Sculpting, Total Body Mat

Hey, everyone. I'm Danielle English, and this is your Pilates mat. I've got some accessories with me. I've got a Pilates ball and some light dumbbells. I recommend two or three pound. I'm using the two pounds today.

But to your preference. Here we go. We're gonna begin in quadruped position. I want you to walk the knees back far enough that they're underneath the hip creases and not the belly. Give your spine a little space. Just start a little free movement, feeling grounded on the mat, bring yourself into the space I'm gonna start to inhale really arching through that spine, giving myself a nice cow, shoulders down, chest, up, open the throat.

Neck may feel a little sticky, try and stretch the chin up, up, up, and then exhale tuck the tail around the spine. Scoop the belly button up pressing the back of the heart to the ceiling expand between the shoulder blades. And then move between those two. Give yourself some nice deep breaths connecting to the breath. The inhale feels expansive as we open the heart shoulders down chin up and then exhale scoop and tuck the tail. We use that tuck of the pelvis to draw the abs in for pretty much the rest of class.

So it's a nice moment to initiate from the low belly getting really acquainted with that connection. Inhale, just articulating the spine, especially if it's the first time you're really moving today. Just taking a little inventory here, especially if it's the first time you're moving today. As we ripple through the spine, you're just noticing what is resisting you? What feels especially wonderful? Maybe you can linger in those spots. On this next one, exhale tuck the tail abs up and then close the ribs shoulder blades wide. I want you to curl the toes under so the feet can be weight bearing. Keep that rounded shape.

Shift the weight into the palms and now hover the knees off the mat. Can we inhale tap the knees and then exhale, grab the low tummy up like it's on a string? Inhale, I'm gonna exhale tuck the tail low belly pikes up and in little knee taps. Inhale, exhale press Little inhale. It's like a little draw up from that low naval inhale, exhale four. Three, rounded back for two. And last one, can you hold the knees low hover over the mat deep in the roundness of the spine knees barely off the floor, exhale five.

Four, please breathe three. Two. And one soft knees, unfurl the toes, big arch in the back. That's a nice isometric cold building that heat in the belly. And now think of coming somewhere in between.

We're not overly arched. We're not overly rounded. We're gonna slightly tuck the tail. Draw the ribs up and in, extend the upper back so that I can start to stretch opposite leg back. Squaring off the hips.

I'm gonna reach bicep up by the ear squeeze the glute. It's not a high leg, but it's a long leg. I'm trying to fully squeeze that glute reaching out of my hip socket, inner thigh rolls a little in towards opposite thigh. Bicep up by the ear, I'm gonna reach reach reach like a tug of war with my limbs, and then bring it back down. So we're using the limbs to create a little space in the body. I wanna maintain that slight tuck of pelvis.

It's easy to arch as the leg comes up. Can you keep that low back long? Putting the tension more into the glute, inner thighs spirals in, clean it up a little bit, ribs, knit up and together. I felt mine separate, and then my bicep goes up and out, up and out, point the toe reach the middle finger. And it just feels nice. Like, I'm really creating space through the front of my hip, building a little heat in the core, finding some balance and stability. It's a really nice efficient warm up when we go, prone facing the ground, working almost like plank. And again, you pause, and then can you grow, squeeze the glute leg back, arm up, chest, up, eyes up and out, tuck the tail belly firm?

One more, try and find yourself on your original side. And now exhale tuck and round. Need the nose. Maybe need a elbow and then inhale grow. Square off the hips. Find that length again.

Little baby bend in your support elbow if you hyper extend, especially like me. Little baby bend exhale. Inhale. Create space in those joints long, long, long, exhale. Inhale.

Just one more. And then can we hold it roll that floating hip a little down to the mat square yourself off, and now just give yourself a little pulse waking up the back body. We squeeze the glute. Great if you've been sitting in a chair all day. We feel strong in that upper back. Little lift of the bicep.

Little squeeze in the glute for four. Three, two, and one, bring it down, a little free movement, get the wiggles and the shakes out. I like a little wag of the tail just to reset, maybe head neck, take a swivel. Right. Into that second side, tuck the tail ribs straw up and then belly is firm smooth out the low back, but the heart feels like it's stretching out to the edge of the mat, opposite arm away from leg, find your balance hold. Now exhale like a punch to the stomach.

