Advanced Reformer Flow

All right, hello, everybody. I am Carrie Macy Samper. And I have with me today my dear friend Leslie Logan and Sue Spinelli. And they are going to be doing an Advanced Reformer. Here we go.

Go ahead and lie on down. They've both chosen to start their footwork on three springs on the grots. Toes apart, heels together, heels lifted. Now just take a moment, take a deep inhale. (inhales) And a deep exhales (exhales).

On your next inhale, begin. Press out 10 times and draw in, pulling the ribs into the mat, quicken your pace, get a nice, good tempo going. We have a lot to get through in these 60 minutes. Widen through the collar bones, and each time you extend out, push further out with the shoulders. So you actually use the apparatus to get taller.

Do one more, and then stay in. Keeping your legs, your heels touching. Come onto your arches. 10 here, push away and come in. Good, nice job.

Keep widening the collar bones. Breathing the ribs into the mat. Press your thighs together. And wrap your feet around the bar. Really grab the bar with all of your toes and your heels.

And on your 10th one, you will stay in and slide again onto your heels. Flex your feet and begin. Press back and pull in. Reach, that's it, Sue. Get longer and deeper through the middle, mm-hmm, good.

Pull your toes back all the way to your knees and wrap under your hips, perfect, good. And when you're finished with the 10 on the heels, you'll slide down to your toes for tendon stretch. Toes are a little bit apart, heels together. Press and then reach the heels under and lift up. As the heels reach under, try to stay as tall as you were when the heels are up.

That's right. Make the spring stay extended as the heels reach, gorgeous. Can you get more space between each vertebra to make up for the space you're losing by reaching the heels under. Make sure both knees stay even and squeeze the backs of the legs. Last one.

Lift up and come all the way in. Lower your foot bars for hundred. Take your straps, your legs will be over the foot bar, arms to the ceiling. Before you do anything, connect your shoulders into your back, breathe in. Exhale as you flow it up into your hundred, pumping the arms vigorously by your side.

So make the pumps nice and big above your core. You're actually pumping into your core. Stretch your legs longer away from you. Push if I my hand with your toes, that's it, Sue. Sue, can you open your right shoulder more?

That's it, and curl into your, that's it, good. As the toes reach forward, push your heads back and away from the reach of the toes. Keep your breath flowing. Do three more, breathing in (inhales), breathe it out. Curl up higher but push your head back.

Mm-hmm, bigger pumps. Last breath, guys, make nice big pumps. And lower the legs, lift your arms. Transition to overhead. Straps in one hand, swivel to the side, removing one middle spring so we have two outer springs.

And lie on down, lower your headrest. Arms to the ceiling, here we go. Arms lowered down, legs go right over head, parallel. Lift up to the ceiling, hold, grow a little taller through the toes. Roll down sternum, ribs, waist, hips, then legs down, arms up.

Again, legs go over, arms down. Pike up to the ceiling high. Good and roll to the mat, reaching your toes up and your fingertips forward as you lower, lower, lower. Legs down, arms up. Again, arms go down as you fold.

Pike up to the ceiling. Press your triceps into the mat and pull your sternum down as your legs reach. Nice job, last time. Exhale as you go over. Inhale, lift your toes to the ceiling.

And exhale articulate into the mat. Lower the legs, lift your arm. Coordination, bend the elbows, knees, lift the head. Inhale, extend arms and legs long, open close. Exhale, bend the knees, bend the elbows.

Again, inhale, reach up, open, close. Exhale, bring your knees all the way to your nose and bend your elbows, keep your knees on your nose. Inhale, press up. Open close, exhale, sink to the waist. Bend the elbows, one more time, reach out long.

Open close, bend the knees all the way in. Elbows in, rest your head, good. Straps in one hand, rowing. Sit up and swivel all the way around, removing one spring. So we're down to one spring.

Into the sternum, curl yourself back. Tailbone under. Push the arms out to the side. Move the hands only back, or the arms only back. Then bring your head forward as the hands continue to go back.

Reach your fingertips towards the foot bar. Press the hands back and the ribs back as you lift the arms. Circle the arms all the way around rotating through the shoulders. And then roll up sitting tall. Curl back again, hips under as you round.

Arms pressed side, move the arms back from the back of the shoulders. Reach your head to your knees and your hands back. Press the arms back and up. Pull your ribs back as you circle and reach forward, sit up tall. One more time, round back one, press the arms two.

Move the arms, three. Round and dive, four. Reach back for five. Circle all the way to the toes on six. Sit up tall again.

90 degrees this time. Hinge back tall and long. Return to seated. Lean and reach the arms on a high diagonal. Sweep your hands down to the flow and pull them back.

Reach behind you, it's the same ending as the other one, rotating through the arms. And roll up tall again. Hinge back, try to lie flat with your legs, keep your arms at 90 degrees, return to seated. Lean forward, you're arms are still at 90 degrees, then extend the arms as you extend the back. Sweep down and back towards your hips.

Pull your ribs back and up. As you press through the arms and round them forward. Good, one more time sitting up tall, hinge back on one. Return on two. Lean and reach, three, sweep the arms down and back on four.

