far. Shoulder blades pull down into the back.

We start to press the bar down. Make sure you're holding on tight so you don't slip here. Chin tucks over the chest. Imagine there's a wall right behind your hips. You don't wanna sit your butt back. You wanna keep that glute connection.

And over the chest as you roll down, crown of the head we're reaching towards the mat. Once the head is about in line with the pelvis, release your pelvis, release your sit bones back, start to arch through that spine, feel that gloria stretch chest and heart draw forward breathe in. Ask y'all start by tucking the pelvis, lifting in your pelvic floor in your low belly, pressing the feet down, pulling the waistline up as we roll back to vertical. Again, bone by bone, lifting out through the crown of the head, shoulder blades slide down the back thing of the first thing we did in spine stretch, press down first, inhale, exhale chin over the chest rounding forward. Opening up through the spine.

I am squeezing the heck out of my sit bones and butt cheeks here. Really using the glutes and then feeling that release, inhale, exhale tuck and curl back up open up through the spine vertebra by vertebra, feel that stretch across your shoulder blades lengthen widthwise or four coming all the way back up once more inhale to press. Exale rounding and contracting forward and over. Inhale to lengthen and open. Exhale to tuck and curl back up.

Coming all the way back up tall and then spinning around to light on the back. Again, continuing to use our push through bar with one spring. We're gonna move into a little more abdominal work here. I'm gonna have my knees bent arms reach forward to start deep breath in and with control begin to roll back down onto your back. Again, hands could always come to the back of the legs. Once you arrive, you're gonna reach for that bar carefully. And make sure again my shoulders are pretty much underneath the bar and pulling down into the mat, into the back. Leggs are extended long.

Palvis is neutral belly is pulling down. We'll start with a little bit of a shoulder stretch here, wrap those thumbs, hold on tight, pull those elbows in, inhale, and extend the arms back overhead as you exhale feeling this length through the armpits through the sides of our waist, hips, all the way out through the toes. Shoulder blades slide down the back, elbows bend in, not too wide, belly pulls down as arms extend up. One more time, inhale, and exhale. Pull lean it through.

And extending it up. From here, take a breath and feel your shoulder blades anchor down. As you pull the belly down, draw your right and left leg carefully up to a table top position. I'm gonna keep my knees hip distance apart to start, knees over the hips, shins parallel to the floor. Really aware of that neutral pelvic position, pulling the belly down to diminish too much space between the spine and the mat, really using the low abs versus shoving the back into the floor.

Holding it here, you should already feel that work happening, start to lower the right toes to hover or tap the floor, and then pull the waistline down to lift that leg back up to tabletop. Left leg lowers. Exhale creasing at the hip. Keep pulling those shoulder blades down into the mat, into the back. Really allowing your body to feel your alignment here.

Feel that muscle connection. Obviously, you can't see what's happening in your hips or your pelvis here. We don't have a mirror on the ceiling. So can you feel it? Pull the belly deeper, pubic bone to sacrum, navel to spine. Left toes hover, tap the mat, shoulder blades, pull down ribs, knit tight, peli pulls in the left of leg up one more time each side. Lower.

And lift, working to really engage deeper into those transverse abdominals. So important to work deeply into that pelvic floor. From here, draw the knees together, breathe in. Exale curl up to the tips of the shoulder blades, pull the belly in, pull your knees a little closer. We'll go into a vacation special series here, right leg extends long inhale, switch those legs as you exhale single leg stretch with bent knees, keeping our upper body really square and stable. I like to almost think of pulling this bar apart, anchoring the shoulders away from the ears, but continuing to curl up off the tips of the shoulder blades for three. Two.

One more inhale and exhale right to straight legs, left leg high right leg low, scissor and switch, inhale switch, exhale switch, staying parallel, and square through the hips, reaching that top leg to that bar, the bottom leg hovering off the mat, inhale, and exhale last set. Both legs lift. Both knees draw into the chest, release the head down. So squeeze the inner thighs, inner seams that the pants tighter, soften through the shoulders, and the neck breathe, and exhale. We curl right back up. Think forehead to the knees. Belly button pulls down to curl over the ribs, gaze into your abs, and then extend both legs long inhale, pull those knees into the nose as you exhale. Again, I'm pulling this bar apart.