Can you go knee to elbow, drop the head? Inhale get long, not arching the back, trying to keep that space between the vertebra of that low spine, little tuck of the tail. I reach, I reach to infinity in the exhale. The belly almost feels like it moves first. Inhale, long limbs, and then exhale tuck the tail, let that draw the spine, the limbs inward.

Last one. Again, lots of gorgeous articulation spine feels more ready to move, you go into your little pulse, little exhales, tummy up and in, ribs up and in, squeezing the glute long leg, little lift of that arm as well. Five, four, three, two, one, oh, bring it down. I already feel that heat really starting to radiate from my midsection out to my limbs. Find a little bit of the warm up here.

Come on to your forearms. Traditionally we have these nice flat palms. If you need a little more support, interlace the fingers, make that triangle, you'll feel a little more supported in this forearm plank. Walk the feet back, curl the toes, tuck the tail, try not to tent the hips. I'm gonna tuck, I'm gonna lower, and then I'm gonna draw my heart out collar bones to your middle fingers.

As I exhale, I squeeze my inner thighs together, tighten up that plank. Inhale prepare, I'm gonna double exhale, little hamstring curl. I'm gonna kick kick. My pelvis is stable. So try not to lift.

I really think of that tuck of the tail down, even though my heel is curling up and back, inner thigh zipper tight. I've got a $100 bill right between those thighs. Don't drop your money. Little exhale. The breath is really important, double exhale belly button goes up, up, tuck the toes, elbows in, shoulder blades wide, find a little rhythm, four.

In her thighs, glute hamstring, pelvic stability, two. Hold it. Reach the heels back, elbows, and pull the chest a little forward, squeeze the naval up and in for three. Two. One soft knees open wide hips to heels, take a rest position. Childs pose walk the hands out hips to heels lengthen your spine now that there's some heat in there.

Give it a little stretch. Elbows off the mat for deeper stretch. Those straight arms will help you pull that spine in two directions, exhale, exhale hip ste heels, inhale into the back space of the lungs. Excel, tuck the tail around the spine. Can you draw yourself up bottom to top, re centering, restacking.

Oh, shoulders fall. Head up last. We're gonna swing the legs out from underneath us scoot a little forward on the mat. And find your ball. Bring it between those inner thighs. It's gonna be rolling with us for a little while.

Tuck the tail, ease yourself down bone by bone, so you feel really centered on the spine as we come down. Plant the feet, hands behind the head, interlace the fingers to the webbing, elbows wrap into the corners of the room, shoulders shrugged down. I'm gonna exhale tuck my tail imprint, my low back, and then start to lift the center of my chest up to the ball, like it's a bull's eye. Inhale bring it down. Exhale scoop the tail up, low abs in.

So it's different than a crunch. This chest lift, I feel long in the neck, and it's like someone's pulling the center of my heart forward through that ball. So it feels a little heavier in the weight lifting. Especially to those upper abs. Slightly tuck of tail up, I feel that kiss of my lower back into the mat. Option, bring the legs to tabletop, hug your ball chest up.

Big inhale, exhale, sinking the naval. How concave can you go? Trying to feel that curve right up behind the heart. Like, you're gazing through the ball as if you're about to see those toes. Two more. If you feel that little tremble at the top, great.

Feel that little quiver, muscles are really engaged. On your next one, can you hold it? Let's inhale both legs out. Exhale, sink the naval. If you dropped a little in the chest, curl up when the knees come home, inhale, it's normal to kinda wanna rock back. So then exhale reset reset. If you want a little assist, you can always reach behind the thighs.

This is a nice place to be to focus on that positioning. Biceps engaged, maybe fingertips, guide, For that challenge, hands behind the head, it feels a little heavier. Elbows wrapping. If you drop, do you think of that exhale super charging naval down, chest up. Squeee, squeeze, squeeze your ball. One more. Exhale, can you pull it in little crunch to finish? Eight, seven, six squeeze ball.

Three, two, and one. See if you can leave the legs in tabletop, just open the arms wide, letter t, palms like suction cups pressing into the mat, we roll the shoulders away from the ceiling to really ground the backs of the shoulders. If you lost your imprint, give your tail just a slight tuck up length in the low back so we feel connected to that lowest abdominal wall, transverse abs. Squeezing your ball, inhale, send the hips up and over to the right, but leave your left shoulder on the mat. Supine twist. We're gonna exhale, push the ground out from underneath us, draw the waist in, belly button sinks, tuck tail up pause center, inhale to the other side. It's not a swing, it's not momentum.