Press your arms behind and up, five, rotate all the way to the toes on six. Roll up and turn around to face me from the chest. Hook your thumbs from the top of the handle, place your hands by your chest. Inhale as you press forward and up. Exhale, lower the arms down.

Breathe in, reach up to the ceiling and exhale wide arms as you lower. Back to the sternum. Inhale, reach, lower it down. Inhale as you reach up, lift out of your lower backs to exhale, wide arms pressed to the side. Grow taller out of your waist.

One more time, inhale, reach. Exhale as you lower. Lift a little bit forward and up with the arms and exhale, wide arms to the side growing tall out of the shoulder blocks from the hips flex your feet, round forward. Slide your hands towards your feet. Push your straps to lift your spine up tall.

Once you get to the top this time, let's take your arms behind your body so we get a big chest in the stretch. Stretch in the chest. Round forward, head to knees, slide forward, reach out as you roll up. So you're still even extending the carriage farther. And then reach behind you, stretching the chest.

One more time, round forward. Keep the flex on your feet as you reach forward. Push more into the straps. Lengthen out of your back, and then reach back and behind you. Cross your legs for shaving.

Gorgeous, turn your hands. Bring your hands behind the nape of your neck. And then press your arms forward and up on the high diagonal. And pause there. Now, I want to challenge you guys today to sit straight up, vertical, instead of slightly forward.

Bend the elbows back behind your head. Drawing the shoulder blades down, stretch the arms up, lift tall out of your back. And then bring the arms back and down. Yeah, so it's much more challenging to stay vertical, lift, lift, lift, lift rather than slightly forward. Keep going, two more.

Up. That's it, Leslie. Keep lifting out of your lower back and wrapping the shoulders down and around. Pause when you're up, open the arms for hugs. Switch your legs.

Inhale, close your fingertips. Exhale, open the arms. Sue, let your arms lower a little more. Inhale as you close. Exhale as you push apart.

Make it come more from your back, less from your chest. Reverse your breath, three more. Gather from the back body and open to the side, that's it. Gather from the back body, open to the side. One last time, face your palms toward each other.

Lift out of the shoulder blocks and open to the side. Put your handles away, step off, grab your boxes for the swan on the long box. We're going to two springs. You always want to have it balanced. So two outer, two inner.

But just make them balanced. All right, place your feet on the frame. Mm-hmm, push the carriage out just enough so that you can place your body on the front of the box. And it's just below your hip crease. Push the carriage out a bit until your knees just fit inside the frame.

Good, you guys. Then curl your tailbones down towards the springs as you lift your upper body and arms up off of the box. Reach up to the ceiling and go into a back bend in this position. Then straighten your legs, shoot yourself out to superman. Long over the box.

Do another back bend, bending your knees as you go into it, if you need to, reach out to superman again. And then back to start position, just float down over the box. Great, inhale as you lift up. Exhale as you stretch forward. Long superman over the box.

Inhale, back bend again. Exhale long and forward. Straighten your legs, bring them together. And then float down over the box. Gorgeous, one more, inhale, lift all the way up and back.

Nice, sue, exhale, stretch your legs, try to straighten both legs, you guys. Lift your bellies, and go back. And then reach out long and float over the box. Sit back onto your heels carefully. You can, uh-huh.

Nice, remove one of the springs for pulling straps. So come back onto your stomach. Shoulders at the front edge of the box. Go ahead and grab the straps. And let's put your hands through the handle just so the straps don't bang on the floor.

Mm-hmm, and then take your arms to the outside of the frame. Lift your legs up so everything's in a straight line. Pull your arms down and back towards your hips. Open your chest and gaze at the edge of the Reformer. Hold, return your arms.

Reach them to the floor and back where you came from. Going again. Pressing your hips into the mat. Pull the straps open through the chest. And reach the arms back to the ground and all the way forward.

One more time. Pull the arms down to the ground and all the way back. And then try to hug the arms into the side of your body. And then reach the arms all the way back down. T pull, slide your hands to the end of the leather.

Lift your arms up and out into a T. Reach out to come back. And then return wide reach to the side. So pick up the shoulders and then move the arms. And then return wide out to the side.

So hang on for a second, Sue. Lift your shoulders up, lift your arms up, and press out as you come back. That's better. And then return to the side. Good, straps in one hand, step off.

And back circan teaser. Please add a spring, we're back to two springs. Tailbone at the front edge of the box. Lie down onto your backs. Very nice, bring your knees into your chest.

Hands by your head, look into your stomach. Reach up into the ceiling on one. Open to a V, two, circle forward and together, three. Push further, four. Deepen, five, bring everything on six.

Inhale, one, open, two. Exhale as you circle, three. Hold in deep and open the chest, but curl in and bend the knees, bend the arms. Reach up one, open two, exhale, three, as you circle forward. Good, bend in, reverse it.

Go straight forward and reach your knees. Open everything out and up, close it. And come in, Leslie, bring the strap straight over you. So just reach straight to it rather than around to the side. Open, lift, close and bend in one more time, just reach straight forward.

Good, open side, lift up, close it together. Bend everything in, very nice. Straps in one hand. Sit up and teaser to the side. Where are your beautiful teaser legs?

Uh-huh, teaser back around. No bent teaser legs. All right, so you relax for just a moment as you take a breath in. Exhale, roll up slowly. Go through your hundred position.

