No-Nonsense Mat

I'm Kelly Burkhalter Hutchens and I currently live in Austin, Texas. Um, I also, however, work in boulder, Colorado at the ply center, so center line, plot studio in Austin and the play center in Boulder. I have two jobs. It's awesome. We're going to do an intermediate and little advance, not too advanced, but somewhat um, mat class today. So we're going to just go ahead and lay down everybody. So they are going to stretch all the way out. They're going to reach their arms overhead and stretch their rib cage off their pelvis. They're going to point their feet and really stretch them away.

They're going to take their right hand onto their left wrist and they're going to pull that left side over and they can even arch their feet to the same side to kind of like a banana imagery's not actually my thing, but we'll see how that goes. And then you're going to switch and come back to center. Or we're going to switch sides and go to the other side and just kind of, it's nice to kind of breathe and pull yourself apart right before you do mat where you're not supported by the springs, you're going to come back to center. You're gonna pull yourself apart. Take your arms and your legs to stretch them apart. You're going to point, circle the feet, circle the hands, reverse it, and then bring the legs together.

And then I want you to actually reach to the balls of the feet. Kind of like Barbie, like a Barbie doll. I didn't have many, I don't think I even had one. But reach to the feet, not the ankle is like trying not to like just do it from the ankle. Like really feel maybe that you pull your legs off of you. You're gonna take a big inhale and that you're going to exhale as you bring your hands behind your head. Draw your knees all the way into your chest. We're going to do Matt footwork.

Pilati Zvi head's curled up in how you stretch your legs out. Exhale, you've been back in, so this isn't where you want to linger, but you do want to work with your friends that are on the mat next to you. So you want to feel them kind of moving as you inhale, you exhale, it's like a pump. You reach, you bend in last time and then switch the bird on a perch. Inhaling as you stretch, really reaching everyone. I kind of talk about those Barbie feet from those hips and belly deep abdominals. Really feeling that rib cage expands. So elbows a little wider. As you switch to flex feet. Inhaling, you press out and you feel the rib cage. The inhale, lift the rib cage and levitates it. When you exhale it, don't drop it.

Don't push it into the mat. Last time you're gonna stay out there and point and flex. Reach your arms around if you wish and grab a hold of the back of your legs and you're in a point and flex there. You don't have to, but if you want to, you can. It's really your call, but really feel like, find that Barbie foot to actually like reach and open and then exhale, hug your knees into your chest to curl yourself together and then lower yourself down and stretch yourself back out. You're going to take an inhale, arms reach. You didn't take an inhale. Find Your Barbie feet. Try today and just see what you think is something I've been playing with. As you exhale, you curl your head and your feet just lift right up and you start the pumping.

Inhaling for five pumps and exhale for five pumps here. Upper back stays down, however you don't push it into the mat you're going to breathe. Now I want you to widen your ribcage a little bit more and try not to just pump from your arms reaching this way, but actually open it up and then feel your shoulder, shoulder blades kind of reached forward up your back versus rounding off of you. Last big breath. Unlock your elbows just in case your hyperextended and then exhale as you lower down arms reach overhead. Now find your Barbie feet.

Your feet are supposed to be flexed, right, for the role up. However, what if you reach through those body feet, the ball of the foot, as you inhale and you curl, you got to keep the weight on your hips, especially without a strap. So if you had the strap, go ahead and add it cause it's quite nice. You're gonna roll yourself back down. Now reaching into the feet to see if it helps you stay on your hips. As you inhale, we always kind of fall backwards to curl forward and you have to actually use the arms to lift you forward as you roll yourself back down. Now Flex your feet. We'll do two at that really flex, but trying to hyper extending the knees as you rise up, you curl and then you're going to lower yourself back down a this time when your arms come, I want you to feel them on your armpits. Lift your chest to your feet versus push your back down into the mat to go.

Now checking are your arms attached to your body. As you roll, make sure you pull your rib cage away from the reach of your feet. We're gonna do one more cause I can't count as you curl up, arms in the chest, like make sure they're on your armpits check-in so they're not reaching off. And then you're gonna roll. Pull your ribcage, but stretch your feet. Reach your feet and opposition as you lengthen yourself down. You're going to take your arms down to your sides.