It's like heavy weight lifting from the waist. I get narrower, little tuck of tail up. I really feel my abs hug in to do that heavy weight lifting back to the middle every time, exhale abs. Then pelvis. Then legs move last. Almost like it's a chain reaction. So it's a little slower.

The goal is not to touch the floor. It's really about keeping both backs of the shoulders pressed firm into the ground. We have this opening in the chest. It's really nice for the spine stretch. And then it gives us a little more opposition that those abdominals, especially the obliques, have to work against as we come back through center.

Now pause both legs up to the ceiling, taking that same idea into corkscrew, squeezing in on your ball. Inhale over to the right, exhale this time right at low down, around, over and together, backs of the shoulders grounded, head centered. Inhale, pelvis goes for a ride down, around, swing it. Come all the way back up. Really let it go wild on your spine. Inhale as you exhale, pelvis is dancing around all the way.

Inhale prepare. Exhale just like that supine twist, wrap the waist in. Option two. Maybe you wanna try that curl up head neck chest shoulders. You'll feel a lot less stable. We try and pull it back together.

Inhale tip twist. Circle may not go so wide. You're trying to hold center with that upper body, but can you still give me that really nice dance in the pelvis? Inhale, big exhale. Final four, right, left, right, left.

And three. And two. Try not to rely on those shoulder blades, exhale all the way around. Oh, bring it down. Absolutely. We're gonna press those feet flat into the mat, arms down by the sides.

We're perfectly placed to go right into a bridge. Ball, still with us, roll the weight to the inner edges of the feet, really feeling the big toe knuckle root down just as much as the heels. On an exhale, tuck the tail up through the ball, peel the spine up and off the mat, curling tailbone up and out. I'm gonna root into my heel, squeeze my glutes. Can I get a little more juice out of those glutes opening the front of my hips to the ceiling, but keeping the abs really drawn in? That corset feels really established after all those exercises we just did, and then exhale thrips in belly button is fine, tuck the tail up as we roll down feet stay planted, all 10 toes straightforward about hip width distance. Exhale curl tail up, like it's going up the hill of a roller coaster tail up, babs in, drive through the heels to squeeze the glutes and then pause.

We don't lift through the ribs, hug that back and in. Can you get a little more lift or right under the smile of the seat, like those two hands boosting you up, and then clamp on the ball. I want you to squeeze it tighter as you roll down. So you feel that resistance in trying to work through your spine on that roll down. It's so wonderful for the back creating that little bit of track chin pulling pelvis away from spine, the way up glute hamstring, really coming online now back body.

And then one more. Just finding the slow, snaky spine. Drawing the abs in, moving the back, really opening tension through the front of the pelvis. Again, really important if you sit a lot, carve out the tummy, ice cream scoop, hollowing you out, tail up, abs and all the way till the bitter end. And then pause, you can leave your feet flat for a little extra spice.

I'm gonna scoot my feet in and pop my heels up high. Arms, press down. Now I'm gonna move to a hinge. Squeeze the ball. Squeeze the glutes power in that hinge lift. Break at the hips flat back hinge down. I'm gonna exhale right back up.

Stilettos on my feet. Like, a big old calf raise, like, keep your heels stable. So as the hips go down up, the heels do not, your heels get higher. And then push through the balls of the feet. Little inhale, exhale hinge, breathe on that lift. You always wanna exhale right on that point of effort.

Building some heat right at the smile crease underneath each seat. Three. Two. Now let's make it really small. Squeeze and a lift. Little pulse. Little pulse.

Little pulse. Like you're carving that smile a little deeper. Instead of up, down, I think of my tailbone trying to curl up and out. Up and out. So it's almost like a little scoop that keeps my low belly engaged. I keep the space in my low back, and it's a little more focused, right, at the smile of the seat, four, three, two, Now pause, can you lower the heels? Pick them back up? Now as the heels go down up, pelvis is gonna try and lift right when those heels tap. So I think I gotta squeeze my glutes up as the heels go down.

Feel that opposition. Squeeze glutes up, heels lower, press right back. Lower and lift. Three. Two. One, squeeze the ball to finish little in, high heels if you can. Little squeeze.

Little squeeze. Little squeeze. Eight, seven, six, five, four, three, two, and one tail up abs and roll it down vertebra by vertebra, let the heels relax. I'm gonna take the ball out and bring it behind one of my knees. Doesn't matter which one. A little single leg bridge.