So there should be a moment, Sue, lower your chest a little bit, there. Roll all the way to your teaser. Hold your reach, just lower your arms to your hips and reach them forward and up as high as you can without using your position. Lower, reach forward and up, high arms, there you go. Lower, reach forward and up.

And then reach more as you pull down and roll into the box. Breathe in. Now you know you have to roll through your hundred position, so do that. Lift your head. Find your hundred position and pause for a moment.

So that means your ribs are still down, your arms are above your hips. And then roll to find your teaser. Ah-hah, lower your arms down and around. Whoops, we're reversing the wrong way. That's all right.

Circle your arms any direction. Keep your legs still. And hold. Lift a little higher. And then roll through your hundred to get all the way back down.

Very nice. Roll up one more time. And you'll reverse your circle. So go through your hundred to come up. Go the other direction from where you went on the first one.

So really try to keep your legs still as you do the circling of the arms, that's right, good. And then roll yourself back into the box. Take your straps in one hand and step off to the side. All right, moving onto the breast stroke. So hook your thumbs into the straps.

Standing both straps on one side of you, pull your hand so they're at the front of the box, and then lie onto your stomach. Okay, so your chest is basically at the front edge of the box. You do want a few inches before your knee at the end. Now, take your hands and put them down on the carriage and turn them over. But make, uh-huh, and take them all the way back so they slide back, perfect.

All right, starting from here, bend your legs and kick your bottom. Three, two, one, straighten your legs. Turn your hand so you just slide forward, reach, lift your chest, circle your arms back. And they go right where you started. Three kicks, so your arms stay back.

Yep. Press your arms forward. Lift up, circle, and lower. Okay, look at me for just a second. So you're gonna do three kicks.

I want your legs to extend and your arms to extend at the same time. So the legs are gonna go a little slower than what you guys were doing. Three fast kicks, two, three. But extend them slower so the arms get there at the same time as the legs. Then lift your chest as you circle, good, one more time.

One, two, three, and reach. Lift, that's it, Sue, smile and it feels better. Good, all right, step careful off to the side. So put your hands on the box and step off. All right, we're still on one spring.

Turn around and face the back of your reformer and sit on your box. We are going to do the reverse horse back. Okay, so straddle the box like you would the regular horse back and sit a little bit further towards the edge. About a hand width distance between your bottom and the edge. Short spine your straps.

So that means put the leather through the handle and hold the leather. Then stretch your legs straight forward towards the end of the Reformer. And hold your hands up right in front of you. Pull your hands into your chest. Can you hold this?

Strap like a handle, like that, mm-hmm. Okay, so pull into your chest. I'm gonna stand this way so you guys can see me. That's right. And then take your arms out to the side.

And then pulse your hand and your ribs back three times, one, two, hold three. Bring your hands right back where they came from. Shoot them forward and sit down. Yup, do it again. Pull in, squeeze your inner thighs.

Lift up off your hips. Push your arms back to the side. Pulse three, pulse two, pulse one. Bring the arms back in and reach them forward as you sit. One last time, gorgeous.

Pull the arms back and then to the side. Shoulder blade draw down, three. Round in the back, two. Lift into the tush, one, and then return the arms. Reach them forward and sit, very nice.

Step off to the side, put the straps into the well. And put the box away at the end of the Reformer for the long stretch series. Let's have two springs. Lift your headrest and place the pad right in the middle. Place your hand on the foot bar about shoulder width apart and step up into in between the shoulder blocks into a plank position.

Okay, so bring your heels over your toes. Find length at the top of your head. So if you guys could, I would want you to touch your heads right here. Now, move the carriage out but try to keep your heads reaching towards each other. Good, and then lengthen, bring it back in.

Lift up in the belly and the rib as you move through the heels of the hands, and then lift and lengthen as you come forward. Right, again, keep the whole body in one long piece, and then lengthen to come forward. Last time. Externally rotate in the shoulders to press and then lengthen forward. Pause, come in so much that you just have to bend your knees and kneel for down stretch.

Place your feet onto the blocks, opening your chest, gaze forward, hips forward. Now, before you move, give me a good extension in your upper back. So really pull your chest through and look up. Then breathe in and move the carriage out, keeping the extension in the upper back and then exhale, come forward and up. Inhale, push through the heels and the heels of the hands.

And then exhale through and up, there you go. Inhale as you press. Exhale, bring your pubic bone to your belly button, to the ceiling, hold. Just climb onto your fingertips. Give yourself a little bit more height.

Good, place your hands down. Stand up for the up stretch. Okay, fold your head towards your knees, but keep your ribs lifting. Drive your legs out behind you, lowering your hips. Come forward over the foot bar.

And then lift your waist to fold back. So nice, you guys, drive your legs out, lowering the hips. Come forward, wrap the arms down on your body as you come in and fold up. Keep your chin tucked, one more. Press out, lower the hips.

Coming forward with control. And lift up. Now reverse it, so I want you to go right up and over the foot bar, right where you came from. Push out in that same position. Lift your waist and your ribs to come up and pull it in.

Literally reverse it. So you just come forward over the foot bar. You press out and then lift your waist and bring it in. One more time, come up and over the foot bar. Press out, drive through the legs.

