Kathy Grant Inspired Flow

Hi, I'm Kara Reeser and I'm going to teach a reformer class. All right, so we're going to start on four springs. These are growths machines. So, um, you guys will change your springs as we go. So let's stand to the side and let's, um, you know, facing out, let's go ahead and come down in a nice formal way. So you play a down that's nice and swivel around and take your position. We're gonna start with, uh, in a footwork position. Okay. So before we actually start the footwork, I want to do a couple little gestures just to check in with our bodies. Okay.

So let your breath be, you know, it's a tendency sometimes to push those shoulders down into the shoulder blocks into the corners. So you don't have to do that, right? You just let your shoulders be and let your triceps turn on. So straighten your elbows, press your hands down, and be careful that that doesn't lift your lumbar spine, you know? No, don't, don't, don't, don't like over do it. Yeah. Um, but just, just notice, you know, cause sometimes we change there and let the crown of your head reach out. And we talked about those six limbs, right in the last class. We have our head reaching out, your tail coming out.

And now we're going to just going to lift your heels a little bit and lower them. Just do that a few times. And what I want you to pay attention to is the way the ankle changes and the way the hip changes, right? And your spine doesn't have to get dragged or pulled on at all during this. So you're just getting to know how those ankle joints move before we start. Yeah. Start your breath, sink into your body and now find a position that, that you'd like to hold or keep for your foot work. And inhale, press out and exhale in. Good.

And inhale and exhale in. Good. And keep going. You have eight more and keep your feet in the same position. So the point of contact on the foot bar stays the chain. Same. And what we're thinking about is opening the front of the hip. Yeah. So you don't want to push the knees. You want to extend the front of the hip.

Good. So one more. And let's pick up both feet at the same time. Don't drop your booty in the basement when you do that right. And bring it together per bird on approach. And you're going to curl both the toes and the heels and you get to take it out. Go. Good. So as best you can, bring your awareness to the backs of your legs here and let the backs.

Yeah, let the backs of your legs participate in opening the front of your hips. And then as you come in, let your ankles really yield. So the spring allows your ankles to yield. So you don't have to grab these tendons, Christie. Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah. Kathy always want us to relax this front tendon on the coming in of the spring.

You know, cause sometimes we're resisting and sometimes we're getting assistance from the springs. One more, both feet together. Don't drop your booty in the basement. Pick up. Good. That's good. Flex. Good. Now let's try. Same point of contact. So push out and don't rock on your heels. Good girl. Nice. Does she picked a position that really worked for her to not shift so it's not too pulled back. Right.

But see if you can pull back you guys a little more and still not rock on your heels. So it really brings the shins to the party. Let's bring your legs all the way together. Yeah, just my bias. Yep. My, my, my positional bias. There we go. That's it. Inhaling and exhaling. So your tricep should be on your hand. Should be pressing crown of your head. Should be reaching. Yeah.

And then pick up both feet at the same time and down to your toes. Nice. Press out lower and lift your heels. So go ahead and feel that nice range through the ankles. Let the spring assists you in that deep flection and that deep, um, Dorsey flection and both of you take your chins off your throat a little bit. Look at the back part of the ceiling. Yeah.

We have a tendency to look down at ourselves when we're doing pilates, which often flattens out that cervical spine. So from time to time you just pick a spot and you just lift up a little bit more. Yeah. And all the way up. One more. All the way down. One more. All the way up. Hold it up. Lift up a little higher. Plea a come all the way in. Good. Transition your bar and your springs for the 100 and we're going to drop you.

Actually, I'm going to, I'll change your springs. I'm going to bring you to choose springs for the hundred. Just my, just my, my choice in this moment. A little lighter. And then we'll be able to continue into overhead. So we're going to start with your knees, your legs straight up to the ceiling, flexing your feet, reaching through your feet. Okay. I'm also gonna ask you to start with your arms straight up.

This is a little preparation that I've been playing with at the studio. Wrap your fingers. So guys, when I teach reformer, I'm going to teach you to, to wrap your fingers. This is how we did it at with Kathy. Um, I think it helps with the armpits. Okay. So you're gonna push up a little bit and both of you. Yeah, and then curl your head. Give me that head. Lift one and two and then come up a little higher into three.

Now keep pushing your hands up. Yeah, Mary, keep curling up. Now pull your straps three inches in. Stay three inches. Hold. Push up more and curl into that window of your arms even deeper. Now Curl your tails. Push up into my hand, Christie. And then lower your legs as you pull your arms down and keep curling.