We're not here long. Tuck the tail up, draw the abs back, and think of this as oblique work as well. I'm gonna curl the tail up, trying to keep myself in a really squared off bridge. So I have to think floating hip up, twist that support hip down. Squeezing into your ball point the foot, can you tap your toe to the mat, exhale squeeze the ball come back? Press firm into the triceps. I'm gonna try and square off my pelvis.

Inhale. Xhale. As my leg goes down, another moment of opposition, can I squeeze my glute up just to break even? Little hinge, squeeze into the golf. You do not have to touch the ground.

Standing in her thigh hugs a little bit in towards center, just for stability. Three, two, On the next one, can you keep it lifted, left hip up, or for me, it's left, floating hip up, find that twist, little pulse to finish, heavy and standing heel squeeze the standing glute. Four, three, Two, one. Roll it down. Whoo. Single leg. Very effective. I'm gonna give my hamstring a moment to unfurl before that second side. Just a gentle grab and stretch.

Not your deepest stretch. Just a little moment of extension. For the back of that leg. That's now gonna take the ball. It's not subtle.

Single leg bridge really gets the job done. Me over hip squaring off. I scoop the tail up to begin. So there is a little rock and tuck just so I feel connected to those low abs. It's gonna help me fight a little bit more to keep my pelvis a little more balanced. Squeezing into the ball, crush it calf to hamstring, and then inhale toe tap, exhale.

Bring it back up. Little inhale. I'm scanning to make sure that hip is not going wonky. Inhale, I push down through standing foot trying to feel the lift right when my toes gonna tap them at, and then come back up. You can give that ball as much squeeze as you want. I think it helps me stabilize a little bit.

Three. XL, draw the belly button in as if your abs are helping to pull that knee back up. And one, as we come up, little pulse, both hips up, both hips up heavy in the heel. Little exhale squeeze. Four, three, two, and one, all the way down. Oh, yeah.

I'm gonna set the ball to the side. A little bit of extension for the back of the leg. I always love happy baby after bridge. It kinda takes our body in the exact opposite position of that bridge, creasing the hips, opening the hamstrings, inner thighs, and glutes. And it's a nice reset for the low back, take a little rock side to side, really using the biceps to open that space between the knees, pulling down to the edges of the mat, just so you feel ready to continue. We're gonna bring those legs down.

I'm gonna find my dumbbells. So I'm actually just gonna sit up briefly to find the dumbbells. And they're optional two or three pound or you don't have to use them at all. But now that I have moved my whole spine, I want my feet flexed in together. I'm gonna reach my arms right over the shoulders.

I should be able to see my knuckles not back here, finding that length, getting ready for a roll up. Inhale prepare. I'm gonna exhale, press my weights down, go chin to chest. Once I'm there, I really think of the arms going forward, the chin down, the belly button, back back back back, So I look really concave like a big tidal wave coming up and over. Take that forward fold, give the backs of the legs a little extra stretch after bridge. And then we sit up tall, stacked over the sits bones.

Can you get a little taller right behind the heart inhale? Exhale. It's like the rug is pulled out from underneath. You start from down here. Send the tail to the heels. You inch warm back with those heels as you go, boom. Bye, boom. Bye, boom.

Light as a feather. I like to say no plopping or dropping. Slow and really controlled. XL. Sync the tummy in.

Can you think forehead to belly button, belly button to spine as you take that forward dive? And then we sit up tall, tallest we've been all day. If you're feeling really tight today and the straight legs is distorting your spine, open the legs, bend the knees. More important to move the back, that's really our priority here. So if you're feeling really tight on this roll up, I really want you to bend the knees a lot.

So that we get more movement in the back. And then over time, you would start to extend the legs, working them together. But always think of, like, the spine, the pelvis is really our priority. We adjust the arms, the legs. To accommodate that.

Nice flow here for the spine. One more. Inhale, I'm gonna exhale tuck the tail roll down. Feeling a little more fluid now from up or the lower back. And then this time, I'm gonna come up about sorry. I'm gonna come up all the way, but I'm gonna roll down about halfway. Palms face each other, tuck the tail roll down three. Scoop the pelvis tuck two.

Can you get a little lower? One. Open the legs and bend the knees. Only the heels rest on the mat. Take a little bow and arrow twist. I'm gonna inhale as I rotate, reaching one arm forward, and then exhale abs and sync the belly button, go forward.

