Full-Body Reformer Flow

Hi everybody! Welcome to class, I'm glad you're here it's gonna be a flowing class, not too long, not too hard, but hopefully I'll challenge you a little bit. Set yourself up on a light spring just so we can sit down and do a little bit of a warm-up. So, we're gonna start just sitting down I have it on a light spring I'm gonna actually go lighter in a minute but I wanna be safe as we sit. The foot bar is up, I'm on balance body, by light spring I just have it down on two reds to fulls to hold the carriage still as I get here and then I'm changing it. So now that you're safely on your carriage, find where you can sit straight up on your sit bones and hopefully you can hold on to your bar I'm more or less pushing down rather than pulling but if you have the option to pull, that's kinda nice, too.

Be careful, though. So, now I'm gonna take off the spring down to just one, ground your feet into the floor if you're on a lower reformer where your feet can't be in this position and they're out in front of you, you can either hug the foot bar or hug the frame and let your knees be bent that'll work just as well, I believe. Alright, so the arms are straight we're on the sit bones, and we inhale and we just grow tall, and I don't know about you but sometimes I just have to futz to find my way to where I wanna be, exhale. (exhales loudly) and then inhale, and this time I'm gonna think about it a little bit just to kinda hug the reformer, become a little more part of the reformer, in my case it means a little inner thigh at the frame and the downward press of the arms and/or lats is probably more accurate, and then finish that exhale when you have and inhale from here I'm just gonna exhale and curl the pelvis backwards, so my hands are pressing down, I'm not really pulling here. For me, I do, like, that sense of spreading the bar apart, just to get in contact with everything I can, not a lot of strain, though, then inhale, sit up. Just to straight, find the straight and this position it's really tempting to go into an arch, just find straight if you can.

Exhale, a subtle downward pressure on the arms and maybe a spreading of the palms as you roll the pelvis back and inhale (inhales loudly) Just do more, we'll change it a little, exhale. The idea that you're not collapsing, that you're in charge, that you realize that the inner thighs, the lats, the whole trunk, the whole body is working in concert with you and for you (inhales loudly) last one, (exhales loudly) and then, once you get that, once you feel that connection, you can get a little wild and get a little free, which we'll do now. I'm taking all the spring off, which is not a little bit different, but I backed up just a little because I could, and now as I exhale, instead of rolling backwards I'm sending the pelvis forward, and the tractioning of the hands remains the same. Inhale, this time if you'd like, you can allow the hips to roll back a bit. In my case, and hopefully yours, you can hug the frame a bit, it just feels good if you can't, you can adjust wherever it's just looking for room in your body is really what we're going for.

So, not real rules, this one is more wild than the last one, the last one wasn't even wild at all the idea being don't worry about the shoulders so much as finding some movement in your spine, now, just go at whatever pace feels good to you. I'm gonna come back to straight and just move both arms to the right end of the bar you could also, just as an idea, you could hold lower, too that actually feels like I almost want to do that but I'm not going to, you can from here, it's still the pelvis going forward because my bar's locked in, I can almost lean back on it and then push away and extend and that feels good more to the one side rounding and releasing, all the while trying not to collapse, even as I go through rounded and extension, other side both arms move over, round, essentially hips go straight forward, but you could also lean into the hip that you're stretching a little more. Okay, so both hands out to the edge of the bar let's just do one where you feet are firmly grounded you're aware of that and then extend the spine notice how easily your ribs open, if they do and if they really open easily you'll probably feel your low back from here, just draw the ribcage in. Sometimes a simple exhalation will do it, but if it instantly draws tension elsewhere that's a thing to watch for, so we're just learning about ourselves in these first few minutes. Let's come in, put what you're going to use your foot and legwork springs on now for me, that's gonna be four springs basically heavy, the balance body has an option for more, one more spring but I'm happy with what I have, three red and a blue if you've got the aeropilates, use all four grats all four, of course, and maybe just three if you need to.

