Class #3970

Step Up Your Reformer

45 min - Class
706 likes

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You will feed your strength and power with this dynamic Reformer workout by Erika Quest. She uses the Box for the entire session, sharing athletic-inspired sequences that bring you into weight-bearing. These unique and creative movements will amplify your practice as you work on mobility, balance, and coordination.
What You'll Need: Reformer w/Box

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Hey everyone, it's Eric AQuESTT. I'm back and I'm always stoked to see you. We've got a really nice non traditional movement session on the reformer using the box. We're going to change your Springs very little. I think you'll be very happy to hear that. The idea behind this is athletic inspired sequences that bring you out of weightbearing. So oftentimes we want to take a look at our reformer and lie down on our backs, which is awesome. Please keep doing that, but this is going to feed your strength and power or give you unique ideas and creative ideas to train yourself and maybe add into some sessions.

You might recognize this guy, this is Nico Gonzalez. He's back with me. He's going to be working out with me this whole time and you're going to need a couple of things. First of all, you're going to need a reformer in a box for sure. Second of all, have some grip around just in case you're on wood floors and you need to secure your box a little bit. And third of all, make sure you have a towel just in case you get sweaty. So we're going to get started together. And what I'd like for you to do is make sure you have some weight on your reformer just so that we can get you warmed up. And then we'll begin to transition into the workout itself.

So come on down and have a seat on your foot bar and make sure it's in, obviously your down position. And then what I want you to do is actually kind of reach back behind you. Find your box that you've set on your reformer and lean back onto it because you have the load on the reformer carriage so that it won't move. So we're hitting the box relatively right in the middle back position and I want you to reach your arms forward. The first thing I want you to do is just give me some arm reaches.

So on an inhale, one arm reaches back, the other arm reaches forward and exhale, switch the arms and reach. Good switch and reach. Just starting to feel those shoulders move, noticing where your body's at in space. You can have your head back a little bit. If that feels good for you or you can be looking forward. Just don't strain your neck here. That's all that I'm asking.

As you're just feeling your shoulders move a little bit, two more times please. And then we're going to start to roll back towards the box last one and then reach the arms forward from here. Take your arms to your ears, let the spine extend to the box, open up the front line of the body, big circle of the arms, and then bring yourself back up to your starting position. It should feel really nice. Do that again. So here we go. Inhale and allowing that extension to come in and exhale. You can absolutely make micro adjustments if you want to move the position of where the spine is hitting the box. Do what feels good for you.

Two more in this direction. Inhale, reach the arms, circle wide. Exhale, come forward. Last one here. And then of course, you know me, I always say lather, rinse, repeat. What goes in one direction has to go in the other. So here we go. Open those arms out and reach to the ears and exhale. So getting a bigger, more global range of the shoulders and their mobility, opening the chest, opening that front line of the body, which we are oftentimes flexed forward in.

After a long day at work and last one here, and exhale, bring yourself back forward. Guess what? That's all we're going to do right here. So go ahead and use those hands. Bring yourself up to the standing position. And what I'd like for you to do is take a moment to transition your reformer. We're going to drop your weight. I'm going to go on a very light spring, so I'm going to recommend a blue or a yellow spring.

This is balanced body equipment, but make sure your equipment is on lightweight. And as I mentioned, the good news is is you're not going to be making much if any transitions of Springs this entire workout. We're going to now take a nice wide stance. Second position back on the side of the box. I want you to give me a little bit of a hip hinge forward as you place one hand down. And let's start to test the waters. Reach your other arm out the arm that's closest to the foot bar and just start to hinge at the hip over to the side.

So we're training the hip hinge right now and not the knee bend. We'll get there and just a moment, but I just want you to see how you're feeling as you inhale, maybe open up that lateral line of the body, that side of the body. Two more here and bring it back home. And last one, and this is just your opportunity to see how your box is feeling and moving in space. Same thing, just add the knee bend as you come over and feel the openness of the side body. So moving that box in and out. And again, hand placement on the box is up to what feels good for you. As you move the bar, the hand closer to the middle of the box, you'll add actually more tension of that spring because you're pushing the box in a different trajectory.