You're going to bend your knees into your chest and stretch your legs up to the ceiling. We're gonna do the rollover. Okay? With these match, you don't have to scoot down, but on the other equipment you might. You're going to inhale as you press into your palms to lift your hips to roll over. Ideally, whether or not today you're going to take your feet down onto the wood and you're in an open and you're gonna roll yourself back down. Now, staying on the rib cage, we have this tendency in the palms to roll off of our shoulders. As you roll, you're in a stretch your legs away. You're going to lift your hips and your feet up to rollover. Feet will open, lower down, and you're going to roll. Now stay on the rib cage. Precedent Palms and trying not to fall off the arms is what I always say.

We're gonna reverse it. Take your legs together. Then open out and your roll yourself over. Really bending the spine. What part of your spine do you not, Ben? We all, almost all of us hang out here and what we don't bend is down here, so keep thinking of that as one more time. As you roll and you feel your hips lift, the more you press into your palms, the more rib cage connection, chest, armpits and back that you use. As you roll down here and take your right leg down to the mat.

Left leg will be up to the ceiling, single leg circle and hailing. As you twist over and up, hip should lift. It's a spinal twisting exercise. See if you could feel it from your armpit all the way over to lift your hip up, stay at the top and then reverse it. Go to the other side. Do as many as you just did.

I believe it was boarish and feel that as you go, that you make them big, like enjoy it a little bit more and feel good last time. And then you'll scissor kick your legs and then you go right over. Inhale, you reach and you open the press of the palms and the rib cage. So you do your four and the roll reverse. It has to help you in. What if you really twist from the rib cage and feel how you had to stay on the opposite palm. We always release one side so that you're really feeling the full body effect of it. And then you stay at the top. You hug your knee into your chest, you're gonna use that to curl yourself up for rolling like a ball.

You'll take your hands, you'll lift your hips by your feet, grab ahold of your ankles and inhale, you roll back and exhale. So I'm a big fan of getting those hips up and keeping them up and feeling that the curl happens from the breadth of the lift of the hips. So you inhale, you roll, exhale back in. Really feeling those hips rise. You keep looking down. Last time you're in a stay for. Take your heat, feet down. Hands go as far back as possible. You're gonna lift your hips, dive forward to lower your hips behind you.

Lower them down, draw your you mean to your chest and curl yourself back. Oops, I made you go too far. But you know it's the upper body that I want you to still use as you switch. Inhaling single leg stretch. Keep the weight on the rib cage, but don't sit on the rib cage. Actually feel the expansion of the rib cage and really feel the whole circumference of it as you move both legs into your chest.

As you inhale, AA stretch, you stretch, and then you sweep. And then you reach and feel your hips. Maybe don't want to be as heavy. And then we're in a switch at, you're going to stay in and now what you're doing is arms and legs. Reach forward. And then exhale as you bend in which, which one's easier last time you reach and then and the are gonna go into the scissors. You're gonna take your right leg up in the, you're in a switch. So you want to really be back on that ribcage.

Lifting. But curling. That's it. And then switching up, we always kind of sit on our hips and how high can you get them both legs, up to the ceiling, hands behind your head. Inhale, you stretch your legs away. Exhale, reach. So let's go back to the Barbie feet. Reach into them whether you point them or you reach to the Barbie. Features. Feel what supports you last time as you stretch the rib cage away from the feet, and then twisting right knee in. And so I want this to be wide the whole time.

And try not to take your elbow to your knee. Instead, take your knee to your elbow and really twist from the center of you last time. Make yourselves even. And then you're going to curl yourselves up. Arms come up by your ears. Feet come out to your side as you curl up, arms up, feet out. I'm sorry, bad, bad teacher. K. Inhaling up here as you exhale, you curl yourself over. And Haley, whenever he's looking around like what are we doing? You know it's you and the next Hailey's you curl back forward.