Alright, for now put the bar down get it out of your way. We're just doing our warm-up here so you could leave the bar if it's too hard to take down, but if you can it's nice to have it gone. Toes are on the foot bar head rest is flat, arms are down pelvic curl, inhale, exhale we roll ourselves up, articulating the spine even more so we carry that same initial contraction we were doing through the body. Use the back of your arms, use the back of your legs inhale, exhale, melt your way back down. And again, inhale and exhale (exhales loudly) again, it's all inventory in the beginning it's sometimes letting go of judgment sometimes it's just, Oh, how free can I be now?

And we may not be as free as we'll be in the end but we can certainly think about letting it go now (exhales loudly) I'm gonna do two more. The bottom just paying attention to what your feet do. Where does this initiate? For me I think the middle of my body and then instantly I need the hamstrings in order for the sequential movement to happen where it looks sort of seamless and then I gotta think about my feet especially in this position, I need more weight on the inner seam of the leg and now, what about you? Are you rolling your feet out?

In, last one here. (inhales and exhales loudly) up up up, and then wherever you land it if you can, take a peek down your body, is it possible to drive more energy into the feet, literally standing into the feet more, tuck the pelvis more, it's not about the height but it's about feeling the back of the body more, and then, yeah, if you can lift the pelvis more without thrusting the ribs, do take an inhale if you haven't already and roll down on your next exhale. And then from there just take the arms around and grab the posts or the side of the frame and we bring the knees up inhaling the knees over to the front towards me, do your best to keep your knees lined up and the shoulders down if that's too much, you can put your feet on the floor but let's aim for this, other way, inhale it's almost like swaying and the reason I say that word is because for me, I could make this very block-like but instead I want the ribs or at least to try to let the ribs come down before the hips and the legs come back sway, and that's not my nature (laughing) so, for me I kinda have to go right, don't over tighten the legs yeah, they're meant to be together but they don't have to be anything else than that, and oh I just noticed the white knuckles, I can't even see them but I've got them, so I'm gonna mellow out on my hands and not go as far so that I can actually warm up the body where I want it warm, not my hands not my legs, I want the middle warm I want the spine flexible, I wanna feel younger at the end of this alright, go ahead put the feet down. From there just take your hands I'm a little away from the shoulder rest just so you know if you might want to adjust for that. Hands behind your head support your head and exhale, curl up (exhales loudly) from there drop your head back this is a hard one, I think it's literally maybe if you sling the head, if you let the elbows pull forward, wrap around your head and really just drop your head back then you might notice your chin is almost resting on your chest. Instead of that, well keep that for now, actually drop your sternum right in the middle of your chest to come a little bit higher then lift your head up a little bit not out of your hands, still goes back into your hands.

You might need to stay there or open up the elbows a little bit from there exhale and pick up the right knee. (exhales loudly) inhale, just keep the body where it is but lower that leg same leg comes again, number two of four (exhales loudly) inhale down. Start that exhale and see the belly drop but keep your head pressing almost straight back into your hands one more time (exhales loudly) anticipating slightly the next one switching legs (exhales loudly) and down trying to keep the height of the body maybe even thinking like I'm just about to get up here two more (exhales loudly) sometimes just initiating with that exhale really helps as it goes down we inhale, exhale pick up the right leg, turn towards it (exhales loudly) come back to center that leg goes down, same leg comes up, two (exhales loudly) just kind of finding ourselves it's slow, it's kinda deep, it's kinda intense if you ask me, but that's alright we'll move in a second. Faster, switch, exhale. (exhales loudly) and center don't want to drop back and try to check in with the chin I say that for myself a lot, I don't know if I do it well, but I am trying and center, and then just let your head come center and come on down. We'll move on, go ahead and just rock yourself up and put your foot bar up.

So, we're already set for foot and leg work, we'll go right back down. Headrest up or down, it's up to you. But I think I'm gonna go up today. I usually go middle, or at least today we'll remember to put that down in a few exercises but here we go, heels in parallel, about sits bones distance apart settle in, feel that weight of your body and then let's take up some space so let's open up those joints press out, pull in, press out take a few kind of slow, we'll speed up a little but not yet, doing this, checking are you getting to full extension? Are you finding that subtle sense of the back of the legs?