Let's go into a lunge and then bring it back into more of a frog squat or a play. If you'd like to call it that over and reach and inhale back down. So we're keeping that leg on the outside nice and loaded. That's your stability leg. And the leg that's closest to the foot bar is your mobility leg. Good. Now if you're willing and you want to, Nico and I are going to try and go into some balance here.

So here's what it looks like. You're going to take it out and then Ooh, come back down. Let's see if we can do better as you reach out and land. Good. Take it out and negotiating that spring with the box. That was four. Let's just do five of these. Good. Come down. You made it stand on up.

And what I'd like for you to do is pivot and face your risers. [inaudible] so you're going to have the leg that is closest to the box. Be the back leg, the leg that is the outside leg is closest to the risers. The hand comes back down onto the box. Start to test your waters again and just slide your box out and in and just notice the placement of the box. Notice what's happening in the body here and your legs are straight right now for the time being.

Couple more of these just so that you can kind of start to feel it. And then we're going to go to a bent front knee on this next repetition. So as the box goes out, bend the front. Me, keep the back leg straight. Yes, bend that front knee. Notice the alignment of the knee above the ankle and above the toes, or maybe tracking between the big toe and the toe next to it. Good.

One more here. And we're going to add that balance element here again. So you're going to bend that front knee, come into a single leg, dead lift. When you land, can you take a 90 90 lunch? Now you can see I had to make a little adjustment and that's fine. Try it again, come out and then come back down and land. Press away.

Exhaling. And then inhaling, coming back down, press out. So again, this leg on the front here is your stability leg. Really keeping that strength and power involved. You've got two more. Please. Hand press and land. Finding your balance here. Good. Now when you land, come down and hold it and now give me three more presses of that box and two and one and here we go. We're going to get propulsive. Are you ready?

Pressing catch and pressing catch. Good. Press and catch. Holding the strength and power. Isometrically. This is five. Give me 10, six and seven, three more. And then we're going to add a lift in lower for 10 total as well. Last one. You got it, Nico. Here we go. Rise up. And then catch.

Rise up and catch up. Catch. That's four. You've got six more. Good and five. And for agility, balance coordination. Last one here. PRS and catch and stand it up and give it a rest.

Nice job. We're going to transition. I'll take you there. Come with me. Have a seat on your foot bar. Don't change your weight. We're going to bring the heart rate down a little bit. We're going to do some spine mobility. So place your hands onto the outside of your box.

Nod the chin to the chest, round down, send the box away, inhale, and then exhale round and bring the box back to the stopper. So again, just feeling the spine move in a seated position. Oftentimes we're doing this on our backs in a bridge, which is great. That's awesome. This is just a little bit of a different way to get some spine mobility happening to more and round and come all the way back.

We're going to reverse the spine mobility direction in just a moment. So from here what I'd like for you to do is extend the spine as you go down and around it. As you pull it back in, maybe inhale on the extension piece and exhale on the round. Polling that box back in. Inhale, extend, exhale round. You've got two more. As you extend, lead with the heart and round, pull it back in. And one more. Inhale. See, I'm nice. I'm giving you a little mobility break in between the other side.

Now stack your spine up nice and tall and can we play with that propulsion here? So press and catch the box. Press and catch. Think of really using the postural muscles, that stability core here. While you're doing this right, you're sitting up nice and tall. You're not wobbling through that core of that trunk.

Five more and four Nico, I think we can go straight in to single arm with our friends at home. Last one here. Now on this next one you're going to press out and catch with your left or your right hand and switch. Good switch, press and switch. Again, you might add in a little rotation of the spine here, but primarily you want to catch and decelerate that box and that load coming at you by keeping the trunk relatively stable. Good. Four more and three great. Two and one. Good job.

Both hands come back down onto the box and bring it back to the stopper. Now you know where we're going, so we've got to do everything on the other side. I'm coming with you again back into that nice wide second position stance. You can make adjustments as needed, but trying to remember about where you were on the other side. Slight hip hinge, place the hand down onto the box and we're going to start by training that hip hinge as you reach over and bring it back. So opening up that lateral line of the body again on one side and just also feeling that beautiful dynamic flexibility at the hip. Two more.