Inhaling, remember when I talked about rolling like a ball and getting the hips up? What if you can make this movement more by? Could you not just sit on your legs but actually love a Tate them last time as you come forward, you grab a hold of your ankles, point your feet, draw your heels to your Tush, and then you're going to stretch your legs up for open leg rocker. As you inhale, pick your pelvis up. Keep looking down, trying not to let your head rest back on the mat cause sometimes we swing it forward. You have to stay up into the strength of their rib cage to palms.

As you inhale, you roll yourself back. Exhale, stay up legs together. Do a couple here. Inhaling as you roll, if you can, you know, you can grab ahold of your big toes as long as it is in, pull you into that upper back slouch last time. As you roll back, we're going to get fancy here. As you stay up, take your arms out to the side and Chris Cross your legs. What are your Barbie feet or pointed feet doing for you as you legs together, hands come down by your hips as you jack knife, over and up for corkscrew. You can do this down. You don't have to go up. You're going to twist from your right rib cage, so you go, you're going to sweep your legs around and over to the other side, staying present with your friends. As you twist to the other side alternating.

There's a really nice modification or a different kind of corkscrew that we'll do after you finish up this set as you twist from the rib cage. Therefore your hips follow. Now you're going to come up, you're going to stay where you are, but I want you to take your legs. They're parallel to the floor but not hanging. And then twist their go two times the same direction to the right. You're in a twist. Take your legs. Just go right back up to that parallel.

Keep twisting over to the right. It's kind of Nice as as you don't hang your upper body and then go to the left twice and just feel like the twist really does happen. From the movement of the rib cage, the hips do follow. It's a really easier, much better way to kind of feel that once you're done, you're gonna roll right down your spine and come to sitting. Feet come out to the side, arms out to the side. Now this I'm a little picky about probably because of the swimming, but you're in a take. I want your triceps lifted.

So if it feels like I'm changing it, I'm sorry, but I'm very clear on what I want. So as you go, I want you to feel that you press down, it's like swimming. You're going to pull through like freestyle, you're gonna press notice. My arm isn't like hyperextended as I go. You press the arm back and then you feel your rib cage actually twists you right in the center of your body. And then your hips help stack you back up to center. And so the movement of the arm actually attaches to your chest, back, and armpit as you twist and really think about the twist happening right in front of your pelvis, in the center.

As you stack back up and the twisting of your spines would take your finger to the pinky toe, but not the leaning over. So one more set. I think they'll have a very good counter last time and really feel the twist versus the reach of the arms. Then you're going to take both legs together, sweep them to your right to come onto your belly heads will be where your feet work. Swan, your hands will come down. Here's another one I'm a little picky about. I actually want your hands further back. Maybe not you, Leslie.

I was a little far. You already know what I want. So take your hands more here and then feel that like right by, uh, fingertips to just nipples. Okay. So you're going to press down through your feet, you're in an aisle, your eyes rise up, you're an oppressed through the rib cage and you're gonna feel how you actually have to use the strength of your upper body to come up versus just the tracks that like to push off of it. And then you're going to exhale as you lower yourself back down. But don't give up. Inhaling while I say the exhale is like good, I don't have to work hard anymore. Make your XL more work. As you inhale, you rise. And then exhale. Why the front of your body, especially your rib cage and your arm pit.

So you can kind of feel the difference how it lifts you as you go into that extension. If you use your arms a different way maybe, and then you can do the rocking if you want. So the swan dive, you lift your arms. I actually try it out to hands out to the side is quite nice because you can flip your palms up and attach yourself to your armpits. And then what you're going to do is sit back on your heels, not to stretch unless you need to. And then I want you to sit up onto your shins. Yup, exactly. So that your butt is up. Yeah.

Then you're in a take your hands or we're going to kind of prep ourselves for the um, AA kick. So we all have our tendency right to twist our arms and do this, which is, I dunno is that healthy movement cause I just overstretched. But what I want you to do is actually feel your palms press here and then you're gonna lift your triceps backwards and you're going to stretch your chest in opposition. So we're going to do that a couple times. And what you'll feel is how your belly will actually come in to support your spine because you're expanding your rib cage. So palms back, you know, the rule is way high, all that kind of stuff. You saw how flexible I am, be where your body is and where you are today.