Inhale. Yeah, it's a nice preparation. Gets you in a little deeper. Exhale. Now you have to be doing an onward on going forward roll and not pulling with your shoulder girdle. Yeah. Good. So how do you curl your tail in this position without pushing your low back down? You activate your hamstrings. Keep going. You're doing a great job. I'm just throwing out some thoughts. Take what you can. Leave the rest. There you go. Last. Say you got to keep doing a forward roll. Both of you.

There you go. Exhale, Ras. Bend your knees in. Bend your elbows in. Great. That was good. Straighten your legs out, arms up for overhead. We're going to bring the legs all the way down. Yeah, make fists against your doll rods. Okay. Now, if you just lifted your legs right now without engaging anything, you're back backward. Arctic crazy, right? So use what you need to underside, hamstrings, glutes, et Cetera, to keep your pelvis in a righted position as you can go up. Okay, here we go. Inhale, pull down all the way and exhale down. So you're going to go a little faster. If you're going to work one breath, which I'm asking for. Inhale, up and over. You can reach the lights up a little bit and exhale down.

And Inhale, Chin off your throat. Christie. [inaudible] exhale down. Good. Inhale up. Don't look down, Mary [inaudible] and good. Stay here for a minute. Okay, so let your arms up. Lift your head up, make fifth.

Surround your dow rods and take your right leg all the way down right now as you bring your left leg down to meet it, use what you would need under here to not arch your back. So lower that leg. Pull into the straps a little bit. Put your head down. One more time. Pull. Keep that engaged. That's better. Up and over. Great. Reach up and we'll come right into coordinations. Bend your knees, Bend your elbows into your side body. Curl your head. Good. Take your up was off the mat. And here we go. Inhale, open, close.

Exhale. So suspend the breath. Inhale. Now hold that breath in as you open and close. Exhale. So that wrath retention is really great. You're pulling with your shoulders a little bit too much. Yeah. So open the springs with your spine. Curl forward. Mary.

Use that head that we were talking about. Yeah. One more time. Now Chris. Cross. Go for it. Breathe. Now both of you stopped pushing through your arms so much and curl more through your head and you have six lens head tail, arms, legs, stop talking. Care were dying and rest. Good. Great. Take both straps into one hand. Set up, change to one spring and spin around.

Okay, so I'm going to teach you a different rowing series. These are called preliminary arms. They're Kathy's, and this was a pre rowing series that we did. Um, but I love it. It's super wonderful. So you can take your handles and put them up into your arms up here. And Mary, can you see me here? Yeah.

So we're going to now go like this. And in this gesture, what we're going to do is you're going to keep your palms facing each other, elbows together. Yeah. And you're going to sit up tall and do all your beautiful inner song and you're gonna pull your shoulder blades towards the midline to open. Your arms are going to go out, Mary [inaudible] pull the machine and then exhale, bring them in. You're going to keep your palms facing each other the whole time. So in this first moment, your shoulder blades are separated and then you're going to gather them the midline of the shoulder blades towards the spine and exhale back in.

Yeah. So you're opening the spring by moving the shoulder woods, using the rhomboids hair. Keep pulling fists strong and exhale. Inhale. Yeah. Nice. Now you're doing a better job not using your spine now. Yeah. Good job. Good. You too. And then bring them both all the way back.

Take your handles in your hands. Thumbs point down. This is a small movement of the back armpit, muscles extensors. So you're going to pull four inches straight out both and hold and exhale back in. So you're going to make fists around the Dow rods and you're gonna have your thumbs out. Pull just the back of the armpit. Exhale into this time. Your shoulder blade. Stay simple, Simon. Yeah, Jay, that's better. You feel a difference? Yeah.

Preparatory muscles for rowing series. Nice. One more. How's that? Feel specific. Yeah. So now come in tr, take your arms up higher and to take your thumbs out. There's this story behind the thumbs output. I won't go there right now. Pull back. Don't you bend those elbows and come back in.

Now you're going to notice you're going to want to shift your torso for this, but instead pull your arms. Yeah, right. A little too much. Scapula. Mary. Really isolate the arms right now. Widen here please. Yes. One more out. And then, and then take the arms out in front of y'all like this. BICEP curls. Inhaling. Exhaling. Yeah. So these are the Plymouth airy arms from Kathy Grant.