I'm anchoring my shoulders away from the ears for three. Draw it in tight. Last two. And in one more extend and bend this time legs extend straight or maybe a little bit bent, deep breath to hold, pull the belly in to crease at the hips and float those legs up. Leggs lower with control. Pull your waistline down, lift those legs up.

Upper body stays stable for three. Belly pulls deeper, legs flow back up with control for two. Creasing at the hips. One more time, legs lower. Exhale legs lift, bend the knees to tabletop with control, lower the feet down, hip distance apart, release the head down, feel length through the spine, through the neck, bend those elbows in.

Press the bar back, feel the stretch through the waist, shoulders opening, spine lengthening, inhale to bend, exhale to extend. Once again, shoulder blades slide down into the mat, into the back, breathe in to prepare. Exhale float the left and right leg back up to tabletop, inhaling to hold. Exhale deep and through the waist curling back up to the tips of the shoulder blades. Inhale center, exhale twist up and over to the outside of that left thigh, maybe tapping left hand, right hand to left knee back to center right hand to the bar. Up an over small twist here.

We're focusing on that pelvic stability, not huge movement inhale, exhale, lift and twist, pull the belly a little deeper center. Up and over to the right. One more time inhale. Up and over to the left. Hold it to the left.

Right leg extends. Right knee pulls back to tabletop. My shoulders pull down away from the ears. I'm reaching my left hand to the outside of my left thigh for three. Last two.

Focus on that seatbelt line. One more lengthen and pull it in. Right hand to the bar. Left hand to the outside of that right thigh. Left leg extends, pull the belly in, pull the knee in, shoulders slide down the back, belly pulls deeper into the mat, chin hovers over the chest.

Use the breath for two. Last one. Come back to center, curl up a little higher, lengthen those legs on a high diagonal if you can deep breath in. From here, we lift up to our teaser, pull the ribs together using those obliques. We just worked lift the heart up, find the link through the body and the legs, deep breath in, start to lower everything down. Pull your waistline back.

Pull your shoulder blades down. Link them those legs out. They can always be slightly bent here. They could even bend into the chest. If you're there, you hover heels, you hover shoulder blades, you sink your belly one inch deeper before releasing the head, releasing the legs, and then pressing the arms all the way back.

Take a moment, feel this beautiful lengthening stretch through the toes, through the crown of the head, not necessarily through the fingertips you wanna stay holding on with a tight safe grip for that bar. Coming back into our teaser with control arms bending, arms extend and over the chest scoop out through the waist, begin to hover the legs, hover the shoulder blades, floating everything up with control, adding our arms. We bend the elbows on the inhale. We extend the elbows on the exhale. Three more. Stretch up a little taller through the waist too.

And if the ribs a little tighter towards one another one more time, we bend belly button pulls back as those arms extend and hold, breathe in, exhale slowly rolling back down vertebra by vertebra pull the waistline in, find that hover before releasing the head, the legs, and pressing the arms all the way back. Again, arms come through deep breath in. Feel that low belly initiate the curl, pull the abs down to lift the legs up, lifting everything up. This time just legs lower on the inhale, arms stay long and strong. Pull the waistline in to float the legs up for three.

Zipping up through that waistline for it to feel the low belly do the work, lengthening through those legs so we don't grip in the hips and thighs, abs, lift the legs and hold, breathe in. Exale again, take your time rolling down vertebra by vertebra pull the shoulders down, pull the waistline down, releasing everything with control, lengthening those arms back. One last time, we put it together, inhale arms come through. Axel chin over the chest, belly pulls down and in. Now we'll keep the arms straight and the leg straight, lowering the body and the legs about halfway down on the inhale. Think of finding that hover.

Pull your abs in to lift right back up on the exhale. Just like that three more times, arms and legs stay as straight as your body allows scoop through the waist to lift through the heart. For two and one more time lower. Lift and hold. Take a deep breath and see if you can lift your chest a little higher.

Squeeze your inner thighs together. One arm reaches for the toes. The other arm reaches for the toes. Feel that low belly zip up, scoop out to lift up one inch higher deep breath and lower everything down piece by piece in four. Taking our time in three.

Finding that hover of heels and shoulder blades too. And lengthening everything out long on one. Taking a moment here, maybe taking one hand with the opposite, give yourself a little extra extended stretch and pull. Enjoy that length. Point flex your feet.

