Full-Body I

Hi, everybody. I'm Danielle English, and welcome to full body reformer. I have the loops on and one red spring preset for me. No accessories. No box. We're just gonna be on the reformer. Gonna start kneeling facing the back of the machine.

And like I mentioned, one red spring, knees up against the shoulder rest. I'm gonna walk out to my rails and just get settled here. Needs under those hip creases, maybe a little free movement, taking some inventory. How does my body feel? Big inhale, start to move into your cow, shoulders down, lift the heart, open the throat.

Big exhale tuck and round, ripple through the spine, press down through the rails to really spread the back of the heart up into the sky, and then inhale. Chest goes down, but pull it forward. Shoulder shrug a little bit down as I find that lift behind my heart, maybe open the throat. Chin up, big exhales, abs hug up, ribs knit in and together, press the rails away from you. Can you open the back?

One more of each inhale. Connecting to breath to movement. It's a nice way to start to build that connection between mind and body. Exhale scooping the abs in. I'm gonna be a little bit more.

Precise with that abdominal flex now thinking of narrowing the waist as I round, round, round, round, round. And then coming back to neutral here, her heart's gonna shine a little forward. Micro bend in the elbows. I'm gonna think of pressing my palms down, as I tuck my tail, I'm going to exhale, reverse kneeling abs, pull the carriage towards my hands, inhale slow, can I three counts to bring it back? Spine goes from neutrals, and then think almost of that cat stretch. So we wanna change the pelvis on spines into that tuck. And then I think of bringing my lower body to me, and it helps me to think of pulling my palms a little bit towards the foot bar just to stabilize in that upper body.

Nice weight lifting against the spring, abdominals contract. I'm trying not to lead with the legs. Can I tuck the tail, move the spine, and then feel like my legs react once those abdominals are already loaded up? Slow on the return. It adds a nice little extra challenge.

Two more. Oh, yeah. Nice, efficient warm up. Last one, hold it. Little crunch.

Release the tail. Scoop it. It's really hard to talk and do this one. So I'm just gonna exhale. Little curl, four, three, two, and one slowly let it go hips to heels.

Give yourself a subtle moment in child's pose, a little free movement. I like to wag the tail. As I build heat, I love to just kinda move things around, feeling a little more spacious. And then reset as you come back up, This time, hands are gonna walk just a little bit beyond the shoulders. I'm gonna switch my focus from that abdominal initiation to a little more upper body.

Think of this like a pull up. Slightly tuck the tail shrug the shoulders down the back, and now think of dragging your heart forward, abs are still firm, still active, keeping my body organized like one long battering ram, the slower you return, it's a little more challenging. I think of hugging from the armpits to the backs of the arms little tricep action here. If you want it to feel heavier, the arms walk even further back towards the back of the reformer. Just make sure the chest doesn't drop.

Little tuck in the tail abs hold my body organized in one big chunk. That feels like a good challenge. I'm gonna leave my hands there. So think of dragging your palms towards the foot bar as your body slowly drags to the back of the machine slow slow. Don't crash that carriage.

Now I'm really connected to that upper body, my underarms, some really nice posture support, working from the base of that shoulder girdle. Inhale, slow. Exhale. Two. Last one, we're gonna hold it, exhale baby pull ups.

Can you go down hold? Pull yourself forward. Inhale, down hold, abs hug up and in. I think of a slight tuck to my tail to activate the low belly. Three. Baby pull up two shoulder shrug down.

And one, finish it. Slow, slow, slow, come back. Oh, this time. I'm gonna crawl back a little bit. Maybe bringing my triceps, my elbows to the shoulder rest. Little tricep stretch, bringing the palms to connect right into the nape of the neck. Hips back, arms lengthen forward, push into the shoulder rest and open up the underarms, the triceps, feels really nice after that effort.

And then releasing your stretch slowly round up through the back. Dismount off to either side, we're gonna change the spring. Now that I'm warm, I'm connected, getting into the meat of our work. I'm gonna go to one yellow spring, one yellow for the challenge. If you would like a little more support for some of this work like flying lunge, lunging, you can always go to a blue.

I like the yellow. I'm gonna start with my foot just behind the foot bar. Inside foot's gonna tuck the toe up against the shoulder rest. Flying lunge, I'm gonna get the heart rate up. Hands go wide across the foot bar.