And this stays right here. I love this series. Teach it all the time. You know, it's a nice skill building. Yeah. Great. And rest now spin around. We'll do front rowing. Yes.

Okay. So now you can t talk, self talk. You know, when am I using my shoulderblades? When am I using my arms? Where's my spine? Inhale out. Exhale down. Inhale. Up and around. Good. Inhale out. Exhale down. Inhale up. I'm going to ask you guys to bring your arms more like coordinations those elbows in and rotate externally. Yes.

Cause that's where you would be if you were doing a handstand. Yeah. So when we get to long stretch series, we want to feel that strength there. Out, down, up. Flex the feet, curl forward and push. Same thing, narrow elbows, wrapping your humerus. Stack your spine up and all the way around. You guys know the exercise.

Keep going two more times. [inaudible] yes, you feel that? So it stays in there. Nice. Yeah, I like that. I like all the exercises to tie together, you know. So this is where I'd be if I were standing on my hands right there and your ass cross your legs and go to shaving. [inaudible] so let's not pitch forward quite as much even though that's great. Also the good option. But I'm going to see what happens if we yeah, a little more challenging, especially on a growth machine.

Cause it's a slower ride and push, which is nice. Keep your eyes up and don't push back in your spine. Move your arms. Oh yeah, baby. Okay. So pretend my fingers are in your spine. Marion, don't push into your spine to move your arms. Yeah, that's it. Ladies, let your hands go way back. Merry way, way, way, way, way, way, way, way, way, way. Oh, I see. Okay. And then open. And then last set. Inhale and exhale. How are those arms? Good.

Good. And again, you know, how can you keep it simple? Maybe not so much shoulder blades right now, Christie, let's work with the arms. So we did. Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah. Keep those wide. So use your Serita's to keep this here and then let's use the arms. You know you could do either, but that seems like a harder choice for your body and arrests. Good.

Good. You feel that? Yeah. Sometimes I actually do that with one arm and I'll take the other hand and hold the Scapula. So I make sure that I'm isolating doing this hinge instead of always doing that, you want to have the option? Let's get our boxes for Swan. Okay. Okay. Two Springs and your, I don't, I would not do this exercise without some pattern, so I personally would use this and maybe even a sticky at the feet depending on if your feet sweat. We don't want to slide, so it's up to you.

Okay. So the Big Swan on the box, I do have something to say here. Two rules in my world. Don't ride your pubic bone and don't spread really wide here. I want you to be more narrow in a v off your pubic bone completely. Yeah. Push the box out and go ahead and get on. Yes.

Note that your pubic bone way up here. Yeah. Yeah. And married not wide like that. Good. Come on off you guys. So I'm gonna ask you to, actually, I'll do it on this one. When you come on, push out. And I want you to get on more like here on your thighs, right? And not so open because then you're going to slide down onto your pubic bone. We're really gonna work our hamstrings here. Okay, so a little bit more there.

Yeah, just a little, you know, you'll feel the difference. What I'm, I'm going for something specific. So a little more narrow. Merry little more narrow still and get off of your pubic bone with that way. Yes. All right. Lift your heels and lower. I'm a couple times so you know where they are. Same thing we did the beginning of the lesson. Correct.

Go on. That's right. You've got to know where your feet are. If you're going to stand on them now, leave them high. Thank you. Arms forward. Inhale, reach up. Lift your heads and hands all the way. Bend your knees, come into a back bend all the way back here. Let me see your beautiful eyes, Mary. There we go. And then arms out and stretch out straight legs. Good. Keep your heels high. Come back again. Up back again.

Yup. Good, Huh? And Open wide and take it forward and rest. It's good. I'm I d I'd be interested in you guys getting a little more vertical before you proceed with your backbends. You need to bend your knees more. You're gonna get a better backbend out of it. So let's go again together.

And I'm gonna spot Christie as we go to show this straight arms. Animate your arms guys and your heads. So start bend your knees now bend your knees more. More. Don't backwind yet. Keep coming up there. Now go. Don't lean into your box, baby.

Go backwards there. Press out. Nice. Mary. Much better and right back up. Sorry. No, get more vertical. Nope. Bend your knees more. Heels up now. Backpack from here. Yes. And rest. Good step off.

Drop the spring. Pull strips and tee. Do you guys understand? Yeah. So it has a touch of thigh stretch in it. Yeah. So you can really open the whole front body. Yeah. Pull straps and t lying on your bellies. Please back on. Grab your straps. So the orchestra is tuning up, inviting you to use arms down. Walk your hands forward.