And then we're going to take it out to that bent knee or the side lunge and last one and come back. Take it with that bent knee as you go out and bring it back home again. Control that spring. It's light, but you are in control of it. We'll go for five. So two more of these. And then we're going to train that squat, that frog squat or that plea a right now. So come in, bend that knee, you got it. And you go and reach and pull it in.

I think we did about five of each of these. So let's try and stay even. Let's do two more and then we're going to try five by adding the balance and remember it's progress, not perfection. So let's just see how we do out and down. Ooh, maybe this is my strong side. I don't know. Whew. I must've learned something on this side cause I'm feeling a little bit better and more in control. Last one out and down.

You know where we're headed. Pivot face the risers, that outside leg, forward leg towards the risers. Inside leg is back. Whoop. Test the waters first by just pressing the box out in, in keeping the legs straight to get you started and out in it. Now's the time to look at your feet on the floor a little bit to how are they pointed? Are they north-south? Are they east-west? Try and port them north-south. Last one and then we're going to go to that bent front knee.

So bend the front knee, take it more into a lunge position. Go ahead and bend and remember you know what's coming. We're going to take it into that balance kind of dead lift position back into that 90 90 lunge for the strength and power piece. Last one here, Nico, here we go. On this next one, my friends at home. Let's take it away. Press out. Find balance. Land in your 90 90 press out.

Find balance and land. Press out, find balance and LAN. Press out, find balance. And one more here. And then you know what's coming. We hold the 90 90 position, 10 box jumps. Here we go. Press, hold her, press and catch. Good. Eight more and seven blow out as the box leaves you. And five good, four and three.

We're going to rise up for two and one right now. Rise up and catch. Rise up and catch up and catch. This is for, you've got six more strong mind, strong body, and four more times I'm breathing heavy with you. And three, two and one. Very nicely done. So here's your transition. All you're going to do is switch to a short box.

So turn to a short box. Keep yourself on a nice lightweight here. Let's be safe about loading into this next exercise because we're going to come into a quadriped head standing ish position. So what I'd like for you to do is come onto your carriage safely and place both knees down onto the edge of your box. And we're going to be loading one foot. So here's the deal.

This is how I like to load into it. I put one hand on the headrest and then I take my loop gently and slowly pull the carriage with that loop and take my time putting the sole of my foot in that loop. Hands can then safely come back up to the box and here's where I want you to give yourself a cheque. Shoulders, elbows, wrists are stacked above one another and your knees are still attached to that box. The first thing we're going to do is elevate the knee off the box that has the the loop around the foot and you're going to exhale, extend it out and inhale back to the hover and do that again. Exhale as you extend and inhale back to the hover and think about what's happening here.

Work that back of the hamstring on the leg that is moving. Do not lose the quality and the tone of the shoulder girdle and those elbows and wrists relationship. You've got one more of these and then we're going to up the ante. If you're willing and you want to, you can stay right where we were at, or you can come with me and Nico. One foot comes down or your unloaded foot comes down and you come to a straight leg position, you then exhale, take that same exact exercise and inhale, come back and exhale nice and stable through the trunk.

Nothing's moving. Controlled stability of the shoulders and watch the hyperextension of the elbows. At least that's what I'm telling myself. One more like this. And then we're going to combine one and two. So now bend the knee, touch the box, and then as you push away, negotiate, straighten the legs. Inhale as you bend and exhale as you straighten. There's a little bit of a tight rope walk. I'm sure you feel it right now.

I sure do. I don't know how. Sometimes I'm talking through all this, but I am. And you're with me at home, which makes me happy. Last one, and exhale all the way out. Great jobs. So the good news is once I'd done, let's safely get out. So again, put both knees down, pivot that foot around, take the loop, put it back down on your peg because we're going to need it again momentarily and grab your other loop. Take the time that you need to of course safely pull that towards you and load that foot in. Once you're there, set yourself up for success. That's the most important thing with any and every exercise, shoulders, elbows, wrists are stacked and you know where we're going.

So hover that knee up and here we go. Exhale as you press out and inhale as you come back and hover and do that again. Press keep lengthening through the top of the crown of the head and feel like you're getting a, a, an extension through that tailbone back to the wall or the window behind you so you keep that sense of space through the core. Last two like this, and again, remember team, you can always stay right here. This is challenging in and of itself or you can come with Nico and myself and step up and straighten that back leg.