And then we're gonna flip over onto our stomachs to open up the front of the body. So be very cautious as you press this bar forward, any maybe shoulder injuries, be extra cautious, and maybe lighten your spray. Again, I want my bar to be somewhere around the frame, maybe a little bit in front of it. Leggs are glued together behind us tops of the feet pressing into the mat to protect our spine and work our glutes nicely. Shoulder blades slide away from the ears.

We'll start with a little cobra stretch simply bending the elbows wide so the bar comes to the back of the head only as much as your body allows here. It's a pretty big stretch for the back and the shoulders. Keep, keep your core really connected. I like to think of pulling my belly button away from the mat as I exhale and press my arms straight back in front. Again, just like that shoulder blade slide down the back. Really feel them opening across the back.

Exale ribs draw together, belly pulls down as those arms extend in front of us. Two more times. Inhale to bend wide. Xhale opening up lengthening across the spine across the shoulder blades one more time, inhale to bend, exhale to extend. From here on out, we'll keep the arms straight holding on tight shoulder blades, pull down, feet, press down, inhale to prepare.

Exhale begin to lift the heart and the chest keeping those arms in front of us, opening up across the collar bones, lifting through the waist, staying connected in the seat, deep breath, and pull the belly up and in. Again, that belly button pulls away from the mat, like it's never gonna touch it, knit the ribs together lengthen longer through the crown of the head, through your fist, back, through your toes. Glutes stay connected, maybe legs open a little bit. That's okay. Just keep that engagement. Shoulder blades slide down the back breathe in. Exhale begin to lift up through the chest and the heart, opening through the collar bones, deep breath in, pull the belly up and in, think of that tight zipper through that low waist, lengthen through the sides of the waist, lengthen through the crown of the head, all the way out long.

One more time just like that. Deep breathe and shoulder blades slide down the back, glute squeeze tight, begin to lift the heart up or just hyperextension for the spine here. Taking it at your pace, your level, deep breath in, exhale, pull the belly up, lower and lengthen all the way back down with control. Once you arrive at the bottom, be very careful how you get out of this. You could bring the back bar back through.

I often do like a weird little straddle, bringing that part all the way back up to get me out of it. So however you arrived carefully, we were done with our push through bar for a bit. Actually for the rest of class. So I am going to unhook these springs, remove them all together, put them out of the way. And then that will make room for our push through bar. So this one particularly has two yellow arm springs.

Push through bar springs attach. We're gonna hook that back up there and then sit right back down facing the tower end. Pretty much where we started class. So again, I'm anchored on my sit bones. I'm lifted through my waist.

I take a hold of this bar making sure my shoulder blades are down into my back a little more engaged sitting up taller than when I did the first time I was here. Pressing that bar down just to about chest height to really open up across the collarbone's deep breath and to prepare, and then exhale to round back down. Pulling the waistline back, bringing that bar with us. Those springs allow a little more support for our core here lengthening out long through the spine, and then right away adding our arm poles, elbows bend wide, drawing that bar towards your sternum, and then exhaling to extend. Again, inhale and exhale. Springs expand, ribs expand bringing that air into the lungs and then drawing the ribs together around them as you lengthen those arms long two more times. Once more. Holding it here for a breath in.

And exhale chin over the chest belly button pulls back rounding up think shoulders come over the hips around its spine before lengthening all the way back up tall. Again, pressing gently down to engage in the lats, exhale to round and roll back vertebra by vertebra. I have to touch through the tail a little bit to get into that low back then into the middle of the back and then really feel the top of the hips lengthen out, sit bones, tailbone reach forward, head back inhale to pull, exhale to extend. Opening across the chest and the shoulders, engaging into those arms and back muscles for two. One more inhale and exhale. A deep breath here.

And exhale to round and roll all the way back up. Sitting up tall. We'll take a side stretch today with this brown bar. Right hand comes to the center of the bar. Left arm wraps around the waist, like you're giving yourself a good hug once again, shoulders slide down the back breathe and exhale to round and roll back down.

Make sure you really have a nice grip of that bar with the right hand. Lengthen out through the spine. Her shoulders slide down. My free hand and leg will do the same thing kind of in opposition. So my left leg is loose. It's gonna go over the right leg.

