Moving from the Hips

Hi, I'm Rachel Taylor Seagull. I'm from the Palati Center in Boulder, Colorado with Laurel, or going to do a beginning reformer lesson. And we're going to use a theme for the whole lesson, which teachers do in order to correct something they see, uh, in the, in the moment or something they've seen from the lesson before the class before with that client, as well as to just get new insight, new, not just intellectual, but also central understanding of how a body could move more uniformly and more as a unit, as a full link system instead of in bits and pieces. So I'm gonna put Laurel through a beginning reformer from the hips. So Laura, come and have a stand right here and with your arms out in front of you, I want you to try and take your squat without letting your hips go behind you whatsoever. So your knees are gonna go way forward, right? You're not going to attack, but you're going to let them drop down.

Inhaling. Nice Pat. Tammy picks your knees up and you swivel around and you lay yourself down. Head in the middle of the headdress. You fill a shoulder blocks equal on both sides. Now we're going to go and pull out ESV balls of all the, all the total joints as best you can on the bar heals together a little bit high. Right?

And so when you stand here, I want you to think that you're pressing your heels through your foot into the flip bar. And what that should do for you in addition to give you more foot feeling is it should turn on your hips. Good. Yeah. So with this grounded stance, I want you to move the carriage with your hips. So the hips take you as far out as they can and they're bringing home, not your belly even cause cause your belly will turn on if your hips turn on. So as you move your thinking hips, you're not working hard.

Hands are relaxed down, right? You're picturing where your leg bone comes into your hip joint and you're moving that first. Even now. First, now first now. Now lift your knees. But hips and hips before knees. Nicely done. And hips last time and easy back. Good. Now rest your back one more time. Sorry. Stay home, just rest and bring your feet up to bird on a perch.

Heels really come under good. And that should give you hamstrings all the way to your sitz bones so that you can feel hips and XL hips HomeFirst nicely done. So when the hips move your carriage, think that they're going to take the coils of your springs. So maybe they have hooks, your hips that hook onto the spring that pulls them right. Nicely done. So do you feel more tummy when you do that? Excellent.

Good. So as the hips are pulling the springs, controlling their timing, letting you breathe freely because they're doing this job that they wouldn't have done last time in. Use those hips and that belly to lift your heels in. Place them perilously but solidly at the same time. And inhale, hips axial home. So not knees pushing, but hips taking you.

How far out could your hips take you? That's an interesting question. Like how many coils of the springs could your hips take? You? Could your hips take you out there? Not by lifting themselves off the mat, but by almost gently nestling down. Nice. We feel more belly when you do it that way. Good.

So as you inhale out your hips, go down there searching for the springs. Gently inhale and exhale. One more only and hips first. Now, Nice fate. Good. And then Tommy, and as you place your toes parallel, good, your heels are a little lifted. And that arch support of the heels comes right here into and the hips. Take the carriage out and keep it there and see if you can keep the carriage there. Ish. As you lower your heels, how long could you keep the carriage there? Knife, pick the carriage out from your hips, hips, hips.

Keep the carriage there. Good. So don't do too much work. It's thoughtful, control, edgy, not effortful for you cause you're advanced. So as you just, it's like look across the room at somebody else on the reformer and picture them moving from their hips. And what you'll see is, oh, their tummy goes in automatically. They don't have any tension. Their legs are long and the carriage seems to be attached to them from the pelvis. Nicely done. Even now as you need. Then the next time you're going to let your hips bend before your knees, not your back. Just your hips. Nicely done. Excellent.

So feel how your leg enters your body here and not anywhere else, particularly here. Okay. So one foot is going to come underneath your foot bar and you're going to feel it there and the other foot is going to come all the way down to the buttress part. Underneath or on top. Yeah. And you're gonna extend your legs outwardly, right? Opening your hips and feeling. These are the muscles that took you down there. Good. Lay your legs out. Long reach behind you for your handles to do the hundred.

So with your legs down here right now, ever. So gently reach for the mat with your hamstrings to open the front and to feel your hips. So even though the arms come forward, let your hips take the carriage back. Okay. Exhale. Good. Start Your pump into three, four, five x two, three, four, five. Good feel like throughout the exercise, your hips are constantly striving to not pull your thighs to you, but to push the carriage out from underneath you. Nicely done. Can you feel yourself lift up and over and within that hips kind of taking the carriage backwards.