And from here we take it into a straight leg, press in and out. So again, finding that balance of both mobility and stability. Here you have one leg stabilizing, one leg mobilizing, and you have whole body integrated movement with the trunk and the arms added in two more and then we'll take it into the combo. And last one. And from here you're going to bend both knees and then walk your tight rope.

As you straighten, take your time. All of a sudden one light spring feels quite heavy and press away. Great. Let's do two more of these and press and last one here and press all the way out. Great job. Both knees come down and safely. Again, take that loop off of your foot, make sure it's down on the pig and take yourself down onto the floor. And I'm going to use a towel really quick to towel off.

We're going to also need to add some grip now to underneath our boxes. If you are on a wood floor, you probably want to do the same thing. So we have two little pieces of grip and we're going to put them down on the floor, and then we're going to take our boxes and put them on top of the grip. Now the box has now come off to the side of the carriage. I'm taking myself from a very light spring to a light spring, so I'm going from a yellow spring to a blue spring.

If a blue spring was working for you, stay on a blue spring. You'll notice that our boxes are relatively directly in line with the carriage, and I have my box actually all the way up against the wood rails as well. From here, we're going to do a little bit of stepping up, sliding out and lunging back. So your foot bar leg is going to be your stepping leg, so you're going to step up with your foot bar leg. You're going to step up onto the carriage and you're going to slide out, Oh wow, what's going on, Erica?

And then you're going to step back down and hit your lunge position. Athletic boom, right? We're sprinting right now. Drive up, step it out open. Here's your [inaudible] piece. Love it. I know I love it too, and then you're going to come back down and step back into that lunch. 90 90 drive up, step open out. Find your balance. Bring it back into the stopper with control.

Step it back. Woo. That's the technical term for, Oh my gosh, here. That one was a little bit off, but that's okay. Good. And step it back and down. Now I'm going to say whenever we're doing balance stuff, look down as much as you need, but when you're crushing it, like NIGO is probably already and you are probably already look to as little as possible because you want to be out on the horizon when you're challenging your balance. That really helps with preventing a fall last to come down, drive up through that leg and out, out, out, out, out. Good. Biomechanics here. That's what I'm thinking about. Might not be perfect, but that's what I'm thinking about. Drive up. Woo. Come out, open out, come back in and stay on top of your box both feet. Come onto your box. Walk back a little bit, and this sounds silly, but maybe if your box was a pizza box, your feet were towards the back corner of that box.

And what I'd like for you to do is come down with your hands on your carriage. Your body position is your body position. Just remember that both hands come down onto the carriage, bring the feet relatively close together. Heels can be down, or heels can be up depending on your hamstring length, and you're going to take it out. Inhale. So now you can see why we need the grip. Exhale, bring yourself home. Inhale, take it away. So full body integrated movement. Exhale, bring it back home. If you want to take this into a slightly sneaky position, adding in a bit of back extension, you can feel free to do so and exhale as you come back. Two more.

And then we're going to add a knee band to this and bring it back home. Last one here. Stay out with me, hold it, and then bend your knees. Inhale, exhale, push. Again. Inhale, bend the knees. Exhale, press. You've got five of these. So just three more. Good. Last two then and press that outside.

Arm is loaded right now for sure and one and then pike and pull yourself all the way back in. Once you're there, come down onto your knees. Now team, if you would like to reduce your amount of tension, you're just going to move down the box towards the risers. If you want to increase it, you're going to move towards the foot bar for this. Let's test the waters. Pick up your loop that's closest to you with your outside hand.

Give your hips and your knees a check for me please and here's how you're going to gauge. Can you pull on this rope and get to right about here with the elbow? No further. We're not going full. Draw a sword here and I know what you're thinking. You're like, thank God Erica, I got you. Don't worry. Inhale here. Exhale as you pull. Good. Keeping your core and your trunk nice and stable through your sides.