If not, look for it, for me it's a subtle downward pressure of the heels opening up as if our body were like a spring. You don't hit land, you stretch and you pull back and you become in concert with the springs let's do a few more here, and then we'll change foot positions. I'll say four, three, noticing whatever you do in your own body two, one, really get out there did you go as far as you can? Did you lengthen, not by tightening, but almost by letting go? And then what happens?

That's interesting, come back down to the toes and by toes I mean ball of the feet push out on one, pull in it's the same thing you finish everything, you put the exclamation point on it, right? You try to leave your heels in place in space (exhales loudly) nice and long it's like finding room, finding room let's do three more, one, pull in here's two, one more time. Stay out here, because we're here lower those heels slowly down two three, but as you do, stretch the other way. So we're not just going slow with the springs we're opposing the spring we're getting a sense of what the spring is offering us we're not collapsing here, 'cause then it's just slow and weird, rather we're pulling the feet down as we try to lengthen in opposition let's do a few more, I'll come back to some version of this in a minute but for now, it's examining how we relate to our equipment and really ourselves, probably. Alright, come on down by bending the knees touch the heels together, settle your feet do your best to get all five toes on the bar push out, get out there, hold on are you sure you're there?

Are you gripping the glutes? You can use your glutes, I want you to use your glutes, but not until you fully extend the knee, now you can wrap around not to turn the legs out more, but to just feel the back of the body, here we go press out, pull in. I'm gonna let you figure that part out, how do you pull yourself in when the spring is actually pushing you in? I don't know, but you can. (exhales loudly) there's some sense of knees first, I think (exhales loudly) I would tell you my breath if I was consistent with it but generally I press out and exhale but I'm looking, too. Look for what works.

Next one, come down, stay down. Heels go to the edges of the bar I'm gonna opt to keep them not parallel, but not nearly as turned out as I could because I know where I go there and I would like to invite you to, if you're really open in your hips, hold back, if you're not and you wanna challenge it, go ahead. But in any case keep it as it starts we press out, hold it there check it out, what are your feet doing? Bring the feet with you, meaning keep them flexed so that they don't travel back and forth and come in, exhale out (exhales loudly) A cue I sometimes need and I'll offer you is it's as if my feet are stuck, they're just there as if I were on the ground and anything above it can work but not them so it's not a driving downward force it's more of an inward and up force if that means anything to you. Inner thighs (exhales loudly) it's an expansion and that might be a good case for inhaling on the way out, it's up to you it's just moving, it's just moving.

Give yourselves one more out and in right away, both feet at the same time to the toes, push out, pull in heels are stable, and in not much going on in terms of motion in the spine but the fact that it's holding pretty still means that you're adjusting all the time (exhales loudly) fully finish those legs don't be afraid to strengthen those knees all the way if you don't lock 'em, meaning rest on them keep energy around both sides let's do two more, one more nice and long, resist your way back in. Come back to the feet not totally together but I've got a couple of inches between my feet push out, I'm on the ball of the feet, sorry lengthen from the hip, check in with the ribs it's okay if you have space between your lower back and the mat if that's natural and we let the left heel drop without hyper extending or rolling the heel up and that's something to look at or think about you push through the foot that's flexed, in this case the left, way up to tiptoes and you stretch out not just the Achilles tendon and cap, but stretch that foot, too push to come out of it. Let's go a little quicker down, up, down up, down, up connect your feet to the rest of your body you feel your arms, maybe your breath breathe up, and a little quicker still. And up, down, up, down. (exhales loudly) breathing however it works for you I'm doing it about four more one, up, two, up, feel the feet, three up and last one, four and up, and come on actually stay there, let one heel drop. You might need a full break, check that you're not fully hyper extending that knee and you can adjust what, do I want to put a little more weight on the big toe, the little toe, turn the heel in or out, just sort of find what you need before we switch to the other side, put that same foot, the arch of the foot on the bar let it carry the load, take the load off.