My left arm is loose here, not holding on, and it sweeps over my right shoulder. In this beautiful half moon crescent shape, pulling the shoulders away from the ears, keeping that grip tight on the bar, deep breath in, exhale, feel your ribs connect and your belly pull deeper to the mat. One more inhale reaching a little further over softening through the shoulders, feeling that left side body really opening up. And then coming back through center, left arm around the waist, left foot back onto the bar inhale, exhale think of rounding up and over that left arm, like it's a pole or a bar you're rounding over. Sending up tall at the top, we'll do the same thing on the other side.

Right hand onto the bar, left hand onto the bar, right or around the waist, shoulders slide down the back, deep breath, and exhale pull back in your core as you round back, lengthening out through the spine. Once again, shoulders away from the ears, right leg over the left, and right arm reaches overhead, taking that gloria side bend, inhaling, and exhaling. One more breath here. Really bringing a little extra oxygen into this right side waist. Feeling the body sink a little deeper into the mat. And then reversing where we came from right foot to the bar, right arm to the waist, inhale, exhale to roll all the way up.

Once you arrive at the top, we'll release this bar. And meet kneeling facing it for a little bit more arm work. So we'll set up exactly how we did for our, cat cow exercise depending on how strong you are. And how close or far away you want to be from this bar but it's similar in the sense that we have this beautiful vertical line of the spine from the knees to the hips out through the crown of the head shoulder blades slide down a little tuck of that tail to engage in the glutes and the core tops of the feet press down palms and arms press down on the inhale trying to get that bar towards your thighs, exhale pull back in the waistline as the arms extend back up really simple to start inhale to press. Exhale to resist and return.

A lot of work from the lats here, pulling shoulder blades down into the back to engage, and then pulling the belly back into the spine to really stay stable. One more just like this. Arms press down. Arms extend up. Once you feel ready and stable here, we'll add our full chest expansion turn of the head.

Inhale to press and hold, exhale to look right. Still exhaling left. Still exhaling center. Still exhaling to return that bar. Really savor your breath, deep inhale.

Looking left. Right. Center, shoulders pull down, belly pulls back arms extend back to start. One more time each side inhale. Exhale right. Once more inhale to press.

BAR to thighs, look left. Right. Center. Abs pull back, glutes stay connected. Arms, lift. To rest for a moment.

Think same position, but facing the other way. Turn over one shoulder. Take the outside of this bar with your hands. This time, palms will be pressing down. We're gonna go into long long back stretch arms.

One of my favorite exercises here. Right away, you feel this lovely stretch across your shoulders. Make sure you can hold on to the bar. Some bars are a little wider, making it a little more accessible. Again, feet press down, little tuck of the tail, squeeze the glutes, lift in the waist. We'll start with a straight arm press towards the legs, slide that bar up towards the mid back without letting those shoulders, lift, keep them down, and then from their arms extend.

Three more this direction, inhale press. Exale slide the bar up your seat towards your spine and then extend the arms back to start. Inhale. And exhale. One more this direction. Then we reverse elbows bend, think of sliding off your glutes, punch down to the mat and return with control.

Keeping that beautiful open chest. Last two inhale bend, exhale grow taller through the spine, punch your fist further towards the floor. Last one. Carefully release the bar. We will let it go and then sit all the way down and around.

Now we are done with our brown bar. I'm gonna keep mine here. We're gonna move into some leg springs, so we'll lie down and have these on both feet. Make sure they are in the right spot for your body. Always rolling down with care.

I will take one spring in each hand and place one foot in each loop. Now when I set up for this, I like to hold on just slightly above the mat with a tight grip to really engage in my triceps and my back that we've worked so nicely so far and a little bit more than a 90 degree bend at elbows, but somewhere around that angle from here, knees open about shoulder hip width. Feel your sit bones, your tailbone start to lengthen out in opposition as you press those arms, palms back. Squeeze your heels together, extend your legs all the way out long on that diagonal. We'll start with some simple frog here, resist against those springs.

Keeping that pelvis anchored as you bend and exhale as you extend. Resist to bend. Pulling the ribs together, squeezing those inner thighs together to extend. Now, I'm slightly hyper extended in my legs and my knees. So in this turnout position, if I fully extend my legs, which I feel comfortable confident doing, my heels open a little bit, but I'm really engaged in my inner thighs and my glutes So then when I rebend my heels connect right away versus them doing that kinda like slippity slide of the legs. It takes a lot of inner thigh connection here, glute connection, low belly connection to really stabilize.

