I enjoyed seeing Romana's version without the gripper. It would be useful to use when trying to keep the flow of the class and avoid a student having to get on and off of the reformer! Could also be an alternative way to get into the stomach massage if hip flexion is limited.
I really like the cue of keeping space between the ribs and the hips to prevent clients from sinking into their contraction! I will definitely be thinking about that in my own practice and while teaching. It was interesting to see Romana's version of the stomach massage as well, I wonder if clients are able to get into the contracted, rounded back position easier since they may be more used to rolling up through the spine in a contraction from prior experience with mat work.
I really enjoyed learning about Romana's setup and movement. The resistance in the arms adds a different type of resistance and activation in the body. It would be interesting to use this in class to keep the flow and pace of the class moving. Laura demonstrates this challenging exercise so beautifully.
I found it super helpful to see the incorrect way a client is doing this exercise vs the correct way. When doing this exercise, I found that the cue that is very helpful is keeping space between the ribs and the hips and keeping shoulders right above your helps and having a gentle flection of the neck.