Press your triceps back and try not to straighten your forearms and pulling your elbows and twisting them. If you want to straighten it, you have to do it from the triceps and the openness of your chest and work these muscles every, I'm always like right here. It's just because we don't work it. We're like, oh, I don't have boobs. We all have them. We have to show them off, right? I mean, I dunno, I don't but kidding. Kay. So here we go. We're going to come down onto our bellies. We're going to come into our single leg kick. I'm sure I'm going to offend somebody though.

Do you pull your forearms forward to pick one leg up to kick, kick and then switch in midair. And so try not to just do the exercise. Really feel. When I was talking about the Barbie feet, which I kind of always sometimes lose it. You don't want to feel it switching actually from your deep abdominal muscles along your spine like you're so as maybe, and that's what you're switching from so you're not bouncing and then you're opening your chest because that's going to get you ready for the rocking. We all want to do the rocking right.

Then you're going to go lower down onto your right cheek. Take your hands where you had them when you were up on your knees, cause now you're in your belly is going to be harder. So shoulders up, elbows down, not shoulders down. And then we wrap our shoulder blades around and then you're in a kick, kick, kick. Don't make the kicks a big thing. You're going to feel your triceps lift and therefore you lift. And then you're going to control the bending down.

Like think about how much easier it was when you're on your knees. You're going to feel the chest and the upper back lift and suspend you. It's not backwards. It's up to the ceiling as you lower back down, up to the ceiling. So I like the feet to actually start moving as the triceps lift you so that you're actually looking more for a rocking position or a grasshopper. So more I think chest down, legs up.

That's it. Nicely done. And then they do what I ask and I love it. And then what you're gonna do is you're gonna come down, you will sit back on your heels, only bring your feet forward for neck pull cause you just did back work. You want to keep that strength. If you have a strap, put your feet underneath that your hip with the part that's, you can bend. Yay. You can do what you want. Okay, you're gonna lower yourself down. One of the things is trying to stay on those hips, which of course we don't have the strap. It's really hard when you do, it's amazing. We're going to do this version. I'll tell you how to do it. Hands behind your head. You're going to inhale, curl yourself up, exhale yourself up to sitting elbows wide. You're going to go forward, bounce three times.

Then you stack yourself back up and you wrap your arm pits to lower yourself away. Really flexing through those feet as you lengthen yourself back down. And again, inhale and you curl all the way up to sitting. It's way easier. We don't have a strap. And then you go forward three times and then you stack yourself back up and then you curl your ribcage stretched through your feet. So this is where you have to find that opposition of your feet reaching away from your rib cage.

Last time you curl right up the city and then you go forward three times. The bounce actually feels amazing. And then you stack yourself back up. Make sure you don't wrap those elbows, but you actually wrap your armpits. Keep your chest muscles working, lengthen through your feet, maybe Barbie feet, and then lower down k. So you will take your hands down by your hips and bend your knees in feet, flat hip with the part.

This is a prep. If it's too much, then you don't have to do it. So what you'll do is stand through your feet. And I like to have the feet as close to you as possible. The hip width, and then I just want you to lift up into a shoulder bridge, so not articulation, just lift up and then what you're going to do is you're going to remember the Barbie feet when I kept talking about that. You're going to push through the balls of the feet to lift your heels, which will lift your pelvis higher. Then you're going to keep your pelvis that high, but lower your heels so that you're really working on extending the hip and finding the back of the leg to help you.

And then you're going to lower yourself back down. Really helps you get you ready for your scissors and bicycle, which of course I'm doing kind of a shoulder bridge prior to. So again, you're going to lift up. Now don't forget your ribcage. Don't leave it behind. When you lift your heels, your body should rise higher and then as you lower your heels, your upper body should stay up in your hip, should open more. Doesn't this feel kind of Nice? And then you're in a lower yourself down. Of course you have to say yes.