And then rotate the chest and then exhale back to center. Inhale, really reach through the opposite wall, and then exhale sink the naval deep c curve. So I'm not up on the sits bones. I really keep that deep tuck, and I'm trying to rotate underneath my floating ribs without taking my knees or my hips with me. So, like, a little action figure, I've got this twisty waist. Lower body is anchored and unaffected. Give me one more each side.

Inhale bow and arrow, exhale to center. Give me a little alternating bicep curl. There's not a ton of arms sometimes in Pilates, Matt. Don't come for me. That's not, like, a 100% true statement, but sometimes I like to integrate a little x extra of the dumbbell work just to feel like we're getting a little bit more upper body.

Four, three, two, both arms forward. I'm gonna find my balance, legs up into a little teaser balance. Palms still face each other. Can you tuck the tail length and kiss low back to the mat, exhale like a folding chair, belly, and scrunch the tummy, lift the chest. You come up. Baby tees are roll down.

Little variation here, exhale. Sink the belly button to pull yourself in and together, tuck the tail, roll down just like you did when feet were on the mat, pull it back in, and then scoop, tuck roll it down, boom, by bone. Little kiss into the mat, exhale, chest up and out. I say to the balcony, to the mezzanine, your heart is lifted up to the cheap seats, to the back of the theater. Maybe this time legs can bend, but then they go all the way straight. Can we hold it for five? Arms up chest at four.

Talk the tail three. Two, and one. Lower open those feet, relax into a butterfly. Beautiful. We're gonna peel those feet open like a book lean a little forward and press with the elbows and our thighs are gonna open. Chest forward, tail back, releasing through hips, they tend to grip sometimes as we fatigue in those abs, nice little reset. You only need one dumbbell now.

Shift forward, very similar to how we started our class on hands and knees. Only one dumbbell. I'm gonna bring this weight back to my thigh to begin, and you can kinda settle in. Give me palm. If you've had enough on your wrist, maybe come up to knuckles, you can always double the mat over. So again, a lot of extra cushion, In that wrist, if you're not feeling that compression anymore, no problem.

Tuck the tail, treating this prone position just like planks, smoothing out the low back, upper back feels long. I'm gonna start squeezing and tight to my thigh. Shoulders shrugged down my back as I reach through the wall behind me and then I take it out to t position, try not to drop until the last second. It's a little semi circle. It's like our arm circles on the reformer, but now you're facing the ground.

Body wants to twist a little bit. Body wants to round. Can you give me, like, this really stable upper back, as if I'm balancing that glass of water right at the center of the upper back. And for this tricep work, it's not just about up. It's like my whole shoulder it'll go down and towards my waist. So I feel this muscle hug right here underneath that shoulder blade.

And then I know I've got this really nice shoulder and scapular depression, meaning everything's just working its way down, so my neck stays long. On your next one, can you reverse it? Let's bring the arm up to t. Flip the palm, swim it in, shoulder down, arm pit and waist get tight, tight, tight. Tap the thigh. Don't touch the mat. Little inhale up and out.

Flip swim, long neck feeling that muscle hug from armpit. To the waist, tap. All of a sudden, my two pound weight got very heavy. So if that's happening to you, totally normal, especially this direction feels a little more full of effort for that side body, lats, your serratus, your waist, pause on this next one. Just give me a little bend.

Trice up. Little kickback. Inhale. Big exhale. Chest forward. Little kickback.

Three, soften your supporting elbow. I'm prone to hyper extending. I have to keep checking. Two. On the next one, press back.

Hold it back. Give me a little pulse up an inch up an inch. Maybe you wanna add that opposite leg balance for six, five, four, long through the neck. Two, and one, bringing it down. Oh, yes. That arm is feeling a little fatigued. Transitioning right into a side plank. My support hand now turns fingertips to the edge of the mat as I roll into my side plank for the day. I'm gonna recommend you split the feet, top foot in front, Keep your dumbbell with you for the challenge.

But all that being said, you can always modify knees down or choose another side plank. I'm gonna reach stacking the hips, tuck the tail, find your head up at the sky, Now exhale, think of a wrap, a twist, and a little pike. I thread the needle. Inhale as I lower down, I'm gonna open my chest, push away from the mat, and follow my weight for the challenge, giving your head something to do. Follow your weight.

Can you go back, pike, twist, reach, and then inhale, create space pushing away from the ground. The hips stay lifted, exhale, you twist, ring out that waist, and then inhale pushing away from the ground, Fore arm blankets tough. You have less joint support. It's very muscular in that bottom side bottom arm. You gotta keep pushing out of the shoulder as we lift up.