Your back relaxes because it's just your hips and your belly deepens gorgeous. And because the carriage is going that way, your spine curls. Last breath, knee bend, arm bend, and let the carriage come home. Nicely done. All right, good. So take both handles in one hand if you would, and step off to the side onto the floor and we're going to put on the black straps and I'll help you. So we're gonna take the black strap through the leather loop and the wood handle both. We're gonna make sure there's no twists and we hook it, making sure that it's hooked safely, and then we're going to drape it so that there's one layer of fabric that is on the handle and the loop. Yeah, take both in one hand.

[inaudible] and you're going to have a seat on the edge of your carriage and you're going to remove a spring. So you're down to two springs. Good. Then you're going to roll, twist around and lay down on your back, Tammy and brings your feet up to your face. [inaudible] I'm going to place the good and in general, you want to have the same idea of one layer of fabric on your arches and the hardware on the outside and one layer of fabric still on the handles. All right, so you bring your feet to your Tush, your squares, shoulders, you're long spined and from your hips. What if as you straighten your legs, you move your legs from your hip before you straighten your knee. Nicely done. So you're already in control of the carriage.

We're going to do circles from your hips. You're going to open and pull down, come together and exhale, return. Nice from your hips. You're going to open and pull down and exhale, return. Good. Three more. So as you pulled down and you fill the strength of your hips, they are moving the springs, they're pushing the carriage out from underneath your feet. [inaudible] and that gives you a lengthy Tammie without you having to think about it or pull it in. Just kind of Nice and frees you up from back tension.

And we're going to reverse. So as you hips before calves and exhale hips before back tension. Nicely done. I had a girl stay with it. Less is more, right? The equipment is your partner. And so if you let it do its job, it will tell you what to work on last time. Hips even now, right? Beautiful. And then bend your knees to your shoulders and feel even now your hips kind of relating to them as we do the frog.

So you keep your heels together as you inhale, press out and Exhale, Bend [inaudible], nice, narrow knees, good for you. And the hips are gonna move the carriage out that way rather than your frog going away from you. So your hips moving that way. Create the frog almost like your feet stayed in the same place, which they don't, but nicely done. Not. Doesn't have to be slow. Does beautiful in with the air, hips, still hips even at the new straightening moment. Hips and exhale home. One more time.

Hips first and hip still first and hips first. Now exhaling home. Beautiful. So if we want to ever do stomach massage, which comes up next, no pads, that's how we do these exercises from the hips, which, whoops, I'm sorry. I'm going to have you take your own straps off. So, so you hold on to the inner straps, right? And you slide your feet out. Now your arms control this, the carriage, so it brings you home.

And you can hold them both in one hand and curl up into sitting in, turn towards your straps and step to the floor. Nicely done. See if you can put your straps right down in the middle of the floor until the end of the workout. Your head rest is up still. So that's good. You're gonna lift your head or your foot bar and you're going to put a third spring on. So we're using three springs here on this grads equipment for the demo purpose.

But you may have a reformer at home that you can use four springs on. And that's classically, um, what one should aim for. I'm reminded, he used to tell me that eventually you do it with no pads. [inaudible]. So that's why our hips are so vital to us.

So however, today we're going to use two and you're going to try and you're going to sit on the first one really close to the front edge of the carriage and let this edge kind of be a help so you don't slide backwards. So you turn around, you keep your hips underneath you and come in and lift your knees and you place your toes apart on the foot bar while your hands come to the front edge of your carriage. And you put your palms there, not your fingers pulling up. And you try and push the carriage back behind you, underneath you as if you're unseating yourself. Nicely done. Good. And then you lower your heels, lift your heels, exhale, come home, good. And your hips move before your quads. And now your hips control and your hips are going to bend. Nice.

And now a little faster. Hips first. So you're not going to push away the, the with your legs, you're going to pull with your hips. Excellent. Do you feel more belly when you think that way? The job ads that, so no matter where you are in the gesture of the exercise, your hips are on, they change texture, but they're still on so you can go faster. Doesn't matter because the hips will be there for you last time. Inhale, lower lift. Exhale good.

And then lose one spring there and reach your arms behind you for arms back. [inaudible] so feel your heels a little higher because it's going to give you hamstring, hips and belly. Take your hips. Move the carriage away from your feet. So this is like frog when instead of pushing with your legs out into the straps, you pulled the carriage with your hips away from your solid feet. Hips, hips. Now good enough. Start with your hips, not your legs, almost that was back you for yourself doing that. Nice. Good down in your mind to your hips. Beautiful.

Beautiful. Your goal would be that that hip for not that hip control right there means your hands are not holding you up. So what else could your hands do for you, your arms do for you since they don't have to hold you up. Yes, they can lift and open your chest off and your sternum. Nice. One more. Only hips. Yes. And hips. Now. Gorgeous. Bring your arms forward.

