Flow

Hello, everyone. Welcome back to Plot Twist Pilates. Believe it or not, this is the sixth and final episode. So thank you to everyone who's been here with me and welcome if it's your first time. So every single week, what we've been doing is telling and retelling the exact same story of intermediate Pilates.

But each week we focused on telling that story from the perspective or point of view of a specific character. Whether it be your powerhouse, spine mobility, opposition, hugging your midline or balance. Today, it's almost like those five characters are gonna sit down for their very first table read together. It's the first time those characters are gonna come together and try to tell the story seamlessly and with some flow and some cohesion. They'll be developing their relationships so that they work strongly with one another.

Will it be perfect? No, and it never is because every single character can't show up with their, a, game every single time. And that's what I feel keeps Pilates interesting and fun. It's always trying to find some type of cohesion of all of the different parts. So let's start, for people who are new, let's just review the powerhouse connection first.

So I'm gonna stand facing you with my feet parallel and together. So hands on your hips, pivot into a Pilate stance and my fingertips have landed on my hip bones. I cue these hip points all the time. Feel like you're using your lowest abdominals to pull your hip points up into your navel, which will feel like you're scooping or hollowing out your lower abdominals and pulling them back into your lower back. That scooping in.

And then you wanna scoop up, draw your navel up the length of your spine. So it lands right at the back of your neck. It lifts the base of your skull away from your tailbone, creating a natural traction of your spine that you support with the scoop of your powerhouse. So let's go to the base of the mat. I'm gonna start with some flow.

Start in your Pilates stance, establish the connection to your feet first. You wanna feel the ball of your big toe, your small toe in the center of your heel, and notice the imprint that your feet make on the mat and try to balance that out. Once you found that connection of your feet reaching into the floor, shift the weight of your hips forward, so your hips are over your arches. Notice it's different from me, just tipping my shoulders forward. It's almost like I'm leaning into the wind.

Arm Circles

Exhale, head up, arms down. Inhale, tailbone raises for your heels, exhale and circle. Reverse, reach up, tailbone drops. As your arms go forward, pull your waist back. And again, tailbone down, arms up, reach your arms forward, waist back.

One more. Circle your arms up, reach them forward and keep them forward. Feel like you're touching the wall in front of you. Stack your arms one on top of the other. Reach your elbow forward and can you pull your front ribs?

Knee Bends in Pilates V

Pull your waist back. Feel like your tailbone wants to sit directly behind your heels. And then pull your waist up towards the ceiling, press your thighs back. You can take this to the floor, but if you have a history of knee or hip issues, just find a way to get down on the mat. You'll meet us there.

So if not, you stick with me reach your elbow forward. I'm gonna pull my waist back. I keep pulling my waist back and try to sit as close to my heels, keeping my heels on the floor. And once I'm down, I'm gonna scoot back a little bit. Press my legs together.

Hold onto the backs of your thighs. Lift your spine. And then from here, curl your tailbone under and round back. My arms are like heavy springs creating resistance. Once you're here, can you pull your lower abdominals in deeper?

Half Roll Back

Roll back, stop when your arms are almost straight. Pull your lower abdominals into the mat and round forward. One more. Start with your hip points not your head or shoulders. Pull your hip points to the back end of the mat.

My tailbone reaches forward, my navel back. My front ribs are pressing into my back ribs. Round, forward, arms parallel to the floor. Three more. Inhale, curl your tailbone under, but reach your arms forward as you pull your waist back.

Exhale, your waist wants to stay there, but your head wants to go forward. Two more. Keep reaching your fingers to the wall in front of you. Pull your waist to the back edge of the mat. Can you get your lower back on the mat?

Now, press into your lower back in order to round forward. One more. Curl your tailbone under, feel the back of your hips. Then feel your lower back and then articulate all the way down. Rest your head and shoulder blades.

Reach your legs long and straight, reach your arms back. Let your arms be heavy, legs are heavy and notice how that probably creates some lifting your spine. What I want you to do is take a deep inhale, as you exhale, empty your lungs so much that your ribs sink into the floor and your arms hover off the mat as a result, and then lower your arms back down. And again, exhale, feel your front ribs sink into your back ribs and lift your arms. Now, can you pull your lower abdominals into the mat too?

Arms to Diagonal Overhead

Spinal Flexion

Curl yourself up, pull your lower abdominals into the mat and then roll all the way down arms go up. One more. You should feel the muscles beneath your armpits, working slide your shoulder blades down. Reach your arms forward. Really pull your lower abdominals into the floor.

It might lift your shoulder blades up a little bit higher and then lower all the way back down. Bend your knees into your chest. We're gonna set up for the 100. So go into your Pilates stance, heels together, toes apart. Your knees are as wide as your armpits.

Hundred

Instead keep your legs here, pull your waist all the way to the back edge of your mat. So you're getting lengthen your spine. Keep the shape, reach your arms up. From here, you're gonna come right up into the 100 position. Press your arms into those imaginary straps, legs forward, waist back and you pump.