One more. Big strong squeeze in the waist and then inhale. Lift, can you look up at your top hand? Give me down an inch up an inch with the hips. Little inhale exhale, inhale exhale like a gust of wind, or just hold it and breathe. Inhale, exhale, five, four, three, Two, and one, gently come down, stagger the legs, pull your bottom leg through. So it looks like mermaid. We're gonna reverse that mermaid and really open up the side body.

Just a moment here, fanning open the sides of the ribs, chin up, stretching all the way through waist. And I'm gonna take this arm back to the mat, windmilling myself down all the way onto the mat. Think of scooting your hips back along almost the back edge of the mat, so you have plenty of real estate. To pull your bottom knee forward like tabletop on your side. I'm gonna roll my top hip forward, slightly tuck the tail, and tent my fingertips onto the mat as I elevate that top leg, really strong, hip bone height, bottom waist lifted. Now double exhale as I kick forward, flex foot, point through the foot, double exhale. I go back, back, trying to stabilize my pelvis as I kick, kick, point, and then I take it back, back.

So minimizing the wobbles here, belly button strong pulling in inch. It's like this really nice corseted waist. So especially right before this, we did that side plank, which supercharged this bottom waist. So it's by design to support you in this whole big side series moving from side of the torso to the waist to now a little bit more hip and glue outer edges of the seat. Now pause. You can point or flex the foot, take it more into a circle.

At some point, I want the circle to go a little behind you so we feel that glute squeeze neck is long. Like tips of the ears are reaching all the way to the edge of the mat. Like, you're listening for something on the other side of the room. As I circle, I'm also trying to stay at hip bone height or above. So this is as low as I go. Oh, so I get that stickiness. Right? Like, you're circling through peanut butter. Two more. It's like you're pushing forward, pressing up, squeezing back. There should be some effort and some resistance in every part of your circle, and then reverse it. Little inhale exhale up and around.

Back up bend around and forward a little bit behind you at some point. Trying to keep the bottom of your waist a little lifted up. Top hip bone feels like it's reaching slightly down to the edge of the mat just to keep the integrity of the waist. I'm gonna take two more, sticky, large circles. I like a pointed foot, and then pause at the height of that final circle. Can you just give me a little lift right where it feels really limited. Like, right where it feels the worst.

Can you live there right there? Up an inch. A little exhale up an inch up an inch. Keep it pulsing now. Take it a little bit further forward. Can you pulse just off the edge of the mat now press up into that spot? I'm not even knee over knee.

It was a very small shift for five. For who, three, two, one, bring it all the way down, give it a little reset. As I find this knee over knee position, I'm gonna bring myself back up to the forearm. Now, this is a personal choice. You can stay down for clamshell if you had enough of that forearm plank. Totally get it. I'm gonna prop myself up just to find this lift, open collar bones, kinda like I'm gazing off into the distance really feeling that lift. I like to call this my portrait position. Like, I'm having my portrait taken back in the day. We're gonna keep those heels together opening your clamshell and then bring it back down.

If hips rolling a little bit, use your hand as a tool as the leg goes back, nudge the hip a little forward, so they oppose each other, like, grinding gears, and you feel that resistance, and then add a little double pulse, go back, back just so we feel that resistance really clicking, heels touch, but toes don't have to. You can use both hands for support on the mat. Or again, I like my hand on my hip just to feel like I'm holding that position. If your ear is close to your shoulder, you have lost it. You gotta feel that scoop up and away from the mat, a big crane just lifted you up, pressed down through the hand and the forearm to feel the up from armpit to waist on your next one.

Let's hold it. Little baby clammies. Back an inch. Back an inch. Little press. Little press 6. 5432, and 1, bring it all the way down.

Letting that go. We reverse. We rebuild to our second part of our side series. I'm gonna come back in a quadruped. Let's balance ourselves out. You only need one weight starting with those arm circles.

Hand shoulder width under the chest, little tuck of the tail. Heart extends forward. I'm gonna soften a little bit of a bend into my support arm so that I don't lock out hyper extending. I'm really prone to that. And then tap your weight next to your thigh as you exhale belly button up circling back.