Lift the ribs and the waist and come in. And slide down to your feet for the elephant. Good. Breathe and enjoy the elephant, five times, push back through the heels. And then drag the heels back in.

Let your head hang and relax. One more. Hold it in and squeeze the carriage in so much that your core really turns on. Gorgeous, step off to the side. Long back stretch.

Okay, face back of the Reformer. Place your hands onto the foot bar. One foot at a time, in front of each shoulder block, open through your chest. Bend your elbows, lower your hips, curl your tailbone and press into the heels to lift your hips and open your chest as you come in. Bend the arms, curl the tailbone, press through the heels, lift the hips up.

Open the chest as you come all the way in. One more, bend, curl, keep your toes pulling back, Sue. Lift your hips high above the foot bar. Now let's reverse it, lift up to push out, lower the hips, come back. And then press shoulders down to come up.

Curl and press up. Lower. Come back in and lift yourself up. One more, curl and press lower. Come back in, lift up.

Step off to the side of the apparatus. So nice, you guys. All right, into stomach massage. So pull the pad forward, add one spring. So they just go back to their regular foot work setting.

Have a seat, very close to the front. Toes fist-width apart, a little wider. Knees a little wider, here we go. Move the carriage back, lower your heels, lift your heels, come all the way in. Press back, lower and lift, come in.

Keep it tall, lift and curl in your spine. Tailbone towards your heels. Head towards your toes. Pull back the sternum. Pull back the waist.

Very nice. Lift a little bit talLer, Leslie. Shoulders drawing down, that's it. Keep going, ladies. Sue, try to keep your sternum drawing back so you're not rocking forward.

And finish ends. You're good with your springs. Lift your arms and reach them behind you to the blocks. Chest is up, move the carriage all the way out. Lower the heels, lift and come in.

Press it back, lower, lift and pull in, very nice. Out, under, up, in, and back, under, up, now go out and hold it out for a challenge release, just hold your hands behind you lower and lift your heels and bring it all the way back in. And press it out. Lower, lift all the way in and press back. Yes, lift and come and one more, out.

Lower, lift, come in. Reach between your legs, remove one spring, arms forward, press out, and bring it in. Keeping your heels together. Stretch and sit taller and come all the way in. One more, lift and in.

Twist to the right, open your chest and reach. Come back to the center, twist to the left. Slice your arm through, better, as you twist. So, shhwwww, that's right, Sue, lift your chest more as you twist, ah-hah. One more each direction, heels are high.

That's so nice, you guys, and ring it out. It'll feel better when it's over. Good, step off to the side. Okay, moving onto your tendon stretch. So turn, mm-hmm.

Place your hands on the foot bar and step right up. Just the middle. We're not gonna get too crazy fancy with this one. So, before you start, though, bring the backs of your legs together and shift your weight so that your hips are move over your feet than the foot bar. Okay, now drive your heels down and move the carriage out by pushing through the heels and then lift your waist, lift your ribs.

Bring that all the way up and in. And then drive out through the heels and then lift your ribs, lift your waist and bring it all the way up and in. Again, two more times. Try not to let your hips hit my arm. So you want to keep your hips in front of the foot bar and one more, better, Sue.

Lift. All right, step off to the side, very nice. Let's go to short box. Probably a time when you're glad short box is here. (laughs) All right, so we lower the foot bars.

We still have two springs. We put on the short boxes and lower the headrest. Sue's gonna place her short box in front of these because her legs are a little shorter to reach forward. Leslie will not do that. All right, guys, give yourself a head and round over your arms.

Start your round back by funneling your tailbone under towards your knees towards your feet. Just go halfway back on this first one, and then curl up deep and back in the waist to round yourself forward. Good, and go in again. Push your legs out wide to the side as you go back all the way if you want, if it feels good on your back. Bring your chin to your chest, round into yourself, curl yourself back up.

Good, one more time, roll back. If it feels good to you, go ahead and reach for the frame with your arms, give yourself a pull as you reach your heels forward. And then return your arms, lift your head and round yourself all the way up. Take your silver bar and reach up towards the ceiling. So lift as tall as you can.

In opposition to that, press your heels forward and reach your legs wide apart. Hinge back tall, long, taller, longer, return to the top, keep pushing your legs wide and forward. Again, lift as you lengthen, that's it, nice. And lift as you return to the top. One more, long and tall.

Nice hinging from the hips, you guys. Just go to the twist, twist to the right. And hinge back towards the corner of the Reformer. And then return all the way up. So, Sue, keep that same lift you had in your flat back.

Try not to let your upper body bend at all. And then return, that's it. Twist to the right. Long length, lengthen this side too. Yup, and come up.

And twist to the lift. Long length on both sides so you have that even reach. Return up, one more each way. Keep working the legs side to side. Work the heels forward.

Return up. Last one to the left. And come back up. Wonderful, put your bars away under your legs. Time for the tree.

Take one leg out, hold behind your thigh and sit up tall, stretch your leg, one. Stretch two. Stretch and hold, walk up towards your ankles. Good, flex your foot and bend your head forward towards your knee. Pause there and try to square off your hips, so you might need to move the right one a little bit front.