Pulse drops first to use your arm pit muscles before your scapulars. So you're gonna lift your head, pull with your arms. So add arms now scapula keep pulling chest high and then scapula comes out. And then arms come out. Nope, just out of the work. So what I'm suggesting arms are straight is that you start the motion, lift your heads, come into extension, and then pull from the armpits first.

Now add the Scapula with the armpits. Straight elbows, straight wrist, Miss Darling and back down, right. Oh Yay. Keep your elbows straight one more time. Like seriously straight. Yeah, yeah, that's you. You're doing it right. You feel that difference, right? It just brings the arm and not forgetting it. You know, slide out for pretty good. Wake up your legs.

Straighten your elbows in. Hampel. Exhale out. Palms facing down. Inhale, pl. Straighten your wrist out. Married. Push. Exhale out. You guys keep going. One more time. Yeah. Nice. Great. Both drops into one hand step off.

And um, I'm going to teach you a little variation on the backstroke teaser. Okay. One spring. Just stay with me, I think, uh, let me demonstrate this one part. Okay. So this is how Corolla taught this sequence. And so this is how Cathy taught cause she studied with gorilla. So I love this. We do, um, you do the first thing, uh, the first direction of the backstroke much the way you know it.

When we reverse it, we're going to push out, we're going to open and we're going to go into a back bend to come up and I, I should be back a little further so that I can actually do a backbend. Yeah. Oh, it'd be hell for it, right? So back and then up. Okay. And then after you do three in each directions, you're going to go up and open again and then you're going to come into teaser from there. Okay. Then we're going to do what we call crucifix, which is to lay the pelvis down and up a few times bend. So you're in a rolling like a ball position.

Short prayer would be useful at this point and then engaging everything you have to slowly come back down. Okay, Super Fun little choreographic sequence from the dancers. Sure. Here we go. Yes you are. Everybody's a dancer. All right. Here we go. Start in the traditional backstroke position. Whatever that is for you.

You were a little wider than I'm used to. Is it? Where do you want [inaudible] wait, arms are going to be wider when we reverse it. Just do your regular way right now. Tucked up. Inhale up. Exhale, open. Inhale, pull. Exhale home. Good. Hollow it out in. Nail up acs, Hawaii. Inhale, pull. Curl. That had hollow it out and one more time. Good.

Now come back in now lower your hands towards the sides of your chest wall and push out. Open wide. I'm with Ya. And then take it back then. Yeah, just enjoy that. Gorgeous. Now Bend your knees and elbows. Chin up and push out. Open. Take a big backbend. Yeah, really fall into the well and then curl it back up. Y more out open. It's good. Keep breathing, Mary, you TOEFL. Now get back in your ball.

Push up straight up. Okay. That's all right. Open. You're doing great. You guys teaser. Just float on up. [inaudible] [inaudible] well that's it. Reach your arms up. Now here's, this is horribly difficult. Make fist push. Curl your tail to lay your sacrum down as your arms open. Wide. Curl your tail. Use your hamstrings, and then roll back up. That's beautiful.

Eyes up the front. Remember your head. That's it. Roll down. Open the front of your hips. I need to see those hamstrings twinkling there, Mary. Yes, and up and twinkle they did did. Now Bend your knees to your nipples. I can only spot one of you. So Mary, pretend I'm holding you. It's good. If you hold, you hold yourself. Everybody holds herself. I'm just helping Christie now slowly roll back. Okay.

Coca-Cola would have been in the world it gorgeous and arrest. Just lie back and take a stretch please. That's nice. Yeah, it's nice to get that little back. Bend in there. Take both straps into one hand. Come on up. Let's do horseback.

So let's assume that we need to have an order of the orchestra here of the body. Right. So you're holding here, I think. Yes. Just sit down. Get your legs forward. Lecture, feet. Everybody wants to get up. Right? Right away. You got to squeeze that horse first. This ain't my first rodeo either, girl.

And that's for sure. All right, squeeze. That's it. Pull, lift. Pull a little lift. Now once you get up, lift your feet and curl your tail. You're doing teaser correct. Now don't make this about your shoulder girdle. So Push, push, push. Yeah. Just make it about your tail. And then circle your arms. Stay up there, darling. Circle. So this is about, don't use your turnout muscles. Christie. I need to see a twinkle twinkle back here. Uh Huh.