Give me three more of these and then I'm going to give you a challenge if you'd like. It lasts two. Good. Last one here. Pull. Now from here, take your foot bar leg and bring it out to the outside of the box. Here's your negotiation. You can choke up a little bit higher on that loop if you'd like to take your riser arm and reach it towards the riser is to help you out. I want you to take that same bent arm and see if you can find your balance here and then come back. It's a tight rope walk. Exhale, so integrating the lateral stability line of your core, your side body, which is super important for balanced hips, knees and ankles.

Just two more. Remember, maybe this is your strong side. Maybe this is your smart side and don't judge it. Okay, pivot face your risers. From here you're going to take a proposal position. Keep that same hand in the loop so it's essentially a lunge position. We're going to begin with a nice narrow row, so just bend your elbow back, focusing on that chesting nice and open.

Exhale as you pull and inhale as you come forward. That's four. Let's take it to eight and pull and last three. Think of growing up tall through the top of the crown of the head. Two more times please. And last one here, and let's do a few with a straight arm.

So chest expansion hand goes into that loop as you exhale, press back. Good. This might be heavy. It's a little heavy for me, but that's okay. I'm going to stay with it cause I'm only taking us to five. So three more. Good. Watch this shoulder. Don't let it dive forward on you. Keep it back. And last one here. Great job. Now take that loop, put it back down onto your peg and bring yourself all the way down into a quadruped head position on the box. Once you get there and you've gotten your hips stacked above your knees, put your outside hand on your box and your hand that's closest to the reformer on the shoulder rest. From here, you're going to have to bend your box arm a little bit.

We're going to take a shoulder, push with the carriage. You're going to press out and then bend and pull back down. Exhale as you press and inhale on the return. Just kind of understanding what's happening in the top of your shoulder right now and in that arm for two more. And then we're going to add a little bit of an opposite leg reach.

So the leg that reaches away is the leg that is on the outside of the box and then bend it back in. Exhale as you press again, finding your balance and pushing out. It's an opposite arm, opposite leg reach, adding load with that carriage. Last three, press and back in and two and you've got one more press and come back in. Fantastic job. So we've got to get to the other side, but it's me, my friends, and you know what I do? We flow to the other side. I promise I won't forget it, but we need to move your box. So pick your box up and you are going to now place it close to the risers and I actually forgot to remove my loops. So let's do that first. And eco.

You can do that if you'd like to. It's just nice to keep them down on the insides of the rails and your box is going to come towards the risers, but not all the way up against. Make sure from a safety perspective that you are equally set on the outside of the riser is there should be about two inches or you mentioned a half of your box hanging off on the outside of the riser or on the outside of the rails. If not your boxes, likely too small. Omit these exercises, so be safe about this. If you have your box set properly, you can then come onto your carriage. Bring your knees up against those shoulder rests.

We're still on a light spring. I could maybe go a little bit lighter, but I'm going to challenge myself. We're going to bring our hands to the outside of that box. Make sure that the hips are stacked above those knees and all you're going to do with a lat and a tricep pull. Pulling the carriage into the box and then inhale as you decelerate and come back to the stopper. Exhaling as you pull in and inhaling as you send the carriage away.

Now this looks like, Oh, I know Erica and no big deal. This is very challenging for your lats and your triceps. You might have used zoomed in on my arms right now. See a bit of a shake happening the more and come back out. You got two more. If you wanted more tension, you actually don't need to change your spring.

You could just bring your hands further forward at any time on that box. Now I want three where we see if we can bend those elbows into a tricep kickback, so you're going to pull forward for one, bend the elbows back towards the ribs, push up, and then send the carriage back. Whew. Just two more. Pull it in. Bend and Oh, straighten and back. I got you. Just one more. Pull it in and bend and straighten and even my voice is quivering at this point in time. Very nicely done. Couple more things to do and then we're moving to the other side.

We're going to step inside of the rails right now so you're still using the box. Step on inside and have a seat. Place your feet on the carriage inside the shoulder, rest and relatively together. Your foot position is your foot position, depending on your hamstring link. Do what feels good for you to open up the chest, reach onto the back of the box and sit up really nice and tall. As you exhale, begin to pull that carriage towards the box with both feet, rather your hamstrings and exhale as you pour.