So all I'm doing is keeping that, still the left like straight and just repositioning where I put all the weight and the arch as I take off the right foot god, feels good, whew, sort of. Okay, bend the knees, come down reposition so that both feet are about where they were a moment ago, push right back out on the balls of the feet and now just stretch that other side, push that right side down, hips theoretically still pretty level you didn't pop the hip out to the side you can roll the ankle or find where your heel needs to be for the better stretch for you you might even like to bend you knee that's being stretched slightly with your body and then when you're ready, I've still got the weight now on this left leg and I'm just repositioning where I set it on the foot activating whatever's under there that makes me feel better (laughing) I encourage you to do it. I do the fun curbs, kinda soft shoes, or none okay, that's enough fun, come on down let's come up and take the springs down so, I'm not gonna do any single length today I am gonna drop it if I was on four, which three red and a blue I'm dropping it to a red and a blue now, so one and a half, kinda light it's gonna be in my hands so come on back down we take hold of the straps, and for now Scoot a little bit away from the shoulder rest pick your feet up, squeeze the inner thighs together and then kind of let the rest relax and you pull down with your arms first that's all, you reach forward enough and that's all and you pull down and you come up (exhales loudly) and that's going well, we're gonna pick the head, neck, and shoulder's up too, just leave the legs curled up, same thing. You come down, you curl up the arms I like to lead the arms a little bit first and then the head neck and shoulders follow otherwise it becomes a little necky for me. One more time, adding on if you want you're gonna extend the legs as you go press out, reach and then bend then come back in remember how we're part of the spring we reach and we come back in it's not so much the energy all has to go that way it's just a controlled energy, alright so we don't have to force anything, we just have to be with it.

(exhales loudly) stay up on this one, stay there inhale the arms up a little, exhale them down a little inhale them up a little exhale them down a little (inhales and exhales loudly) one more bend the knees and way in and down we go step on the foot bar with your left foot so that leg is straight so into the strap with the right foot find that resistance so that you can just reach into it to pick that other foot up, and here we are, adjusting ourselves for the frog the feet are turned out, the heels are together we bend like a frog and for a moment I'm gonna encourage you to instead of just feeling the tension, which is not that heavy I realize, inward maybe you can imagine some downward pressure so your leg bones are really relaxing deeper into the socket exhale press away the next thing I would say is just do as little as you can to keep the heels together and make the action, if you over commit it becomes well, boring, and lack of control, and neither (laughing) feels as good, if you ask me. And we reach and we pull and we design where our body's going and we feel it changing the springs, we're connected to that it's a bit of a dance, but who doesn't like dancing? Stay out there, softly point the toes and that's just to keep the straps on mostly, I think come up to about 90, we're gonna go down again and open around in circle. And so for now what we're thinking is it's as if the straps or our feet are hands holding the straps so it's not just this passive attachment that we have, okay we're moving the springs, we're allowing the springs to work with us so that we can feel the inward pull, we can feel the outward pull we can feel the downward pull and all the while lubricate through the joints. But you've gotta let that stuff happen so here's about three or four more (exhales loudly) the rest of you is pretty still I'll finish on the down here, let's come up, inhale up (exhales loudly) it is about shapes to some degree I think, but once you know the shape, what can you find within that shape?

Why would we do this shape? We need to stir up the hip joints, to lubricate the hip joints to find some mobility around there while the rest of us stays pretty still for who knows why, lots of reasons, so we can get out of a chair so we can run, someday, hold it there so they're back together flex your feet reach into the strap and it doesn't take a whole lot of tightening of the legs to just feel like you're reaching as you open you separate and you reach to bring 'em together it isn't an up or a down it's a hard description to make on a video but it's truly sliding the legs out sliding them in paying attention to what your own hips are doing are they rocking? Is one wanting to take over? Are you trying to press down as you bring 'em back together? Try to find that space where it's really its like it almost feels like you're not gonna do anything, and when you actively make the motion you might even get a little tremor if you don't overdo, maybe, that might just be me.