And arrest. [inaudible]. Super hard. A little unclear for both of you. The tail curls and the head curls. And that should make a nice round spot. No, I don't want to go here. I want to go here. Let's try it again. Up you go.

I know it's super hard. Squeeze. Curl your head and tail. Yeah. Speaking of Rodeos, don't push back. Your horse would be confused. Girl. Your tail. Yes. Circle your arms. You guys don't freeze. Don't freeze. There you go Mary. Just circle those arms. You're doing great.

And rest. Yeah. Hmm. So it's about direction. You know, there, it's like we, we again, I think if we push back, you know, it, the, the straps don't have any information. The spring's not, you know, it's like you got to go into the spring and then curl from your head entail. Um, it's tricky. That's better. Lift your legs. Don't, you should turn out muscles as much. Yeah, there we go. Yeah, we'll play with it. You know, it's, it's good to improvise and, and not be perfect. Don't be perfect. We're going to bet. Yeah, don't be perfect. All right, let's switch. Let's go into long stretch series please. Head rest up. Put Bar up. We're going to do one spring and let me just feel this guy for a second.

So I'll let you guys decide. You could do one spring for the whole series, which is super challenging, really up levels it or you can add a spring for the second, you know, per down stretch up stretch elephant. Okay, let's go into a long stretch. Okay. So we're working on a plank here. So we have six limbs, head tail, heels, feet, arms, right, float back. Inhale, hold it back there for a second. Check in and untuck your bra line, but don't lose your tail and come forward. Exhale. Inhale, take it back. Don't talk your bra line. Or if you're a guy, you're on row line and back up. Good. Inhale, take it back. Drop your heels a little bit. Makes it harder. That looks great in your back and home. Good. One more time. Take it out. Good. And I'll stay out.

Pick up your right foot and put it on your left heel for a second and hold. And just feel that they'll cross the hips and switch. Yeah. Feel that. And put your foot down and come forward. Bend your knees and go to down stretch. So that can tell you a little bit about what side you rely on.

Change your springs if you want. Okay, let's start around spine. Head down. I want you to curl your tail to get into this position like we do with our Kathy grant. Katz, you're going to curl. You're going to bring those hips forward and you're going to bring that all the way into extension. Your tail is crowing the whole time. Inhale, press back. Keep the extension. Exhale, bring it all the way in. Pubic Bone, the chin, Chin reaching up. Inhale, it looks good. Exhale, gorgeous. Keep that tail scrolling through. Inhale, let your back arch more and just hold this and you're fine. Good. Stay in up stretch.

Don't move that machine. Oh, super hard on one spring guys. So you can always add a spring. Don't push into this area for me. [inaudible] call your head open here. Okay. Hamstrings, activate. Push out right there.

Curl that tail and start to come into a long stretch, Mary [inaudible] and come all the way in. Drop your head and come into a pike. Okay, so we're going to push out, push out a little further and use your hamstrings to help you come into a long stretch. Now come in and stay and use your head to bring you into your pike. So really do a somersault. Like you're on the low chair and you're doing that reverse push up. Push out heels. Yeah. Don't, don't, yeah, go, go game.

Yup. Tail [inaudible] last year. [inaudible] come forward. Yes. Yes. Had [inaudible] and nice stock. Do you want to do Combo? Do we know Combo reversing anything or when you come into extension and then you go back out. Mary, do you know what? No, but I'll can listen. No, let me, let me demo and come off as a wonderful exercise. So you're going to be here. Oh God helped me.

One spring in a curl out. Then you're going to come all the way up into down stretch from here. Right? Push it all the way back out and then back into your pike. Okay. So you just put all the pieces together. So start in a pike.

Yeah. N Yeah. Start in your pike now. Push out and then come into a extension as you come forward. So arch. Yeah. Nice. Then push back out and then come into your pike. Draw it all together. Push out.

Beautiful. Inhale, use the hammies. Exhale. Use Them. Mary. Mary is yes. N Push. Good. Christie heals back. Nice. You guys. Pike. Great. One more time right here. Hammies yes, that's it. Yeah. Hi collarbones. Nice baby. You know, we can fall into the low back too much. You just have to be careful.

But that was gorgeous. And then just go ahead and drop your feet flat. Take your hands low on the bar. Yeah. And just do a couple elephants there with a low hold. You know, so sometimes the way we did it, sometimes not. And Ras. Nice step off. We'll leave it at that. Oh good. Yeah. So yeah, Cathy off often had us hold quite low.