Rock yourself backward. Walk down towards your hip. Let your body unfold into the well. Good, lift your head and climb right back up towards your ankle. Bring your head towards your knee.

Try to keep your leg vertical and bring your head to your knee and your ribs and waist back and your hip forward. Go back again. Climbing down. And then lift your chin to your chest. This is just one variation, keeping the leg here.

Wrap the hip forward. Head to knee, create as much space as possible. Nice, Leslie, and then one more, walk it down. Good, lift your head and walk right back up to the top. And then come up to seated all the way upright.

Relax your leg. Switch to the other side. Left leg comes out, hold behind your thigh. How you guys doing? Amazing.

Stretch and bend. How are you guys doing? And keep your leg all the way up. Walk towards your ankle, flex your foot, and bend forward. Rock backwards, mm-hmm.

Stretch through the right leg so the heel that's under the strap as you climb down, let your chest open. Lift your head, scoop your waist and ribs back, climb to your ankle, bring your head to your knee. Go again. Tailbone reaches forward, lift hip reaches forward as you unfold back, lift your head, scoop your waist back. Very good, as you climb up.

One more time. Lower yourself down. Unfold into the well. Leslie, when you come up, be careful of crunching your neck so much, so instead just round your back. Don't worry about getting your head to your knee.

There we go. And then lift up tall out of your spine. All right, so both of you guys face this way first for your side sit-ups. Place your hands behind your head and lean out to create straight line from your heel to the top of your head. At the same time you do that, wrap your shoulders down and on your body and pull your pubic bone to your belly button.

Go out and over into the well. And then go out and up and come back up as much as you can without moving your hip. Go out and over into the well. And as you come up, fold over the side, but pull your femur into the your hip to do it. And again, so you get good, strong opposition.

Pull into your hip as you fold over. One last time, pull in a little there but not in the upper body. Good, go over into the well. Just put your right hand onto the ground and reach your left arm up and over your head. Sue, you can even reach the ground.

Ah, lovely stretch. Come all the way up and turn to the other side. All right, so find your long straight line from your heel to the top of your head. Nothing wavers. Go out and over into the well.

And then out and back up. Out and over, so pull the left, yeah. And out and back up. There you go, out and over. Really feel that femur.

Pull into the hip as you bend toward it. It will give you more intensity in your side. And more stability in your hip. Last time, very nice. Good, go over, place your hand down.

Give yourself a nice side stretch. And then bring yourself up. Step off, put your boxes away. And also get rid of your pulls. Let's go into your short spine.

So everything should be basically set up, including the straps. Because you already did the threading for your horse back. So you can hook the straps on the pegs. Go ahead and lie down. And place the straps on your feet.

So we'll be doing a short spine into the high frog. Oh, yes. (laughs) All right, three full short spines. Press your legs out to 45 degrees. Lift from your hips to take your legs over.

Sue, ake sure heels are together, toes are apart. Bend your knees towards your ears. Roll from your sternum first, then your ribs, then your waist, then your hips, then pull your heels into your seat. Stretch your legs out again. Push the straps so much that your hips lift.

That's nice, Leslie, gorgeous. Bend your knees to your ears and roll sternum first. So give space between chest and chin, then ribs, then waist, then tailbone. Yeah, Sue, reach your arms as they come in. One more full, lift your hips to go up and over.

Yes, bend your knees into your shoulders and roll down from the chest, from the ribs, from the waist and pull your heels into your seat. Okay, press yourself all the way out. We go into the high frog. From here, lift straight up to the ceiling. More like a long spine.

Bend your knees towards your ears. Press your feet forward and up. Again, bend your knees. Your hips are stable, your legs press forward and up. Bend your knees, push your arms down as you send your legs forward and up.

One more time, bending. Press your legs forward and up, hold. Now, finish a short spine. Be careful here. Your feet are gonna go over your head.

But your hips are quite high. So guide it in, bend your knees, and roll yourself down. Good, remove your straps. Put them into the well over your head. Semicircle, lift your headrest.

Same springs. Toes apart, heels together on the foot bar. Lift your hips a bit to slide yourself forward. And you're so sweaty that you just slide right forward. (woman laughs) All right, so knees only shoulder width.

Start from your sternum. So roll down from the sternum first, then the ribs, then the waist, then the hips in the well. Move the carriage out until the knees are about 90 degrees here. Then curl the tailbone as you roll up, keeping the carriage completely still. Once you're in a straight line with your body, come forward, reach your knees, and everything comes in.

Roll down again through the sternum. Through the ribs, through the waist, with the hips go down. Press the carriage all the way back. Curl your tailbone, roll your hips all the way up. And then reach yourself in, narrow the knees just a touch.

Go reverse it. Push the carriage back, pause. Roll down sternum, ribs, waist, hips, come forward. Curl the tailbone and roll up. Going one more time, press out.

Keep the arms nice and strong, like you're doing a handstand on the shoulder blocks. And then curl the tailbone and roll your hips all the way up. Pause, heels together, Sue. Reach your hands forward, grab your ankles. Lift your hips as high as possible, but also bring the ribs and the hips toward each other.

Hug the midline, put your heels together. Oh, yeah, good. Pull yourself right back onto the carriage. Take a couple of breaths. And then step off to the side for your chest expansion, thigh stretch, and arm circles.