Out and around big t, big t, and then I'm gonna tap my thigh. Shoulder shrugged down the back as I reach. So it feels like my neck gets longer, and I start to build what I call the muscle hug. You feel this little muscle hug. Around the shoulder blade that lets you know you're doing the good work of bringing the shoulders the underarms down slightly.

Mhmm. Feeling really connected to what we call that shoulder girdle. Giving you the support through the sides of the body, good for posture, for upper back, for back of the shoulder. On the next one, pause in your tee position, reverse it. Let's swim it in like you're swimming through mud. It's sticky. You really have to press tap the thigh.

I'm gonna lift up to t, flip my palm, and now my shoulder also draws down my body. I draw my tummy up and in. Really a lot of abdominal work here to not twist my chest. I'm trying to stay square. I'm gazing a little out on the distance. Keeping the back of the neck long. Three. Two.

On the next one, squeeze it all the way in bicep tight to the ribs. Little tricep kickback. I'm not swinging. I'm trying to eliminate that momentum. Again, like, I'm really moving through something sticky. Inhale, chest puffs a little forward, tuck the tail squeeze as you press it back.

Pushing through something, maybe it's peanut butter, maybe it's molasses. On your next one, straight arm, can we hold it, maybe finding that opposite leg balance, and then we take a little pulse. Tricep up. We wanna get the weight above the pelvis for the challenge. So maybe the pulse is a little smaller, but you leave it a little higher. That's it. Eight, seven, six, five, four, so small. Three, two, One, bring it down.

I'm gonna keep the weight with me. You can always drop the weight as you come into your side plank. Your top foot staggers in front, bumping the hips up. I'm gonna open the chest and follow my hand to the sky. I'm gonna exhale pike.

Twist and thread my needle head falls and then inhale. Keep pushing away from the ground. Open your chest. Maybe the head can follow the weight for a little mobility in the neck. Inhale gives that cervical spine some nice rotation, especially if you are looking at devices all day, take that head on a little journey up into the ceiling, and then down through exhale, bind the waist, try and bump the hips up.

I'm on the knife edge of each foot feeder flexed. Last two. If you need to skip the pike or put the weight down, you do it. Last one. And then finding your side plank, bump up away from the mat, turn the chin to the ceiling.

Can you inhale down, exhale lift? Little inhale exhale bump, shoulder shrugging down my armpit feels so firm. Four, three, two, and one, slowly, softly approach the mat. No crash landings. Stagger the legs. Take that reverse mermaid. Opening up from armpit to waist to hip, fanning the ribs open.

I like to take my chin a little up to the elbow just for a different position, a little stretch here. Bottom elbow soft so I can go deep into that lateral bend. And then we're gonna reverse it taking that windmill of the arms down onto the mat, scoot the hips a little down and back aligning with the back edge of your mat, top hip rolls forward, bottom leg scoops up like tabletop on your side. Fingertips tent to the mat. I tuck the tail, draw in my waist, and then I'm gonna lift that top leg, really strong, flexed foot, energy through my heel, double exhale kicking forward, fourth, squeeze the glute point the toes, back back, double kick forward forward point, squeeze the seat open the hip back back.

Keeping my leg up at hip height, neck is long. Sometimes the shoulders wanna scrunch up. I'm gonna lengthen the neck like I'm trying to listen to my elbow. And then squeeze the glute point back back, anchoring through my bottom thigh. As I press down through bottom thigh, it actually helps me find the lift of my waist.

So it's really nice opposition, pressing side of the thigh down, to feel that oblique, create this little crawl space between me and the floor. On your next one. Take it into a circle. I like a pointed foot, but feel free point, flex, or relax the foot as long as the leg feels strong and full of energy. Even the quad is engaged, as I try and circle a little behind me at some point, circling back.

Again, anytime my hips feel like they are shifting out of place, I adjust by bringing my hand to my top hip And I give it a little nudge forward as my leg is articulating back just to hold my position. So the resistance really goes into the muscle instead of just letting the whole structure of my hip go with the leg. We're trying to separate these two entities, reverse it exhale back up and around. Stiff and sticky, press it back. Push it up. Drive it forward.

Resist it down. Like, you're tracing all four points of a compass. You want it to feel very complete. The circle does not just live in front of you, take it a little behind you. Three, two, And then this one circle, it lift it parallel, ankle bone up, toes down slightly. So really parallel, I'm gonna lift that bottom waist if I lost it, little pulse.