I wanna do one more. Alright, let's put the headrest down if it's up come back to a frog with the little short spine we press out, we fold the legs over, try for all the way to the stopper meaning carriage hits from there we peel the hips up I'm definitely using the back of my arms not pulling on the strap much at all I didn't move the carriage, promise inner thighs still strongly together even though you're bending the knees now to bring them toward the shoulder stops you start to melt your way back down you might need to climb your arms further along or at least think about that direction. From here we flex the feet, I've gone as low as I can on my spine, I'm gonna kep the shape and draw the heels over, back to the start we press out, several ways you can do it, that's the way I'm doing it today, we fold over, we might find more room this time if we let it well peel up as if we didn't have straps on but we don't let them go loose we bend a frog the straps are still with us just like the springs were we're in charge here, we roll down we melt down, we press down, we feel good when we go down, flex the feet, pull it over use the back side of your body press inhale, fold, (inhales loudly) exhale we peel up (exhales loudly) inhale bend to frog and exhale melt it down, inhale pull over last one, we press out, full extension fold at the hips, in a way you can just let the straps bring you but it's just the way that you don't just like carry, you're working in concert bend to frog, we'll hold down, once you've gone as low as you can with your spine, flex the feet, bring the heels over take your hands into the straps take your feet out, bring your arms straight up above shoulders, knees at tabletop we're going into the 100 position, so we just shoot everything out, hold exhale there, open the legs, close the legs bend the knees, bring the arms up and the head finally goes down. Here's a breath pattern for you it's a long exhale, open close bend inhale as you come down for ordination exhale open close bend inhale, come down three more exhale reach open close bend you can start to play with the tempo (exhales loudly) open close bend and down one more time, reach forward open close bend and down we go feet to the foot bar put your straps away help yourself up and time for a stretch so take down one spring I'm taking off my lightest spring, I just have one left one red, nice easy stretch not easy, no stretch is easy if you ask me (laughing) these days I'm gonna start with this sorta traditional ease lunge which is the foot at the shoulder block the foot on the floor is more forward, and then before I drop into the stretch I'm thinking of vertical body, a bit of a touch pelvis just so I don't drop into my lower back, hands go down and then it's literally I'm pushing the carriage away. Rather than just going for an action I've created that a push away and then if I need more I'm still pushing away, I'm still attempting or biasing as we learned it toward a posterior tuck or a pelvic tuck as opposed to dropping into the low back you shouldn't feel anything in your low back but if you're more flexible than me, you could be quite low, too.

From that place, you're just gonna shift your energy backwards by straightening the forward leg you may need to readjust the hips so they're lined up, and the focus will now be the back of the leg things that help are if you make sure that you have a straight spine and that your hips are square (inhales loudly) you could repeat that, I'm not going to I'm gonna walk around and do the other side but you could pause and do that, it's never a bad idea. Foot is on, thinking again that subtle sense from knee to chest maybe is not so vertical but it is a good idea if everything is tucking under and forward then you push the leg out from underneath. Make adjustments whenever you need to look for what you want, in this case we're aiming for the front of the thigh and hip to be stretched. Hmmm (exhales loudly) and then when you're ready, extend the forward leg and we have to tilt the pelvis some, it doesn't necessarily mean that the carriage will go real far back in my case, particularly on this side I actually have to bring the carriage is so that I can get that flat back and square hip to feel the hamstring if it's not enough, then you just keep reaching tailbone to sky with a flat back and come on in, just climb aboard we'll stay here, a foot to each shoulder rest I'm gonna add, though you don't have to. . Add that blue spring, that light spring back on so I'm back to one and a half, you don't have to it's kind of harder in a way if you don't, but if you're not used to doing knee stretches it might be easier to find so hands are wide on the bar we've done that scoop or posterior tuck sitting back so that the back is rounded and it will stay that way the front of those hips are open for now we push with the back of the legs not to lean forward but to work the back of the legs then we draw the abdominals in as if the springs weren't there, that's why a light spring makes this a little more challenging, but for now, out and in, a little quicker, a lot quicker (exhales loudly) focus on the in, inner thigh strong (exhales loudly) not much changing on the actual spine and it's like you're squeezing out the air squeeze out the air and let it out in four, push, three, push, two, push, one come in flatten your back, it's gonna feel a little bit like your sticking your butt up, so downward press on those arms, maybe even a spreading of the bar apart, push out you might be able to go further because the back is flatter, and a hinge of the hip to pull it back in, so it's out pull in, out pull in, can you find a bit of a stretch to the front of the abdominals, even as they're contracted and slightly working? Ooh, there's a lot, I'll give you five more, one push, two, push three (exhales loudly) and five from there you stay on that stopper.