Big inhales, I push back, low lunge. As I exhale, I push into the palms, little point of the foot, just a little lift off the floor. Bottom legs gonna go straight, and then low lunge exhale shift the weight into the arms. Nice little prep here. Now, this is a great place to stay. All these progressions are just gonna be suggestions.

My back leg is long and straight, energetically pushing the carriage away for me. Adding on, I'm gonna tuck knee to nose, toe ball heel light as a feather eye land. Xhale. Need a nose, rounding the spine, trying to change the shape of the back. Scooping that belly. My back knee doesn't bend.

Option to stay with that or add a double cross. Now I'm gonna go opposite elbow, outside elbow, toe ball heel, light as a feather that landing matters. Little double exhale so belly button can go up up. One more like this. And now option to add that fly, brush the back leg long.

Toe ball heel. So now instead of rounding the back, I tuck the tail extend the upper back. It's almost like a single leg plank. Brush kick, slow landing. My foot's traveling a little too far back. I'm gonna try and reset just behind that foot bar being consistent with that landing. Give me two more.

Nice squeeze in the glute as I brush. Last one, can you hold it? Cross upper inner thighs, back foot crosses up and over that support leg. Holding it here, maybe you push a little bit away from the foot bar. Heart shines a little forward for three, two, and one, slowly set that knee down. Inside knee can drop. Take a moment, low lunge, shift onto the forearms, squeeze your left glute, slightly tuck the tail to peel, open that hip flexor, catch the breath. Same spring. I think whatever you liked for that flying lunge, you'll like for low floor lunge now.

I'm gonna stay on the yellow. Blue offers a little more assistance, a little more support. As I stand, I wanna be able to bring myself vertical when my inside knee is dropped comfortably hanging underneath that hip socket. Squaring off the hips, nice big inhale, low lunge. Me is gonna be right over that ankle bone, so I do shift my weight slightly back.

And then I'm gonna exhale dig into the heel, allow my back leg to bend. A little weightless in the toes, so I'm feeling that nice glute activation with that weight shift into the heel. Football bar is always there for you. Should you want it? Try not to death grip. If you've got the foot bar, maybe it's just fingertips.

So it still feels like you're more loaded in that standing leg. I like an inhale on the way down. A big exhale shugging the abs up, digging through that standing heel. Almost like I'm dragging the carriage in. I'm not letting that spring pushed me along.

You can even do this on no spring if you're feeling dangerous because we're low to the ground, grounded. Could be a fun time to play with no spring. It is a really good challenge. I like just a little bit of spring underneath me. It's like we have the springs.

I think they're meant to be used. Just options. On your next one, hold it, chest forward, tail back. Hips are gonna square off. I try and keep my weight shifted into the heels. I bring the carriage in.

Push it out. Just a gentle bend. Don't overthink it wherever it naturally comes in and then push it back out. Maybe fan the toes up. Just check the weight placement in the heel for that glute focus. Heart shines a little forward.

You can always fingertips to the foot bar if you need it. Trying to stay low and consistent in that right leg. Four. Three. Two, back leg long, can you bring the torso up just a little bit and then forward? Almost like a big good morning. Yeah.

This nice hinge, chest up, and then bring it back down. And then lifting the torso, but I stay low in the lunge and then heart forward, tail back. Nice, glute hamstring focus, back leg is long. On your next one, chest up to the diagonal, little pulse down and inch up an inch. You can always soften the back knee if that makes you feel a little more supported. I'm gonna keep it long.

Last three. Two. And one, grab the footbar slow to stand, come all the way up and in. Dock the carriage. I am still gonna recommend one yellow for this.

Now my right knee comes to the carriage. I'm gonna turn that standing leg out thinking toes towards the foot bar. Don't force the turnout. It can almost be like half of Pilates v. Now, can you give me a big inhale? Pull up and in. From the base of the pelvic floor like a zipper, zip that pubic bone up to the ribs, close the carriage inhale, and then we're gonna press it out.