Let's add a spring, two springs for long back stretch. Okay. So go ahead. Get on your machine. No long back stretch has the same initiation that we were suggesting. You try to find in your horseback, meaning the pelvis has to rotate to open the front of the hip. So it's a skill that keeps coming back and forth. Right.

It's really not our muscles so much as it is. You got to get into that, that, that position of a leg pull back from the mat. Okay. So it's the same. Lots of booty booty bow along. I call it the floating booty. Toes back. Aha. Lower down.

Okay. Right now, push out. Go ahead. Do the exercise. You know what? And lift. Ah, that's a good sound. She squeaked and let those hips narrate. Keep your heels digging into the blocks. Inhale. Exhale.

Shoulders, wrapping backs. We pea. Don't look down no other way. What's that? Can I go like, oh absolutely. Oh yes. God. Don't ever do that to yourself. Always. Always make it workable. Always make it workable. Now be careful. It's gonna fly away now. Always make it workable.

Reverse it. Curl the tail. Aha. So much better. And I'm, yeah, listen, all machines are different, so you have to do what's worked for you. The grot. This machine is a little bit of slow rider, so it, it has more resistance. Yeah. And last time, Nice. You too. Yes. Great. Let's step off. That looks good. How's that feel?

Yeah, I should say. Absolutely. Okay, so let's go to, we're going to skip around a little bit. Um, so I want to teach tendon stretch right out of the shoot here, cause kind of similar arm standing moment. And we're going to add a spring and we're gonna use a version that Kathy also taught. So I'm just giving you some of the stuff that where you come into extension. So we're going to do three where you stay flexed and three where you moved to extension, and I'll demonstrate that here. So in Kathy suggested that we would cap our heel like where the heel of a shoe would end, not on the ball. The foot dropped.

So a little different than some schools. I'm down, I'm going to do class, you know, I'm going to do the, the staying tucked one minute, go all the way out and back up. Okay, we'll do three of those. Then we're going to reverse the spine. So you're going to go around and then from here in a lift and then you're going to keep that extension all the way home and drop. Now that's how she remembers Mr Plata teaching her. But what's lovely is you don't just stay in this hunkered flux, you know, you get a little bit of, of both expressions of the spine, which I appreciate.

It's it. Don't be scared. [inaudible] improvise as you've gentry would say, improvise. Just do your best. Your best is perfect. Your best is perfect. Take it under. Oh, don't shift your weight and go back with you got a a beeper there.

So don't shift your weight back. Push your machine forward. Yay. Team. Team Pink and come back, Huh? Yeah. Don't push with your toes either. Heels, heels, heels, like you've done this before on the foot. Work position. Yeah, it's not new. It's just recycled. Easy. Does it? One more. Inhale. Good. You guys. Exhale.

Now we're going to go out and then we're going to do the three with extension. Push out. Keep it moving guys, and then extend from your lowers. This is so good for you cause you like to flex there a lot. Now stick your booty out and come all the way and keep it. Keep it, keep it. Drop your head. That's great. Push out. Curl your tail.

Hold it out. So you gotta push your legs now reverse your spine while La la, la, la La. Head up gorgeous and keep it. Keep it. Keep it up, up head all the way. Yeah, it's okay and down. Yeah. It's good for the back of your neck. I truly believe that. And one more time. Good. [inaudible] reverse it from the lowers. Yes. And back up and arrest. Good. What do you think? Yeah. Feels really good back here, doesn't it? Cause we've done a lot of stuff talking they had tucking the head and then we get a chance to, yeah. And don't worry like about like whatever.

Just do the gesture. Okay. So let's have a nice short spine stretch now cause we just really got a got a lot of works. They're gonna drop the bar and you're going to lie down and you're going to loop your straps how you do it with your equipment in the world. Okay. And what I like about doing short spine here is that we've just spent all this time really activating the hamstrings using the backs of legs to help open the front of the hip. So you get to really enjoy that here.

So I think it's best with this equipment. I'm just going to unclip these for you right now. Okay. Or we thread them, but I'll just hold these for you. Okay. So press out and up and over. Bend your knees. Inhale and your head rests are down. Of course. And exhale reached the hamstrings. Long. Yeah. Married.