And then one more time as you rise up and feel you want to be on your feet and your upper body, like you have to feel the difference as you lift your heels, your hips rise higher, you lower your heels and then you lower yourself down. Good. So take your legs up to the ceiling, Jack Knife, up and over for scissors and bicycle, you're gonna take your hands, fingertips up. Okay, so rib cage is huge. This is where all of this stuff that we've been talking about helps you as you scissor one leg and then you switch. Everybody's kind of, what we do is we really focused on a leg in front of us versus, I'm sorry, I'm going to take your leg. You have to keep that leg higher up towards the ceiling and the wall and stretch and opposition so that you're actually going up to open even higher, higher, right? That a girl so that you can extend your hips to go into your bicycle.

So you want to keep reaching up and pulling yourself apart. Up there. You cannot sit on your upper body. You have to actually use it. And then either you can come down or you can take one foot over to take it all the way to the floor and then the other foot, and then you would switch the grip. Or You could just come down. It's whatever, just try it. It's just movement. Okay. Hands Underneath your back, fingertips out to the side. And so now you're up so much higher, that shoulder bridge that I had to do your and take your right leg, you're gonna reach it out, you're going to point it up and you're in a flex down there.

You're going to flex up and you're gonna point down. You're going to switch sites. Sorry, I didn't say fast enough. Bad teacher. And so really feel, then you're going to bend the knee and you're going to lower yourself down and you're going to come up to sitting here and take your arms to the side. Now you're not going to worry about shimming around. You're just gonna take your arms out because I want you to be in this tricep support versus out here like this. If you need to show me, I guess I'll let you.

Okay, so you're going to inhale and you're going to exhale. You're in a twist to the right and then inhale back to center and exhale towards the other side. One place. Then further now want you to keep going and play with your feet. Do you want to reach to the balls of the feet? Does that give you more? Does the flex help you see? For me, cause I hyper extend and my ankles and my knees, I have these beautiful arches that don't do anything for me.

The reaching the Barbie feed actually helps make yourselves even. And then feet point hands come down to your side. You're role picking your legs up to roll yourself backwards. For Jack Knife, you roll over and up and then let's actually lower the legs back so they're parallel and then you're going to roll yourself back down. So when you do that, you just have to make sure that you don't actually just dropping your upper body. So again, you're in a roll over, you're going to press your palms, you're going to get up as high as you can. Then you're going to bend your spine to lower your legs, keeping your ribcage lifted, and then you're going to roll yourself back down. One more time, you're going to roll over, you're going to lift up.

You have to feel the press of your rib cage, and then as you bend your spine to lower your legs, drop them, and then you lower yourself all the way down for sidekicks. And we'll lay on our right side hand behind your head. And even though we're on the beach, I always say we're not sexy on the beach. So you're gonna take, um, you can do it with your hands behind both hands behind your head. But I don't know, I kinda liked the hand down because it really gives you the sport you need as you lift the leg up and you're going to flex it forward one place and further. And then back. And what I want you to do is have fun and extend your spine and flex your spine and then extend your spine and then flex it and extend it. One more time.

You're gonna bring it forward, stretch it back in and take that left arm, reach it and pull the whole front of you apart. Then you're in to bring the leg on top. The hand comes down, you're going to turn it out and you're going to point it up and you're going to flex it down. So keep feeling we always sync. Then you're going to reverse it three times, so don't seek on your right waist. You actually had to lift, maybe lift your leg from your right waist so that you're not hanging out down there. And then you're in a band the knee. Draw the toe all the way up. Pull the need of the shoulder and then stretch up.

Reach and flex down one more time that way, and then we're all verse it. Notice the closer the knee gets to the shoulder, we sink into our waist. That waste has to lift up to the meet the knee and then go ahead. Once we're even both legs down, hand strong, you're into your side teaser, lift both legs up and then lower down. You're like, what? A side teaser. This is side teaser.

If you really think about it, you have to lift yourself up to meet it. So it's not just your legs. You stay on your hips one more time and then you lift your legs, roll onto your belly, hands underneath the forehead as you beat your heels. Okay? So pulling your point, your feet or Barbie feet, if that makes sense to you. And then both legs together as you roll onto your other side, legs forward, and then you're going to lift that leg up.