I'm gonna keep mine heavier like this, you might even want it slightly heavier, I'm about to stand in a pyramid position for those of you who are a little more advanced and used to this equipment, you can certainly take off that blue spring otherwise you're up to that up stretch one or the pyramid like shape same deal with the hands, using the back of the legs without much else changing, you push the carriage back, that's all, and then as if there were no spring, you lighten up on the feet, you pull into the belly and the springs actually will be the thing that brings it home rather than you driving your legs into the mat let's go ever so slightly quicker maybe not as big inhale back, exhale in (inhales loudly) (exhales loudly) the focus is in (exhales loudly) with this spring it's gotta be, if you're not finding it, go lighter, but be careful (exhales loudly) holding it there, you're at the stopper, we're gonna go into a plank so from here we're gonna do a nice long back, you're gonna rotate around the shoulders come into a plank as you push out go right back where you were (exhales loudly) so you land ears between biceps inhale to plank, boom, exhale bring it back I was just with Real, can you tell? I keep saying boom, boom, all day. And back, although he says it way more passionately. I'll let him do it, and back. Alright next time we go into plank we're gonna hold that into the long stretch, we don't need to move the feet, we'll just travel forward to the extent that we can, and if you can hit the stopper, do.

Then you push through the legs, strong legs to go back we drift forward but we kep the integrity of the body the legs, the spine, and the arms, everything (exhales loudly) and one more and come on back to come up to pyramidish the shape again, but this time flatten your heels, notice your feet you get to look right at 'em, don't ya, so we wanna make sure we're not rolled in or out pick up the toes to prove that, draw energy to the midline of the body and we press down and forward one, and same thing as before two, this elephant, three (exhales loudly) four, (exhales loudly), we'll just do one more here voila, alright then, and come on down to the side. And we'll go into seated arms. So let's just take the foot bar down and out of our way and lower the spring while you're at it. So I'm going to one spring, one red spring and then it's gonna be up to you to be able to sit up straight, if you can't, you can bend the knees you may find this one more useful to elevate yourself and sitting on something. Get right up against the back.

Palms in the middle, see it's not on your fingers you collarbones are wide and you press down and back, and down and forward. Press down and back, down and forward so it's this idea of yes you're working your arms, but if you were only working your arms it would completely shift your spine, so instead we're growing taller, we're working the back muscles, too (exhales loudly) controlling for it (exhales loudly) take the arms out in front of you right at the shoulder height, and resist the temptation to round the shoulders forward and collarbones wide and then it's just, not just, it's a biceps curl without leaning back or forward, it could be more challenging than we think, sometimes if we continuously thing upwards I don't care how advanced you are I your skill level, you can always come back and surround that spinal column with som integrity and easy movement, in terms of intricacy (exhales loudly) just do one more as a way of supporting ourselves take your hands through the strap so that it's right up to the elbow, or the very top of the forearm maybe is another way to say it, by the way, you can cross your ankles or you can even use the outward press on the shoulder rest if you want, and we just separate the arms, okay and when you get out here to the side, check that you aren't rotating the arms forward, the hands aren't doing anything weird, but rather trying to elbows right over wrist and there's more, not thrusting the ribs so you're still squeezing those inner thighs together still reaching the crown of the head upwards (exhales loudly) and in this first part, really there's more to this but in the beginning you think about not pinching the shoulder blades together, you might find it more effortful, which is good in this case. Get to those ones right up there. (exhales loudly) right, we're turning around so keep watch on those straps or rehook them and regrab 'em so they don't get crossed and you can sit cross legged or straight ahead is how I'm gonna do it for the hug a tree arms out to the side, elbows basically point backwards and we press forward in the end, it's almost like its a very square tree, I'm not hugging, because that changes things I want to feel the pec muscles, I wanna feel even the biceps, I wanna feel my back muscles keeping me upright, a subtle bend to the elbow is fine, if they end up straight that's also fine (exhales loudly) nice broad collarbones broad shoulder blades even. Let's just do one more if you can, keep the legs there you can still go back to cross-legged.