So we forget about these hamstrings. They're very important. They live on the back of our body, which were quite disconnected with two more. And exhale as you pull in and inhaling as you go away. Last one. Woo. And now let's do a few single leg. So one leg lifts and then exhale you pull.

You don't have to take a huge range and pull good. And that's three. Let's just do four and four because we have the third and final piece coming. Switch sides. As you exhale, bend and inhale. Extend again. Are you sitting up nice and tall? Did you lose that height?

I don't know. You've got one more. And exhale good. Both legs come out onto your carriage feed our together hands come to the front of the box. But remember my friends, we've been here. I don't want you to go here, so keep those shoulders open or not chest open. As you place your hands onto the box. Now from here you're going to come out off the box, extend the legs to the length that you'd like to push the box down towards the floor, and then exhale, bend those knees and inhale, extend your head can be facing forward or the face can be facing forward rather.

Or you can have it slightly back. Whatever feels good for you. And you've got three more and two. Great. Last one. Very nice. Walk your feet back. Sit down onto your box. Place your feet inside those rails. Step out and replace your box on the other side. But Oh my gosh, we need our grips. So go get your grip and bring it with you.

So again, we set the grip pretty much down to where you can keep the edges of the box secure and the alignment of the box as a reminder is right in line with the carriage. So we've got that whole series on the other side to do and it's our foot bar leg that steps up. Okay, so we're going to step up with the foot bar leg. You're going to step onto your carriage, take that extension out, bring it back in and you're taking it back into that 90 90 lunge. Woo. And we do it again. Step up, slide out, come back in and 90 90 lunge down. Nice and controlled. Power up through that leg that's on the box. Step out, pull back in and step back.

Great. Three more and out. Hopefully we're about even trying to get about eight to 10 of these done and step back. And to remember stability is that leg that is the foot bar leg in many respects here and up and open. I think I said we have one more. I hope that I'm right. We can do one more for good measure. Step back. Whew.

Drive up. Progress, not perfection. My friends out, come back into the stopper. Stay on top of your box both feet. Come on. This is why we have that grip feed are together. You're going to reach down, place your hands onto the carriage. We're going to take that other side of that plank as you slide out, negotiate, and then bring yourself back home on an exhale.

May need to move your feet a little bit. I did inhale as you take it away again, back extension here if you'd like to, and exhale as you bring it back home and out, out, out and in. You've got two more and then five knee bends. Feeling that outer arm, that outer shoulder here out, out, out. Hold it. Five knee bends. Drive those knees and press away. Feel those oblique slings here.

Everything's connected from that trunk into the upper body and the lower body right now. Inaction to more bend and straighten. Last one, bend and straighten pike. Bring it back home with control. You did it and come down onto your knees. Now you need to pick up that loop again and you're going to put it into your foot bar hand. Remember, this is your time to test the waters.

You're going to stack the hips above the knees and begin to bend that elbow and now's the time to negotiate whether you want more tension, move towards the foot bar, less tension, move towards the risers cause three more times. Great. And last two, and remember you can stay right here or you can come with Nico and I where we are going to extend our foot bar leg out and we're going to extend our riser arm towards the risers and negotiate that lateral stability as we pull and come back. It does not need to be a big range of motion and come back three more. We did five on the other side. We will do five here last to find a point of focus. That's what's helping me looking at the beautiful Pacific ocean and those oil rigs out there. And yes they do exist. For those of you who think that they don't good and now pivot and take a proposal position.

So you're coming in to that 90 90 lunge or that low kneeling, and we're going to begin with a narrow row. You can choke up if you'd like and give yourself a narrow row bending that elbow. Again, chest is open, shoulders are back. Don't force them, but let them be where they naturally should feel. And exhale as you pull and inhale. Don't lose that connection with your posture here.

Three more please. And then we'll do five chest expansions. You are almost done. Okay. And give me one more. I might be one off on that one. You know, I pride myself on being a good counter here. Hand goes into the loop and you're gonna give me five chest expansions. Dig down with those fingers and get up with your spine.

Just five and four more push and three. Want a little bit of strength on the back of that arm too to keep that shoulder in place. And last one, great. Put that loop back down onto the peg. Come into a quadruped head position. Find your Quadro pad position and the outside arm might need to bend a little bit so that your carriage arm can be a little bit more, not level, but you're in a little bit more aligned from here.