It's so small. I'm right at that sticky spot in the edge of the seat and the hip. And then keep pulsing. Take it just a few inches forward till you're off the edge of the mat a little higher right there. Eight, seven, six, five, four. And last one, bringing it down. Sideline. Always makes me feel like I'm fighting for my life.

Always humbling, lifting the waist up. I'm coming into that side plank forearm position for my clamshell. I do like to elevate the feet slightly. You are welcome to stay down, bending both knees where we just were. For a little extra work. Now it's like my final exam. Right? Testing that side plank with my lower body work, I'm not gonna sink.

Opening my clamshell heals together. As I twist, it's like I'm trying to open and then go a little further. Little further. Almost like I'm juicing an orange, like press and then twist. Get a little more juice out, press and twist, press and twist before you let it come down. And then the double pulse helps us with that back back. Double exhales.

Pushing away from the ground, collarbones feel like they're extending sideways. Belly button goes in, and the breath is built to support that little contraction in the abdominals. Two more. Back. Back. Hold it. Can we just go back an inch back an inch. I had a Scottish client call these baby clammies, and I've never been able to go back.

So these little pulses are my baby clammies. Here for five, four, three, two, and one. Close your baby clammy, bring it all the way down. Let it relax. Let's balance ourselves out with some swan. You're gonna come onto your stomach, grand finale here in our final minute, a little bit of back extension.

So we feel really strong through our side bodies finishing up with the back. Lakes can be separate if you're feeling a little tight. I'm gonna tuck the tail legs together, shoelaces of the foot press down to lift the kneecaps up. Tuck the tail. My glutes are firm. My arms are extended shoulders up in the ears.

Now exhale shrug your shoulders down. Trying the chest up and out to your ball. Elbows don't bend. I'm really pressing down into the ball. And then if I wanna keep lifting, I'm gonna draw my tummy up and in trying to close the ribs, shoulders down, finding that curve in the back, and then I roll the ball away from me.

I love the ball as a tool because you really find that drawdown of the shoulders step one. The ball starts rolling just because I shrugged my shoulders down. Chest forward, eyes up and out, squeeze the glutes pressing the hit points and the tops of the feet down. If the shoulders crept up, again, soften them down, feel tight in the armpits, smush the ball, smush the ball, smush the ball. Maybe you go a little further before we come all the way down.

On that exhale shoulders, draw down to the hips, and higher is not always better for swan, A lot of times I like belly button on the mat, so I can really work that curve a little more deeply behind my heart. It's more about pushing the chest forward than trying to go up higher, almost like a sphinx, like really pushing that chest plate forward, that's gonna be way more valuable than just trying to drive more backward bend into that lumbar spine where it's already curved. Like, it's good. It already has a bend there, a natural curve through the back. So right where we need it, fighting hunched back shoulders down, think of slithering forward along the mat like a snake. So it's kind of this forward with the ribs, up and out with the chest just over the fingertips, the shoulders pull down, and now I'm really pushing that chest to the opposite wall. And that feels amazing right between my shoulder blades.

It feels really active. Last two. So you'll stand tall the rest of the day. Don't be kind to your ball. Think of trying to pop it. Like, really squish down so the triceps, the underarms are firm supporting this posture.

Now come down just a few inches, so back of the neck is long, ribs and tummy on the mat. Can you give me right arm left leg? Left arm, right leg, stiff as a board start to swim, chest up, squeeze the glutes, eyes out towards your ball, and then make that swim a little stiff, but a little vigorous. The water just got a little choppy. So we need to kick it into high gear, little exhale. Breathing even though you're on that tummy.

Chest a little lifted squeeze the glutes, maybe thighs off the mat for four, three, two, and one, all the way down, stack the pumps. Bend the knees feet in the air windshield wiper, your thigh bones, your shins a little side to side wagging your tail. Letting it go, letting it go. Resolve in the center. Use your hands under your chest to press yourself up and back. Big child's pose similar to what we did after the warm up, but maybe it feels different now.

Open the knees wide to the edges of the mat. Walk the hands off to one side of the mat, push the hips down into the opposite corner, two straight elbows for deepest stretch. And then switch, walk the hands off the other side of the mat and then push back in the opposite direction, hips away from palms. Coming back through center, inhale into that back. Really think of filling your back body with breath super expansive, like, three sixty through the torso.

Exale, tuck the tail, drag yourself back. Final roll ups, stacking really proud over hips, over knees, shoulders, fall head comes up last. And that is a wrap on today. Thank you so much for joining me. I'll see you soon.