Feel your hips still give you tummy as you lift your feet off, twist to step to the floor and stand up. Nicely done. That was great. Okay, so you're going to take your blue pads and put them on the floor. Put your foot bar down while you're there. Go to the back and get your a box. I'll help lower your head rest and then you're going to put your short box on.

Now Laurel puts your short box on in front of the shoulder blocks cause she's teeny, very petite. Did you just laugh? She's very, she's very petite and so it gives her the right seat position in relationship to her ankles under the black straps. Okay. You may find that you need to put your sh your short box behind your shoulder blocks against them or even against the eyelid bolt further away if you have longer legs or you're taller. So that's an adjustable thing or some really big tall people, tall guys. For example, they can take the carriage spring bar and move from first gear into second or even third gear to give their long legs the room so that they sit on the box correctly to gain what we want them to gain. Okay, so you're going to have a seat on the box. Stretch your legs out in front and put your strap around your ankles cause she's using both straps for safety measure.

Because if she were to go really far back and rely on those straps and one broke, she would have another strap to hold her. She can do it with straight legs pressing outwardly like so. She can do it with bent legs, hip width apart. Okay. Whatever feels most supportive today. Legs outwardly is really great for hips because as they abduct out there, you're going to feel really strongly in your hip. So you cross your arms, you bring them into your ribs and instead of lowering your Chin and neck, you're going to bend. Other parts of you are more interesting.

And then you're gonna press out your legs extra to feel your outer hip and then you're going to move from your hip first. It's nice and healing. And then ex a girl, not more caffeine angle, tension, more hip strength and X. Good. Let's bend your knees out there just a teensy bit and push down and out anyway. Nice. Inhale back, hips back, pelvis back. Good.

Keep this right here and Xcel home. Nicely. Done a little faster in with the air. Expel the air. Good les, neck and shoulders. Hips, take you back. Fill your hips right now. Exhale, push the air, gorgeous. Reach your arms forward for your ankles. Take a nice deep breath and on your way up you're going to pick up your bar.

Inhale and bring your elbows up to your ears. Exhale, and let's make a little fist with your knuckles straight up. And so it makes it harder for you to hyperextend your elbows. And it also gives you a feeling like you're about to do a chin up, which lifts all this of you up and gives your hips even more possibility. Okay, so we bent the knees, just a hair, but you push down and out as you tip back on your sitz bone with a flat back and exhale. Hum. Nice. A little faster in here. Exhale. I keep your mind on your hips and hips.

Nice. One more only. We'll do one more after that if you don't mind. Okay, so here you are. You're being, you're cheating up and now your hips, you're noticing it. They're starting to move underneath you. Gorgeous. Pulls your belly and for you. Exhale. Excellent. And rest. Good job. All right, tell me in steps you are going to need to put away your bar.

Take away your box. Okay. Breathe in. As you go over there, breathe out. As you come forward and lift your head rest. Breathe in. As you pick up your foot bar and out as you put it down in yours, a hook there. And then we're going to do the elephant k.

So you have one hand and you step up. One foot, other hand, other foot. Your feet are flat by the shoulder blocks, toes up. Good. And you find like you have been working your hips, get your shoulders knit together, not your upper chest back and blades, but your arm and your shoulder joint. Nicely done. Now bend this part of you to match the rest and start right here to move the carriage. Inhale, that wasn't bad, but mostly calf right here. And exhale, snuggle into my hand to move first. Nice. Exhale. So when you use your hip first, not squeeze my butt, but just feel your hip open and close. You feel your tummy length and up against your spine.

And exhale because supported in there too. Nicely done. A little faster cause it doesn't really matter how fast or slow you go, because your hips are on the whole last one. So beautiful. Nicely done. Gently lower your knees to the mat. Flex your feet against the shoulder blocks for the knee stretches round. Good.

See if you can pull your arms in to [inaudible] and think about softening the sternum. Not Trapping your chin a whole lot, but softening and oh and rounding this part to match the rest. So you have a uniform, capital c, you're going to take your heels and knees and hips and move back and forth. Good. Let your hips spiral and spiral. When you want more belly, let your hips initiate. First delay the movement of going back and let your hip start.

That was your knees. Hips first. Picture it. Yep. Exhale. Nicely done. Hips. Yep. Exhale faster. Hips still hips. Still hip. Still hips. Excellent. Last one. Beautiful.

And now take your hips and lift and spiral them. Very beautiful. Feel your arms like your hips. Nicely knit. And then move your leg from your hip. So as you, not from your back, but from your hip. So you press your heel and knees back. It's true. You keep your sitz bones up. [inaudible] that's the parts of tricky, right? And instead of pushing down and moving from your thigh, you're going to move your femur bone like a tic talking grandfather clock, pendulum.