Just grab your straps. I will trust you not to fall into the springs. Go ahead and knee on the Reformer. Hook your toes on the back edge. The knees are hip width right under your shoulders.

Your toes are hooked on the badge edge of the Reformer. There we go. And then create a straight line from knees all the way to the top of the head. Now take an inhale as you pull your arms down to the ground and back behind you, open your chest, hold. Turn your head to the right, and the other way.

And center, and return forward. You just have to remember which way you started and reverse it. Take a breath in as you pull and open your chest. Turn your head the other way. And then center.

And return the arms, very nice. Sue, stay forward with your hips and your shoulders even a little bit more. Pull again. It should feel like you're gonna tip into the well but you don't let yourself. Turn your head.

Turn your head, much better. Look center, and you have one more. Pull the arms down and back. Very nice, Leslie. Good, and then return the carriage with control.

Straps go in one hand. Turn carefully around, add one more string so there's three springs for thigh stretch. Put your knees up against the shoulder blocks, and the legs should be about hip width. So if it's a little narrower than the shoulder blocks, no problem. Choke up high on the straps.

Look down towards your knees. I want you to keep your knees in your vision. As you hinge back creating a straight line from knees to hips to shoulders. Keep seeing your knees. Lift the straps and bring yourself back up all the way.

Good, again hug your inner thighs toward each other as you hinge. So you keep a connection in the inner thighs to go back. And then lift the straps. Bring yourself right back up to the top. If you would like to go into the extension, do it on this next one.

If not, just stay straight. Hinge back. To extend, open the chest and take your head further back. Good, chin to chest. Close the chest a bit to lift the straps and come up.

Gorgeous. Straps in one hand, step to the side. Remove two springs. One spring should be left. Come to kneeling forward for arm circles.

Your feet pressed into the shoulder blocks. And pull the straps by your hips a little bit. Good, lean a little bit forward. And as you reach your arms forward and up on a high diagonal, lean even more forward so you're into the straps. Now, you have to stay there.

So as you open your arms to the side and down, you must rely on your own powerhouse, your own inner thighs. Your own hamstrings to keep your lean. Breathe. One more circle. Stay forward leaning, Leslie.

Try not to come back out of it. Reverse the direction, yes, reach. Stay forward in it right here. Use your core. There we go.

Much better, good, one more breath, one more circle. Good, and then lower your arms. Take your straps in one hand and step off to the side. Very nice. Okay, put the straps into the well.

And let's go onto your snake and twist. So you have one spring. Keep one spring on. Let's both start, yeah, come over to this side, if you wouldn't mind, Leslie. Both start with your left foot on the foot bar.

Left hand on the front of the carriage. Right hand on the shoulder block. Step up by lifting your lips and crossing your right foot in front of the left. Square your hips off so you're basically looking straight down at the carriage. Now, curl your tailbone and start to roll yourself, lift your ribs out, lower your hips, open your chest forward.

Tuck your chin. Lift your ribs, lift your waist. Bring that up hip up and then tuck your tailbone and roll forward. So sue has her hand down on the carriage because of length of her arms. Lift up, perfectly fine modification.

Now, the twist. Talk through the tailbone to roll yourself out. Then twist around to your left. Look over your shoulder and out the window. Untwist.

Return by lifting the ribs, lifting the waist to come all the way in. Try to draw this more into your shoulder. And go again, Les, do you need to step down? Nope. Okay.

Now curl your pubic bone to belly button. Twist yourself around. Untwist, come out of it. Yeah, keep that shoulder back, Sue. There we go.

Lift your right hip and step down to the ground. Other side. So place your right foot on. Mm-hmm, step your left foot up in front of the right. And then square yourself off to the carriage.

Tuck your tailbone in and curl through your spine as you press out. Then you'll lower the hips first as you open through the rest. Tuck your chin and articulate everything back all the way up. Again, start with the tailbone, curl through it, lift through the abdominals to open the chest. And then come all the way back in.

So just watch that shoulder. Yeah, gotta keep that connected. And do the twist now. Tuck the tailbone, twist around, pull the hips around to the right. Keep your right shoulder drawing down.

Yes, now untwist keeping the right shoulder engaged down, I need you to lift the hips up. Yes, one more time. Tuck the tailbone as you scoop and deepen. Rotate yourself around to the right, looking over your shoulder. Long, straight arm.

Untwist it, lift your ribs, lift your waist bringing it all the way in. Step off to the side. All right, nice job, ladies. Corkscrew. Please add one more spring.

So we have two springs. Headrest goes down. How are you feeling? Good. Okay. So good.

(laughs) Lie onto your backs. Pilates is magic. Hold onto the shoulder blocks on the back. Give yourselves a little space between, just a little bit between the shoulder block and your shoulders. Bring your legs to the ceiling and roll up into a shoulder stand.

Okay, try to get your elbows to go towards the mat. Take your legs to the right. Roll down the right side of your body, circle the legs around and up to the left side to the ceiling. Over to the left side of the body, circle the legs around all the way right up towards the ceiling. Work the elbows out and down to the right.