This nice kneeling lunge focusing a little bit more on inner thigh now. But I get this really nice glue activation on standing leg. I'm gonna think heavy heel, little tuck in the tail. And then as I push down, it's like I'm coming up out of this plie to zip up my midline. Really proud chest. Normal for the pelvis to wanna rock into that big anterior tilt. Give yourself a slight tuck and then only go as low as you can maintain that position of pelvis.

Heavy heel inner thighs, try and close the carriage all the way in one more full range. Now I'm gonna come down. I'm gonna pause. I'm gonna twist. Can I rotate through my waist? Keep the carriage still.

Come back to center and then close-up and in. I lower down slight tuck of the tail. Rotate. Back out. Close it.

Heavy through my heel. This really nice support for my rotators. On that standing side and like an inhale, exhale twist. Inhale, return, exhale up and in. One more. You're gonna come down, twist, come back to center.

Can you hold it, pop that heel so rock the weight to the ball of the foot, pop the heel up, put it down. Carriage stays still slight tuck of tail. Put it down. High heel. Put it down. Carriage is stable.

Trying to stay low for three. Two. Hold it maybe arms up to a nice high fifth little down, little up. Inhale, little exhale. Gonna think of that exhale firing pelvic floor, a little hug up and in from the base of the pelvis, inner thighs react. Four, three, two, and one heel down, pull the carriage all the way in, let it dock very, very nice.

I like one blue spring for this series. I'm gonna flatten my headrest switching to one blue. Doing a little upper body as I come to the center, kneeling on the carriage, walk back until the toes hang off the back of the headrest, only taking the right hand into the strap. Slightly tuck the tail. Baby bend in that support arm, starting with a bicep curl.

And if it feels really light, that's normal for bicep, you can always wind your hand a little higher up into your loop or even up on the rope just for this first moment. So you have What feels like some satisfying effort for the bicep since it's just a blue? Option two, shift the weight into your right shin, left leg balance, square off the hips, tuck the tail, continue with your bicep curl. I'm feeling length. I'm reaching out of that hip socket.

Nice strong glute. Just testing the balance. And if it's not for you, keep both knees down. Just three. Two. Elbow stays up and back close to the ribs. One, I'm gonna bring the carriage in.

Unfurl the arm. Two knees down. Coming back into the loop if you walked your hand up higher. Start with your bicep curl. Now go to an overhead reach. Slowly bring it in, retrace your steps. Exhale, twist reach, inhale, retrace your steps.

Palm starts facing the ground curled at his shoulder now rotate palm faces the floor a little up and overhead like you're aiming just slightly up and out on the diagonal. One more. And then we add on. I'm gonna add some rotation, so I'm gonna exhale. Curle overhead reach now inhale, push down through your bottom hand Oh, can you follow the rope, open the chest, spiraling away from pelvis, normal for your back to feel a little sticky.

This is some major thoracic rotation. Inhel, I'm trying to find the length The rope somewhat carries me, but I'm gonna try and resist how quickly it pulls me. Oh, so I can really follow through. Twist to the right is definitely my stuck side. So it feels like a lot of effort for me to find that mobility. It brings up a lot of heat.

Two more, but always important to pay attention to those moments where you're like, oh, this is hard. I want it to be over. You're getting a lot of really good information, some really nice feedback. About where maybe your body's a little limited or where those deficiencies are. So I always try and pay attention. Oh, and then I'm gonna come down. Keeping that strap in my right hand, I'm gonna brace myself with hands on the carriage so I can now step left foot forward, coming into a proposal position.

It's a split stance kneel, slightly tuck the tail square off the hips, and then I'm gonna lengthen that arm down by my side, going into a suite. Feels nice to bring my body now a little more upright. Nice opening at the front of the right hip crease. I do have a slight tuck to my tail. Firm, press down into the sole of my left foot.

Abbs hug in. Can my chest get a little taller, I think so. A little lift behind that sternum. One more sweep. Giving you some nice upper body here. Now pause. Hand comes down halfway, other arm meets it, palms face each other. Inhale, low row right by the side of the waist. Exhale. Tighten the waist, pull the handle to center, inhale, or the loop.