We want all of that working in addition to the arms in the back here, lengthen out nice and long, squeeze those legs together, resisting to bend, using that low belly to keep that pelvis nice and square. One more time lengthening all the way out. And bending all the way in. This time lengthen those legs straight. Hold them straight on this low diagonal.

Open them just about the width of the tower of your mat and then squeeze them back together. Now, again, I'm using my inner thighs to squeeze together. I'm using my external rotators to really rotate the inner seams of my pants to the ceiling, wrapping those legs in this turned out pilates stance position, deep breath in to open. Exhale, fill the ribs together, pull the belly down, squeeze those inner thighs together, get the back of those legs to really connect here. I see a lot of people go through life without ever engaging the back of the legs. We tend to be a more quad dominant and dominant thigh.

Dominant society, walking a lot, then sitting a lot. We want to help our bodies really open up the front of those hips and thighs by engaging deeper back here. Two more open, and close ribs and legs connect. One more open and squeeze together. From here, keep that turn out. Bend your knees just a little bit.

Heels connect. Think big, long, beautiful marquee shaped diamond, crease at the hips, lift the diamond up on the inhale. Lower it right back down as you exhale squeeze it bones, butt cheeks together connect deeper into that low belly pelvic floor. Resist a lift. Press to lower. Working the back of those legs. The backside, the low belly, press it down.

Inhale to lift. Keeping that diamond shape, exhale, press to lower. Feel the whole body working here. I feel nine for three. And lower. Two.

And lower. One more lift. And lower. From here, legs extended along point through your toes. Really activating in your arms, maybe straighten them out a little bit longer.

Think of keeping your legs on the diagonal they're on. We're gonna start to levitate away from the mat again using the whole body. Can you lift your pelvis up, keeping that long diagonal? Hold it small little leg circles up, down around and squeeze. Lakes lift open lower and squeeze three more this direction.

I'm using my arms and my back. My pelvis stays hovering off the mat. I'm squeezing the heck out of my glutes and my core. One more lift, circle squeeze reverse for five. And four, it's painfully slow.

Stay with me three. Last two. One more. Hold everything tighten up. And then roll back down through your spine as your legs float up. There should be no question of what muscles are working.

Everything is working. We're gonna keep those toes pointed, press the palms into the bar, begin to press your legs back down feel once again, hamstrings and glutes engage, and then take a nice wide, but controlled leg circle out around and back up as high as feel comfortable for you without letting those springs become too loud. Lower with control, squeeze into the legs, beautiful opening inner thigh stretch, and connection at the top. Leg circles, whether it's on a reformer or on a tower on a Cadillac, even on the mat, not really a stretch, still very much a working strengthening exercise. It should still feel good though.

Two more lower and around and up. One more. That pelvis is staying anchored, squeeze the seat open through the inner thighs, connect at the top, and reverse inhale. Squeeze those legs together, legs float up creasing at the hips on that exhale. Final four here. Big circles opening up through the hips stabilizing across the pelvis for three.

Spring stay quiet. They don't clang back up. You control them for two. And lift once more around down and together and up from there. Bend those knees all the way back in. Give your legs a hug.

A very welcomed hug, thanking them for everything they just did. We'll flex our feet. Hold on if you can to maybe the strap here. Make sure you're not holding on to the hardware where it could slip, and then extend that right leg up, reaching through that heel. Softening through the shoulders, trying to lengthen out through the seat to open up the back of those legs. Right knee bends, heels connect, left leg extends, getting a nice stretch for the back of the calves, hamstrings, even by flexing that foot the sole of that foot, that plantar fascia area.

I feel all of mine opening up here, bend those knees in carefully take the legs and the feet out of your straps, let those go, and then extend those legs long on the mat. Reach your arms all the way back overhead. Just be careful of this bar or bars back here. Feel one last lengthening stretch through the whole body. I often like to take hold of one wrist with the opposite hand. Maybe let your shoulders lift, your ribs play your back arch for a moment feel yourself grow longer, maybe two inches longer than when you first started this class, and then re engage the abdominals, ribs pull together, belly pulls down, shoulders slide down the back, arms reach up, take a deep breath in.

And with control around and roll all the way up towards a tall seat. Once you arrive, you are all done. I hope you feel good and enjoyed that lovely movement on the tower with me today.