Actually, I take that back, I'm not going overhead we're gonna take the thumbs right around the shoulders or temples and just salute straight ahead there so they end up on a diagonal probably close to temples is a better idea with this position. And now, the further forward your arms go, the taller your back is (exhales loudly) you can bend your knees, it's alright. If they're trembling, it's alright. (breathing loudly) Good, let it come down, we're getting there go ahead and grab your box if you have one, if not, you're gonna lie side lying on the mat and just left both legs every time we lift. This spring, we're not actually using our body weight against springs, but we want the carriage still, so I'm loading it up with a three just so it doesn't move around and I have the foot strap for little side overs So we take the foot under the strap and a couple ways you can do this, depending on, really the comfort level at the level I'm gonna teach it.

You could wrap the foot and be a little more on the tall side of your leg, that's absolutely fine it's not a bad way to start, so I'm gonna offer that. It's gonna end up with the side of your leg on the box so that's where I'm gonna go, but there's your option and start with your hand down at the shoulder rest and your other arm on top, and then just notice what you could do, you could fall into it, but it's just not your style, not in this class. So we're gonna lift up away from it, it's there for help if we were to need it, but we don't, so much so that we can wrap that arm in front, and we dive down. The far leg is reaching the whole time, it's our traction, it's in the air, toes are pointed basically forward, and two of only five three, feel the stretch, put your fingers in your abs feel that engage just before you come up. And again, try not to rotate, that's pretty key, so don't look around too much, here's the last one.

And up, voila, and other side. One foot under, keep the position of your foot and I liked it once I put my hand on the header so I like to feel for it, right? So I'm secure in it, I'm lined up as best as I can be. As least without a mirror, and we inhale to go over, that bottom arm up and wrapped in front of the abdominals, and up not coming all the way up to upright you could, but to me, again we're only doing five that's a bit of a rest that we don't need. Let's just fatigue it and be done with it, shall we?

Three and four, it's not a snake, don't let your head lead on the way back up, this must be it already. Enjoy, voila, great! You can take your foot out of that, come off turn your box the other way so you're going face down and we'll do some pulse drops. Out of the traditional order, but enough to make us feel like we've rounded out the whole scenario, um, we were semi locked down on the carriage, but now I'm gonna take it down to one red spring one full spring. Even out your box, and lie over the top. If you don't have a box you can be on the floor doing a version of swimming or even reaching forward and you'll take your arms to the side, otherwise it will be identical.

And working the same muscle groups, only a little harder for you on the floor (laughing) alright, so our chest is just at the edge or near it with these straps we have what I encourage is to wrap higher so you have something to grab onto but that it's not pinching your hands either arms just in front of you a little bit, pull those abdominals in and engage the back of the legs, you want the help here, always nothing works in isolation, it turns out. Bring it back and then slowly down and forward and if you're so strong and you just want to pull pull pull, do, but try not to drop your chest into the well, keep those collarbones wide and, again, use only what you have to to get you where you need to go, save some energy for the rest of the day. It really doesn't start at the hands, it starts below the shoulders and then you get those arms in right next to your body can you go higher without dipping down? Can you look forward a little bit? Hug those arms in and down, we'll do three more (exhales loudly) that's it, so stay focused, (inhales loudly) it's like a bullet, don't forget those legs, it's not the feet, it's really at the glutes last one, up, up, up, up, up, and down.

All the way, unwrap the hands please, straps back on come off the side, and then to finish just either take hold of the carriage or the side or even your knees and we're just gonna round back, not pulling just sort of allowing ourselves to drape, and then slide your hands to the back of the box you can lean into it a little just to arch and stretch out the hands, and one more round and this time just let the arms slide back as you become a little more upright a little more vertical, hopefully with a little more space turn the arm bones out, inhale, up (exhales loudly) and exhale (exhales loudly) and we're done, well done, thanks!