Circling the legs around, reach to come all the way up. Over to the left, reach long through the legs, long through the toes around and lift up. One more each direction. Wide elbows pressing into the mat as you lift. Last one to the left.

Reach through the legs. Circle them to come up. And lower your hips all the way down to the mat. Bend your legs for a moment, breathe. Okay, we will do the control balance off to this, roll off to the side.

Have you done that before? Mm-hmm. Okay, so slide forward. Give yourself a measurement of this space between the shoulder blocks and your head. Hold onto the same spot on the back of the shoulder blocks and go right back up to your shoulder stand position.

Place your left hand on top of the shoulder block. Keep your right hand where it is. Touch your right leg down to the outer edge of the Reformer. Feel where that is. Bring your leg back to the ceiling.

Touch your left leg down to the outer edge. Bring your leg up to the ceiling. Touch your right leg down again. So hold, make sure your left hand is on top of the block. Roll over your shoulder.

Come onto floor, lift yourself up. Left arm forward, right arm out. Hold, lift your chest up, all the way up. Lift your chest up, Leslie, up up up up up up up up. Go back to the same hand position.

Tuck your chin under so much that you can go down onto your shoulder. Both legs go up to the ceiling. There you go, beautiful. Center yourself. If you need to roll down and roll up, a-okay.

Other side, take your left leg down on the outside of the frame. And we'll just roll right over that side. Yes, the getting onto the apparatus is always the scarier part. So once you guys are here in this position, try to come more vertical with your body but keep your leg high, yeah, great. Place your hands back down in that same position.

Now really tuck your chin. Come towards your shoulder. As you reach both legs straight up to the ceiling. There you go, Sue, beautiful. And then roll yourselves down.

All right, step off to the side. Fun gymnastics time. Go around and get your boxes for the second long box. We stay on two springs. So we'll do the grasshopper swimming and rocking, which has some hamstring curls in it too.

All right, these are squishy boxes, so you don't need a pad here. Lie on your stomach. Place your hands on the edges of the foot bar frame. And you need to come forward so that you're basically on your hip bones or on the edge of the box. The carriage might be pushed out a little bit.

So come more forward, Sue. Keep coming, you're gonna hold onto that. There we go. So basically you want to be able to when you build your elbows and lower your chest, you want your legs to be able to come up behind you. So you need to be a little pendulum.

Mm-hmm, okay. So you're there. Go low, lift your legs as high as you can. Bend your knees toward your head. Straighten your legs out behind you.

And then beat your legs as you straighten your arms and lift your chest into a swan. Look forward, see me. There we go. And you go down again. So you dip down, bend the knees to your bottom.

Stretch the legs. Beat the legs as you straighten the arms and lift lift lift lift lift lift. Again, bend, good, bend and stretch. And beat beat beat beat beat beat beat beat. And one more time.

Dive down, legs lift up, bend the knees, keep looking forward, Sue. Yes, and beat beat beat beat beat beat beat beat. Lovely. Slide yourselves back onto the box just so that your ribs are on the box. And then reach your arms forward.

You guys might reach each other's fingertips, that's okay. And swim. Breathe in, breathe out. Hug your legs together more, Sue, that's right. Big legs, big arms.

You have more range of motion. It's okay if you give patty cake. All right, and then rest, good. Now, you have to step off to the side. Grab your straps again.

And you will sit actually like we get on for hamstring curls. So sit on the back facing this way. The straps, again the leather loop is through the handle. Cross the straps. Place one strap on each foot.

And then turn over onto your stomach so that the straps uncross. This is mainly done just if you don't have a teacher in the studio to help put the straps there. Okay, parallel legs, mm-hmm. Now, start on one spring now, remove one spring. And, all right, you guys are in the right position.

Place your hands behind your backs. Lift your chest up and look forward. So legs come together. Pull your feet towards your bottom and stretch your legs. Pull towards your bottom and stretch your legs.

Pubic bone into the box, pull towards your bottom. And stretch your legs. One more, pull in and stretch. Now, bend your knees and reach back for your ankles or your feet. Mm-hmm, I want you to press your feet into the your hands to pick your chest up so you'll come into an arch.

Now go back down. Pull your feet to your seat, three little kicks. One, two, three. Press your feet into your hands, pick your chest up. Lie back down, kick your bottom, three, two, one.

Press your feet into your hands, lift your chest up, hold. Now rock, so stay up and lift your legs, lift your chest. Lift your legs, lift your chest. From your hamstrings, from the hamstrings push the legs up. That's it, Sue, almost, and lift, there we go.

And pause. Release your feet. Let the carriage come in. Put your hands on the frame to shake the straps off your feet. And step off to the side.

Yes, don't worry if you can't move that one, just trying is enough. Bend forward for a second. Soft knees. And just tap the backs of your legs. Lovely.

Put your long boxes away. That's one of the favorite things about Pilates is that you don't have to be, make it look beautiful and that it's perfect. Trying to get there is just as much of a workout as possible. Yeah, okay. Let's do your long spine massage.

So we need two springs. And you need to add your extension straps onto the straps. I will assist. The headrest also needs to be down. Thank you.

Thank you. Okay, lie on down, place the straps onto your feet. Sorry, Leslie, you didn't get the help. It's all right. All right.