Let your yes, and then draw your heels. So again, there are a lot of ways this is taught, right, but we're going to actually press out. Yeah. Up and over. You're going to curl that tail. That's great. Don't Tuck your tins. Sweet pea. Look up. Look back there. Chin up. There you go. Bend your knees. Now leave your heels where they are and move your sits bones away from your heels. Yeah, it's just a different part of the stretch. Right? And then draw the heels to the sitz bones. Untuck your Chin's.

Both of you look to the back ceiling on this exercise. Don't flatten out your neck, up and over. Yeah, it's a lot of foot. You could do less foot and more hamstrings. Bend your knees. Good. And then I often spot this by just drawing this down. Yeah. So you just get a chance to really indulge in that stretch. One more time. Let me give Mary that love all the way up and over.

Bend your knees. I'm holding the carrot gym with this foot and then I'm going to bring you, oh yeah, they both went. Oh, thank you. Whoa. All right. Let's go up and do high frog all the way up. You can take your hands to your low spine and then you're going to bend your knees and your legs. You can go vertical up. Yup. Yup. Okay, so high frog.

You're going to go up like this. Marion, stay up. [inaudible]. Now put your hands at your low spine. Bend your knees, and then push up. How's that? So heavy on this? It's too heavy. Yeah. Yeah. Use Your, come on. Come in. Come in. Diagonals. Fine, diagonal. There you go. Okay. It's still heavy, but good for you guys. Your super studs. Woo. That's it again. You know, opening the front of the hip with the back of the leg. It's gorgeous. Roll down.

Take your time. Knees in. Curl it in. Roll it down. Fabulous. Good. Take those off please. Good. Let's come in to thigh stretch. We'll keep two springs on this grots machine. And um, I think what's what I'm going to try right now and come all the way into thigh stretch. I want to do thigh stretch because I want to end with some splits today and we're skipping around because we're adding some other stuff in.

So I want to open the quads before we get to two splits. So be sure that you're actually stretching your quads on this exercise. Yeah. So hold forward. And why don't you just test it out on these two springs and see if it feels too light. Um, and then we'll add a spring of it feels too light. So you're gonna keep your tail curled. You're going to hinge back at the knee.

Yeah. And how's that feel? Do you want more weight? Yeah. All right, let's do the classical three or traditional three. I just didn't want to kill you guys here. All right, go on back. Yeah. Good. Mary, don't talk number four. Lifted more. Yes, no crow.

Your tail more is sitting back up. Good. Take it back. Inhale. Good. So we always want to kind of hold right here, but let's not hold here right now. Yeah. Does that feel different? Does it open the quad more? It does, right? Because this closes the front line. Yeah.

One more time and take a back bend if you're interested and I'll spot you. Perfect. Chin to chest and up. That looks great. Beautiful. Alright. Put those straps away. I'm coming to redeem your machine for you. You got it. Okay, great. Okay, so we're going to do running bottom left, and then let's do a couple of tie, a couple of rounds of splits. So we have that also. So you're gonna bring this back up.

You're going to go to four springs head rest up. Okay. Oh yes. Nice. I love that part. And take it down like a genie and spin around. So well behaved out here in California. Woo. All right, that's good for me. Push out Ron. And here's what I like to say.

Now you know you changed, right? So chill out and feel the change. Yeah. So always good to close the eyes, I think to check in. Yeah. So notice what feels different and connect with that and celebrate that. You know, your ankles, your hips, your spine, your alignment, your vitality, your breath and come all the way in. Take your feet to the corners for bottom lift.

You can curl or come up. Uncurled you're choice practitioner's choice for bottom lift, go out. And then, but one thing I want to say about practitioners choice is it should be a self conversation. Like I'm doing this because I know I've been working on my hamstring so I'm going to curl or I'm not curling because I know I tend to go to that too much. So when you are choosing, you're choosing because you're actually clear that you're working on something in yourself. That's the journey. Self, self study and roll down.

Beautiful. Step off and let's move to, let's do two sets of splits. Let's do front splits and Russian splits. Okay, we're gonna leave the bar up. You're going to go to two springs. I dropped the two centers, springs. If I were you. Okay. Stand on the center of your machine facing the foot bar. And I'd like you to stand because now we're changing orientations.

You know, it's like, Oh wow, now I'm on the vertical plane standing. I've been laying down for awhile. Or you know, other things and then yes, let me put this down. Yes, good. And then pick your right leg up and find your balance and put your foot on that bar straddles up foot with your hands and heel toe your foot back to a turned out position on the opposite shoulder block. Yeah. Yeah. So this is much like a warrior one position, you know, surprise. Yeah. And let's hold on. Nice.