You're just going to push out and pull back down. Now I know Nico and I are close. We're close in friendship and we're also close in range right now, but after about four more of these, we're going to take that opposite leg reach and if we accidentally touch each other, we're good friends. So we'll just say we're sorry later, two more times. Push out and come back down. Last one. Here we go. Nico, on this next one, push out, extend that opposite leg and pull it back and push out and pull back.

Hello and push out and pull back. You got four more push and pull. Remember trunk is stable. Leg and arm is mobile, but that means that the lower body is working with the upper body all the way through the trunk. Last one here, push out and come back in. So you've used your boxes whole time. We're going to finish inside the rails and you don't need your box for this portion. So step on up. If you want to take that loop off the peg, fine.

Just make sure that you're in a position where you can safely come inside of the rails. And what I'd like for you to do is step away from the carriage, but get to a sweet spot for you where you can put one foot up on the carriage and this hip, the carriage hip is an external rotation. We'll test the waters here, take a look at your floor foot, make sure it's North, South and not necessarily East West. And just give me an ice addict or pole. Again, stability, leg mobility, leg right trunk is nice and solid and strong. Good. Two more. And then we're going to laterally flex over to the side.

Last one. And now we're going to take this outside arm and flex over on the pole and inhale back. Exhale, flex and pull. Good and reach. And our two more. And then the last five on this side will be rotation and reach.

Good. Now add rotation and twist and come back. So feel that upward spiral from the top of the crown of the head as you're rotating around the middle doc. Two more and then you get everything on the other side and then we'll finish up. So step on down transition. Try and put the same foot placement as you did just a moment ago.

Arms out to the tee, nice and strong. Feel that nice long waistline and exhale for five just with that adductor pull and four and three lift through the spine and two you got one more of these and then you know where we're going. You're going to take that lateral flection towards the carriage for five and four. Good again, keeping them at floor leg. Nice and strong. Last two reaching and last one, stay with me for this last five.

As we add rotation again towards the carriage inhale, exhale, that major rotator from the middle back starts that movement. Everything follows last two good and one fantastic step on down to the floor. Face your carriage. Find your feet in the same width as your shoulder rests. Lift your arms on an inhale, let them float because they're an extension of your spine. Exhale, dive up and over. Place your hands on your shoulder rests from here. Take an inhale. Exhale, pull the carriage towards you by rounding the spine deeper.

And inhale, send the carriage away and take slight extension. Good. Do that again. Exhale round and pull again back into that spine mobility. We kind of started there, remember quite some time ago, so we always like to sort of finish where we started last too, to check in and see where we're at. And last one, exhale. Good.

And inhale back. Great job. Softly bend those knees. Stand yourself up and step outside of your rails. Find your feet on the floor. Think about your feet. Think about your big toes. Think about your little toes. Think about your heels. What's your arms dangle next to your sides? On an inhale, allow the arms to float because they're an extension.

The entire body at the top here. Flex your wrists, peel yourself open to the possibilities of your day or your life. Open that heart center. And I say, thank you very much and I appreciate you.

Comments

3 people like this.
Fantastic class with wonderful cueing of oblique slings! Loved it
Erika Quest
Lyn SO nice when I get the FIRST comment on my newest class. Really so appreciate this, as I went "out of the box" on this one. Much love, Erika
1 person likes this.
love it, bravo!
Awesome.  Loved very much!
Erika Quest
1 person likes this.
Aljona Katherine Thank you ladies for your lovely comments. This one I definitely tried to keep us upright and in weight bearing for the duration, so glad you enjoyed all the fun creative movement variations! Much love, Erika
Gerri M
1 person likes this.
Fun and uniquely challenging..thanks for your enthusiasm Erica 
Erika Quest
Gerri YAY, Gerri! Thanks for taking class with Nico and I. Glad you enjoyed and much love, Erika
Ruchi K
2 people like this.
Amazing and fun class,love all the transition s. Erika you are superb👌👌
3 people like this.
I absolutely love this class, Erika!  So creative!
4 people like this.
That was HARD!
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