When you are ready, press your legs out to 45 degrees and roll straight up into your shoulder stand, keeping your feet in front of or towards me of your hips, open your legs shoulder width. Push your legs forward as you articulate down into the carriage. Close your legs, roll up. Open, push your legs forward as you roll. Close and roll up.

Open, push the legs forward as you roll, reverse. Open to lift the hips. Close your legs, push forward as you roll. Open to lift, close, push, reach with that right leg, Sue. Open and lift, both hips up.

Push with the right leg and bend your knees into your chest, good. Just take off the straps and throw them into the well. Good, lift your headrest as you step to the side. Knee stretches, just the knees off. 15 repetitions of your knees off.

So getting into position. Start actually seated for a sec, Leslie. So bring your hips way back to your feet. Then pick your knees up in that position. Then push out to straight legs and pull all the way in.

So full range of motion. Each time you come back in to where you began. Really round the back, pulling, go all the way to straight leg, Sue, push and pull. I hope you're counting. (woman laughs) 'Cause otherwise I'll start again at one.

15, when you're done with 15, bring the carriage in. One five. Step off to the side. Good, running, add one spring so you're back to your three springs you did foot work on. Parallel legs, feet together, heels lifted.

Move the carriage all the back and go for your run, breathe. Just let all the work you've done so far settle into your body. Feel the connections you've made. Let your heart rate come down a couple of notches. And then lift both heels and bend your knees to come in for pelvic lift.

Your feet go to the corners. Curl your tailbone up a couple of inches. Push the carriage all the way back and out. And then bend your knees and come in. Really curl the tailbone.

You're bending the lower part of the back and come all the way in. Press back and all the way in. Good, one more time, press and lengthen. Chest is open, bring it all the way in. And lower your hips all the way down.

Okay, step off to the side. Let's do your Russian splits. You need two springs. And you need the black sticky pad again on the headrest. Place your hands onto the shoulder blocks.

Step up onto the carriage in the center. Place your left foot back on the foot bar. Heel on the top so you're crossing the corner with your foot. Hop your right foot forward so your arch is over the crease of the headrest. Bend your right leg and go out to a lunge.

Push the carriage out until you find a lunge. Your back leg is really straight pressing in. Move your front leg to straight and bend your knee bring it back in. Scoop your stomach in your ribs as you push through your big toe and come in. One more.

Move the leg to straight. Come in, hold it there. Lift your upper body. Place your hands behind your head. Stay in a low lunge with a strong back leg.

Push the carriage out. Bend the knee in. Strong left leg, press, bend it in. Stronger leg when you move it out. Good, put your hands down on the shoulder blocks.

Scoot your front foot forward so your heel is in the crease of the shoulder block. Straighten the knee, and move out to a deep split. Hold it there. Now, still, really work that strong back leg. Lift your hips up to bring the carriage in.

Both hips square to the ceiling. Press out. Push through both legs to move the carriage out. And then lift your waist, lift your ribs to scissor both legs all the way back in, one more. Push through both legs to move out.

And scissor the legs, lift the hips, bring the carriage in. Hold it in, move your front foot back to the center of the carriage. Bring down the back foot, switch. Right foot goes back across the back corner. And then the front foot goes arch over the crease of the headrest.

Find a lunge. Push the carriage out with the front leg and bring it back in so your foot is right under your knee. Scoop through the belly as you press forward. And bring it back in. Better with this leg on this side, Sue, good.

Hold it in your lunge. Lift your upper body. Place your hands behind your head. Move out through the front leg. And bring it back in.

Back leg is strong. Abdominals deep in as you push. Good shoulders. And bring it back in, last time, press. Pull it in.

Put your hands on the shoulder blocks. Move your front foot forward. Straighten the knee, push the carriage all the way out to the splits. And then lift your hips, scissoring the legs to come in. Press out, hold it out there, and you can turn your right ear down to your knee.

Keep it there as you bring the hips up, bring the carriage in one more time. Press through both legs evenly. And then lift your hips up to bring the carriage in. Step your front foot to the center. And then step all the way to the ground, very nice.

All right, let's do your star. So please remove the pad. Two springs are fine. Place your left hand in the center of the foot bar and your left foot kind of kitty-corner. Uh-huh, and then step up into a side plank.

Your right leg comes up on top of the shoulder block. Great. Move the carriage all the way out. As you lift your arm and your leg and come in. Move it out, lift your arm and your leg and come in.

Move it out and lift. Come in. Just do one more. Move it out like that. Bring it all the way in.

Hold the carriage in. Without moving the carriage, step behind you with your right foot to the floor. Good, and then change to the other side. A simple star for the day. (laughs) Hand right in the center.

Thumb with your fingers. Step the right foot up and then the left foot on top. And the most important part is stability in your hip and your shoulder. Then move the carriage out from those spots as you lift your arm and your leg. And move from those spots as you lift.

Good, two more. Press. And one more time. Keep the carriage in as you step off behind yourselves. Nice.

And then stand looking straight ahead. You can go right around, right there by your Reformer. Take a deep breath in. Lift your arms up to the ceiling. Look up at your hands.

Touch them, and then exhale. Open your arms to the side as you grow taller through your spine, taller through your waist. And you guys are done.