In a firmly thumbs next to finger side for right now. And I want you to lunge forward now. What has to change when you lunge forward, you have to open the hip and you have to crease in the ankle. So we've already been practicing those things and we also don't need to fold in the bra line. Aha. Now straighten your front leg, keeping your chest wall on your thigh as you push out. Wonderful. And exhale in. Now there's no need to hold your breath or take this too seriously.

This is actually a gesture you did as a child and like really cheered yourself on, so have fun. Don't, don't be little your hamstrings by saying something nasty to them during this exercise. I heard that Mary. There you go. See you in birth. When you let go of that at in. Okay, you're going to come up. Yeah, and arms out to the side and I had him a memory and push out. There we go and back in. Now remember to draw that sit bone on that opposite side. A honk. Christie. Nice. You don't need to hold tension here to have your arms out.

Remember our rowing's we did spread that there. Knights. Great. Put your hands down. Stand in the center of your machine. Find the vertical plane again. You're coming to the other side. Pick up the foot, get it together. Make the transition and move into splits on the other side.

I'd like you to notice as you're working not to Tuck your bra line and press out. Notice your feet. Now on this round, could you animate the surface of your entire foot on both feet. Keep coming you guys. When I'm talking, you can move. Yeah. Sorry. I know it's like one of those things. Just keep moving. I'm going to keep giving you ideas to mess around with. Yes. You got one more before we rise. Reach this sucker back, Christie.

This side's a little different. Yeah. That's the kind of pushes up in there and yeah. So you know, you know yourself better than anyone else and lift up. Yeah. So get out of your shoulder blades. Both of you give them a break. Yeah. Yeah. I mean sometimes, but they go like, really? I've been doing the whole, I'd been doing the whole thing. I words of my friends go out and then, you know, it's gotta be a balance. Yeah. And that just, you know, it brings your chest wall into a more settled position. Both of, yeah. Oh, nice. Good, good.

So you're balancing, right. So you have to really hold yourself with yourself. Yeah. And come back onto the machine and stand up and find center. Yeah. I hope this is an okay transition. We're going to turn the right away. I like it.

And we're going to go right to Russian sweats because you're vertically standing so well. So go ahead and take your position for Russians. Married. Yep. That's it. And Bend your front knee a lot. Okay. No, the back knee, it's crucial that it stays straight. Yeah, it doesn't change. The back ankle doesn't change.

The front knee is going to change. It's going to move forward and back under you. Don't Tuck your bra lines gorgeous. Scowls and move this foot. Now I have to really animate my foot like I'm pushing mud cause otherwise I get confused about what part of my leg is moving in. It feels like your femur wants to move back.

I want your four leg to move forward. Yes. Take your arms up on your next two and balance. Hold that. Don't abandon yourself. Stay with it and go good. Don't push the knee back. Bring me the foreleg.

Ah Ha. That's always true. Not always just here, but always true. Like when you're going for treason. Yeah. And put your hands down. Stand on the reformer in the vertical plane again. So you make that transition. Get up there. Yeah.

And then place your front foot. Be Very like, I love the precision of that placement. And then go on down [inaudible] take a lunch, straighten the back leg. The back leg does not change. Push out Mary's who you're not beyond 90 yeah, with that knee and go and move the front part of your leg, not this part. So move. Yes. That's really going to change your hamstrings. So here's this part of your hamstring. You're moving the ease away.

Yeah. You feel that difference? That looks good. Let me see one more time. Oh yeah, yeah. And it's, yeah, it's got that vastus in it. Yeah. Great. Good. You want to take your arms off and just don't hold with your shoulder blades. Give them a break, Ben. That supporting the mayor. There you go.

And then move this guy out on back under. And it never matters how big you move. It always matters that you're in harmony with yourself. You're not stressing yourself out. That's beautiful. Take both feet to your machine.

Come onto the vertical plane and stand. Just feel, just feel that balance again. Yeah. And then take your time. Turn and come off. Good. Just stand in front of your machine for me. Yeah, like face this way. Like you're back to your machine. There you go. Your other back. There you go. Perfect.

And just lift up on your balls of your feet and lower. So this is how we started class. We just felt our ankles changing, right? And now we're on the vertical plane and we can feel how much integrity the spine has without gripping for our upright posture. One more time. Yeah. Isn't that fun? And down and rest. We're done. Good job guys.