Now you're going to have fun, you're going to go forward and you're going to go back. And so yes, I know you're not supposed to be swinging, but however it feels kinda good to just let it go and enjoy it and hook the leg in the back and flex it. And the front two more, doesn't it? I mean, I know you guys are going to say yes because I'm telling you that it does. And then you're gonna keep the leg of the pack here and stretch that are really pull yourself apart. The leg comes back on top, hand comes down and you turn it up. You're going to point it up. You're going to flex down here and do three in the year in our verse set or what? I said, try not to just sit on your left waist. You have to keep getting it up. That's what I mean about not being sexy on the beach.

And then you'll bend the knee and draw the toe up. You'll do it twice and then you'll reverse it. And so feel the moment of bringing the knee in that your bottom waist is actually lifting to meet as you. Once you've done your sets, then you're going to lift both legs up and lower 'em down. And so feel that you're not just sinking, but your rib cage lifts in your feet.

Lift. That's it last time. And then you're going to try to fancily come up to sitting facing, um, back there for a teaser. So we're doing our side teaser and held both legs up. Last time as you lower back down, you're going to come up to sitting. So you're going to try to keep, pick your hips up underneath you to come and face this way, and then now pressing through your palms. You're going to lift your legs up, you're gonna lower down, maybe just below your bra line all the way down, and then you're going to curl yourself back up. So just breathe, because for me, I always reverse this breath. It feels better to me.

So I don't want to give you pointers on that. Just make sure you're breathing and then you're gonna stay up. Find Your Barbie feet lower, let your legs and see if that helps you. You're using your arms to support your rib cage. And then everything down three times and everything back up and everything down and everything back up.

We would have been in just a minute. Everything down and everything back up. Kay, you're gonna take your arms to the right, your legs to the left, and you're in a swivel them down and up your do hip circles. And then reverse it. And then again, as you reach last time, making ourselves even, and then go ahead and flip over onto your bellies. Head will be where your feet are. Yeah. Okay.

You're going to reach back for your ankles. You're gonna reach back for your ankles with your hands. And what we're gonna do is you're gonna really feel that you drive your femurs in to press. Try not to, I'm sorry. Stay for a second. Try not to go up to the ceiling to just lift yourself up. Actually keep your thighs down, pressure shins backwards to lift your upper body up.

Then pick your own feet up and don't make it about going down. Make the breath lift you. Your feet are always going over your head as you breathe. And then go ahead and release. Reach your arms for your legs out and swim. And my experience, if you just say, we go higher, that's it. And then you're gonna lower yourself down. Nicely done.

And then go ahead and sit back on your heels to bring your feet forward. And then we're going to do scoot yourself in the middle of the mat and we'll finish with the seal. Grab a hold. I like my voice can take it and then you're in to beat your heels and then you're in a yourself back. And this is something that I've found. I'm going to kind of give you an option. You can take your feets of prayer feet and actually like pull them up to your nose and roll back. That way I, because I'm still losing my upper body, had to take my hands out and actually have them in front. So I'm like this, you can try whatever works for you. It actually stretches my back.

Not much does cause it doesn't need that much stretching. Well now that I had a baby it does, but I just feel and then come in and stay in for just a second and feel if you had the prayer foot, see how high up you can take your legs and see what kind of thing that gives you. Like, I can take my leg all the way my forehead, like Amy over here and I just feel how nice that feels. And then go ahead and lower down. Okay, we're going to do a pushup. So your called standing. Okay, so this is Kinda me. This is my thing. This is what I enjoy.

What we're gonna do. This is maybe the one thing I'll do, hopefully I won't slide too much, but we're going to curl over here in a walkout and you're going to actually come off your toes to come over your arms to Ben and to straighten. I don't care how low you go, but you'll feel that whole rib cage thing that I've been referring to this time, which is what you really need for your Swan. Because we're pushing [inaudible] up in our swan from this. So here we go. I saw it on you too. And I was like, yes, there's Joe doing it. So you're in a walk forward all the way so your hands are right by your chest and you're gonna pull yourself forward to therefore Ben.

And don't go backwards when you straighten. Just see if it feels stronger and then you only do three. You Curl your head in and you walk your hands back towards your feet, heels lower, and then you curl yourselves up. Nice job, ladies. Great Day.