Now, if you're feeling good, you wanna play with the balance, a little more rotation. You're already a little warm from that quadrupeds rotation. So now I feel more mobile as I exhale, push into my front foot, think of hugging inner thighs together to help me keep the balance. Waste tugs in as if it's my abdominals on my exhale straightening out my torso and the arm almost follows. Two more. And one big exhale reach it forward, hold it, hold retreat reach to infinity, and then slowly bend the elbows, brace with one or two hands.

As you put the loop back on the pig, second side, two knees down. I'm gonna grab the loop with my left hand. Finding a nice balance, wrapping my fingers over the front edge of the carriage. Feet, hang off the headrest, slightly tuck the tail, taking my left arm up and back, and I already know I like to wind my hand just a little higher on that loop, starting with my bicep curl. Bicep close to the ribs, big exhale abs hug up.

Gaze is a little forward just towards that front edge of the reformer. Option test your balance. Opposite leg. It's my right leg. That's gonna stretch a little scoop tuck of the tail, helping me feel that glute engagement. Abs firm, slow as your friend when you're adding in a little bit of abdominal balance.

Baby bend in that support arm, especially if you hyper extend. A strong tight legs gonna feel a little more stable. So tighten up those muscles for three. Two. And one, good balance brings up a lot of heat. Now I'm gonna unfurl the arm, put my hand back into the loop, adding on. Bicep curl, big exhale overhead reach, retrace your steps, bend it, flip it, unfurl it. Exhale, curl overhead press, maybe a light lift behind the heart, just working those upper spine extensors, have that conversation with the upper back.

Two more. Nice long overhead reach adding in my rotation. Feel free to take all the time in the world. Big exhale. And then inhale push down through that support hand, spiral open the heart, slow down your rope. This side feels so much more natural to me because I favor a lot of rotation to my left.

So this one doesn't feel as labored. Not as tight through that left side of the chest and shoulder as I am on my right, but you're just gaining information. So I spiral my chest following the strap. I think of my hips, almost trying to twist towards the foot bar. Giving me a little more focused rotation higher up in the back instead of torquing the pelvis with me.

Two more push down through bottom palm almost like you're lifting the heart, getting that opening. Last one, little up, little over, open, and then allow that hand to come down, bracing you two hands on the carriage stepping, your right foot forward. Make sure it's far enough forward. We get knee over ankle. Back knee right underneath the hip, like two ninety degree angles, ninety ninety, square off the pelvis little tuck in the tail.

Hand can always be here for support. I'm gonna lengthen that left arm. Go into a sweep. Inhale. Got a little taller. Now that I'm upright, big exhale.

Inhale, push down through that front heel front footprint. Sweeping from the shoulder. My shoulder shrugged down. Inter thighs hug a little bit together. Normal for that front ankle to be a little wobbly. Again, a little inner thigh hug as if you have magnets between those two inner thighs on your exhale.

Super helpful. One more sweet pause, flip the palm, arms meet each other, low row, right to the side of the waist, exhale, push it forward drawing the right hip slightly back, left a little forward. Squeezing my left glute as if I'm trying to open my left hip flexor. Adding in your twist, testing the balance, we can inhale go with the rope. But already, I feel a little more open in that spine.

Prepared for this moment, exhale, inner thighs hug, tummy tight. Think of the arm moving last. So we're teaching ourselves to exhale abdominal initiation, moving from that power center. Three, push down through front footprint, two, and one, big exhale. Slow bring the arms down mindfully, catch yourself a loop to the peg.

I'm gonna reset my knees so I can continue on my journey off to my second side. No surprises you've already done this. I like the yellow spring. We're going back to flying lunge picking up the heart rate a bit. Standing foot just behind the foot bar on the ground, back toes tuck up against the shoulder rest and give me a long back leg.

It wants to buckle, think strong. Through that back limb, open the hands wide across the foot bar. Inhale low bend, prepare. On my exhale, I wait till I shift my weight into my palms, just a little prep, point the foot, scoop the belly, toe ball heel, find that articulation. Push into that palm, print right on the foot bar. So I feel the down of the arms like a handstand, a little lift in the belly.

You can always stay with this prep. It's a little more supported. One blue spring offers more support. If you need a boost, do the blue and the yellow together. Adding on tuck knee to nose, exhale, rounding the spine, pressing the back of the heart to the ceiling, soft landing.