[inaudible] you're not going to touch me even when you come home. Excellent. So you're moving here. You're pulling the springs apart from your hips. Beautiful. We'll do one more. Pulling the springs with your hips still. Let's do one more hips up. Right.

Exhale home in a bad, round your spine. Good, right? And let's just do a few right here. What if your knees didn't start first? What if your hip started first? Um, nice. Then XL home. What if your hip started first home? Beautiful. Listen to how great your ex sale is. Yup, go a little faster. Yes and a little faster. Yes. Nice. You feel your tummy beautifully. Can you relax your neck then?

Because you've got lots of strength elsewhere and enough. Very great. Step off. Inhaling your breath. Reach down and add your spring for running. Lay on your back, hips and exhale yourself into position with your arms down by your sides. Your feet are parallel. Beautifully arches up just a little.

We started running this way where I asked you to push your heels into the foot bar and that gave you hamstrings, hips. What if you moved the coils from your head? Even now, don't talk just the hips. What if you bend one hip and lower the other heel and the other hip? Nice. What if they were so oily in there, those hips that they were moving ahead of your instruction?

Yes. It doesn't mean you have to be small so your femur bone can go up into your hip joint, right? And swivel like you're polishing the back of your hip with your femur bone. Yeah, especially on up and up and up. Hip, up, leg up, right? Easy neck and back.

But legs up into the hips. May slid, done, breathe in one last time. Exhale, fully good. Bend both knees and come in for bottom. Lift arches come to the outer corner. Nice and solid. Knees are in line over your toes. Hips lift. So let's do, instead of curling your tail, a flat back up, lift your hips, elevate them like [inaudible] and then straighten them before you knew Streeton may not of course that you can straighten your hips, but you knew exactly what I was asking, right? Even now, hips before knees. [inaudible] beautiful. So I want you to feel how relaxed your back is, even up here in space, which is gorgeous for you and how strong your pelvis is and the muscles that come up your legs to your hips and pelvis. Good use equally, right and left even now and return. Beautiful. Roll your spine down on to the mat. Just let it lay.

Yes, bring your knees together, Tommy, and, and step off. Good. We're going to finish with the front splits. All right, so you go down to two springs and oral is doing a fabulous job of moving her spring. She doesn't make a lot of noise. She controls how she unhooks them and she doesn't just drop and fling them off, but she finishes the gesture, which interestingly enough, works your tummy. So it's really good idea to control your use of the springs that way too. All right, so friends splits. You're going to put your radiant here.

Step up on the carriage left-hand shoulder with and I'll put the rave. Follow your foot on there just to the side and bend your new way forward over it. Now you got three sturdy places to stand. As you told here are high up your left foot back. If you would go a little more leftish [inaudible] maybe even a little bit more and put your heel, the shoulder block, right. How's that feel to you? Okay, good. So and staying right where you are. Yeah, lift your sits just a little bit like by lifting your sits bones, you're taking your hamstring and kind of stretching it. That's too much, right? You're, you're like stretching it and toning it. And when you get that, your hips become available to use and you feel your tummy a little bit more.

I bet. Good. So as you push with your both feet apart, keep this up just a little bit and feel the stretch that comes along the front of you as you exhale home. Gorgeous. And again, so sits bones up. Hamstring kind of follows it, but your easeful head can drop. Yeah. Let your head drop. Really from here? Yes. Good. Now what if you didn't lower your body so much but you split your legs apart or right? So sits bone up a little and then hamstring up. Nice to bend. One more time. Good sitz bone up to hamstring up, right that you feel it here. And exhale home.

Nicely done. And bring your front foot down. Can change legs? Good. So have your foot a little more out towards me if you would. Good. Hips and shoulders are square. So you know like you would like to go like this and that kind of cuts you off from a lot of things, although it feels nice and secure. So let's go a little more brave.

[inaudible] but restful doesn't take too much. You're on your palms with [inaudible] and it's this part of you, and maybe this part of you that's kind of stretching and lifting to move [inaudible]. And maybe you have the proverbial bolt between your hips that stays parallel to the floor and maybe it's rotating so that it starts the movement before your knee starts to straighten. And it starts before your knee starts to bend. So first the hips, and if that's the case, your shoulders are slower. Not that the movement, but the shoulders are slower to go. So you're shorter. Stay over the foot bar little longer with your left Shin. Yes.

Inhaling and fell. And one more. Only your shoulder. Stay forward because your hip. Very good. It's great when you do it. You're correct. Your own things. Nicely done. Bring the left with down. Good, right foot and carefully step to the floor. Nicely done. Good job.