Easy to drop my head harder to find that movement right behind my heart. So maybe you even linger for a second. On your next one, a little crisscross double exhale inner elbow, outer elbow. Double exhale toeball heel back leg is long. I'm pulling up on that kneecap finding support.

One more crisscross. Final set, brush the leg, sweep brush. It's not a highlight hig, but it's long, slight tuck of the tail, maybe trying to sustain in the air. One, two, using your control, your stability, your breath, your coordination, all those Pilates principles. Two.

Last one, hold it. Come up cross. Find your plank. Zip up the thighs. Tuck the tail. Little press away from the footbar shine the heart forward. Strong legs breathe for three.

Two. One, soft, inside knee down, landing. Drop onto the forearms, take that really nice low lunge. Catching your breath. I'm gonna stay on the same spring.

I like that yellow as I come up for a low floor lunge. Now as I stand, I wanna make sure I'm far enough back from the foot bar that when I stand, this back knee can just drop comfortably right underneath my hip crease. I like hands to hips. Inhale as I go down, big hinge, chest forward, tail back, exhale, heavy heel, scoop the belly, drop the knee, lift the chest. Nice long, low hinge.

Rotating pelvis a little forward on the spine, so then we get more glute focus with a heavy heel stamp as we stand up slowing down the spring with my back leg. Even though my back leg's bending, I'm resisting. Resist the spring using my muscles, bending in at the last second. Exail, little scoop of the belly, up off the ground. It feels like my abs help carry my torso up to stand.

If you got a little wobbly, you can always go fingertip to the foot bar. One more full range, shifting the knee slightly back. And then hold it low. Whole old at work feels challenging in that left leg. Little exhale. Tuck the tail.

Draw the knee in gently rest on the carriage. Doesn't matter how far in that carriage comes. It should just feel kind of natural. Scoop and press. If you need a finger, you take it.

I'm focusing on that squared off pelvis, left hip. Right hip in the same line, maybe no hands, fanning the toes up for some nice glute focus. If you feel grippy in the toes, three, two, Back leg goes long, nice hinge from the torso, can you bring the chest up? And then chest goes down and forward. Me stays back over that ankle as we inhale, exhale, big hinge. You don't have to come all the way upright.

Little up. Oh, heavy in that left heel down. One more. And down. Bring the chest up just to a diagonal, little rise, little fall. We're gonna bend the knee and then push down through my heel.

Little stretch behind the left knee. Can I get a little lower? For sure, exhale four. Three, small and deliberate for two. And one, grab the footbar, bring the carriage in.

Swop it, turning to the outside of the machine. Now My left knee is on the carriage. Right leg is gonna turn out towards the foot bar, finding that little plie, that rotation from the outer edge of the seat. I'm gonna zip up from pubic bone to ribs, squeeze inner thighs, feel the length like I'm being sucked up through a straw. Now inhale, lower down, plie turns out, tuck the tail, see how low you can go without arching the back, push through the heel, draw up and in, pelvic floor, inner thigh, adductors, inhale.

Also some nice rotation, push into the right heel so it's almost like the outer edge of the glutes starts to stand you up, then those inner thighs finish. Little tuck in the tail, think of hugging up and in from the base of the pelvis. This is great for pelvic floor connection, alignment of hips on spine, even opening up what's a little sticky around your hips, adding on. I'm gonna come down. I'm gonna hold it. Exhale twist.

Inhale open, exhale stand up. I like an inhale. Exhale, ring out the waist. Try not to move the carriage. Inhale.

Exhale. Down. We twist. We open. Happy through the heel.

Two more. And last one, hit your twist, come back to center, shift the weight into the ball of your right foot to pop the heel, press it down. Pop it push it down. A little tuck in the tail, maybe you can get a hair lower where it's a little more challenging to balance. High heel, stable carriage for three.

Set it down gently, two. High heel arms up overhead high fifth, little down, little rise. Inhale, exhale. Think of your exhale coming from the base of the pelvis drawing up and in, move the carriage with pelvic floor. As if you could. Yes. Four. Three. Two.

One, find the lift, lower the heel, foot bar if you need it coming all the way in. Oh, that's a wrap everyone. Take a big inhale for yourself. Exhale sigh the shoulders down. Thank you so much for joining me.

I'll see you soon.