Inhale, two, three, four, five, and exhale, two, three, four, five. Pull your lower abdominals in and pull your waist back. Three, four, five. Inhale, two, three, four, five. And exhale, two, three, four, five.

The bend is at the bottom of your chest bone. Exhale, two, three, four, five. Inhale, two, three, four, five. Scoop deeper and meet your legs forward if you want. Inhale, two, three, four, five.

And exhale, two, three, four, five. I'm reaching my legs forward. Pulling my hip points into my navel, navel to the back edge of the mat. And as usual I lost count. Let's do two more sets.

Inhale, two, three, four, five. And exhale, two, three, four, five. Final one, at the end hold, you have the option to hug your knees into your chest or the option to float down, arms go up towards the ceiling, reach them back, keeping your ribs and lower abdominals heavy. Let's do a roll up, so I can grab my strap. Arms go up, from here, lift your head and shoulder blades up.

Roll Up

Press the backs of your thighs down and pull your navel to the top of the wall behind you. And then roll back, starting with your tailbone. Keep curling your tailbone and under pull your waist back. Arms go up and back, ribs are heavy. Arms go up towards the ceiling.

Inhale, you roll up through your spine. Dive in your head through your arms. I'm trying to keep my ears between my arms and then I pull my hip points to the back edge of the mat. I'm reaching forward. Rolling down, arms go up and back.

Arms go up. You inhale up through your spine. Exhale, round over your hips. Inhale, roll to the backs of your hips. Exhale, roll all the way back down.

Let's do two more. Arms go up. Now, try to dive your head through your arms, which means you're pressing these ribs down into the floor, round forward. Inhale, pull your hip points back. Head is still reaching forward.

Roll all the way back down. Final one, arms go up, dive your head through your arms, exhale over your hips. And then inhale, pull your hip points away from the reach of your spine and then curl all the way down. On an exhale, arms go up, lower them by your side, bend your knees and place your feet flat. We're gonna do some exercises that will prepare you for the advanced series.

Pelvic Curl

Do it on an exhale. You exhale your front ribs, press down into the mat, giving you mobility in your lower back and then release. One more, exhale, press your arms down in forward. Empty your lungs, so these ribs press down into the floor and then lower. Now, bend your knees into your test, we're gonna do three more.

Pelvic Curl w/Legs Table Top

And again, I press my lower back into the floor. Curl my tailbone up. My ribs are sinking into the floor and then lower. One more, press the backs of your armpits into the mat. Curl your tailbone up and then release.

From here, we're gonna make it a little bit more challenging. Legs go straight up towards the ceiling. If you need to bend them slightly, that's totally fine. When you roll up, you're aiming your toes, not down, you're gonna reach your toes to the top of the wall behind you. So press your arms down and forward.

Roll Over Prep

Press my ribs down and then lower, it's super hard. One more, you're getting ready for roll over. Exhale, press your ribs down, tailbone up, lower all the way down. Grab the back of your right thigh. Lower your left leg down to the floor.

Inner spiral, this standing leg, so I'm rotating my inner thigh down towards the mat and flex that foot. I push my right leg forward into my hands and then I'm gonna turn that leg out. So my inner thigh is lined up with my nose. So my bottom leg, inner spirals, top leg, outer spirals. Arms press into the mat, scoop your powerhouse, single leg circles.

Single Leg Circle

So that might mean you have to make your circle smaller, no biggie. Then reverse your circles. Maybe challenge yourself to make them bigger, but try to keep your hips and shoulders stable and keep standing on that left leg. Like it's pushing into the wall in front of you. And then from here, flex that foot, your navel goes up, your spine leg goes forward.

And then float your other leg up and grab it. Think about the standing leg first. You internally rotate our inner spiral that inner thigh towards the mat. Press this leg into your hands, outer spiral it, press your arms into the mat. Inhale, cross, hips flex.

Exhale around and lift. Inhale, cross exhale around and lift. This hip is constantly reaching away from my armpit instead of hiking up around and lift. One more, and then reverse. Open, exhale.

Now, how do you stabilize? You pull your lower abdominals into the floor and press whatever's on the mat into the mat. Even more. Stand on your arms in that right leg. Good and then flex your foot.

Reach it forward. Pull your abs in and up. You can either do a roll up to transition into the inter rolling like a ball or follow me. Point your feet, reach your arms up and back. Your ribs are heavy.

Roll Up into Rolling Like a Ball Position

Hold onto the tops of your ankle instead of collapsing into your waist like I'm doing right now. Try to lift your waist up away from your pelvis and round forward with a nice long round shape. Keep pressing your heels together. Now, just rock back an inch. I crow my tailbone under find that pelvic tilt that we practiced and then I dive my head forward.

Rolling Like A Ball Prep

Now, we'll take this into rolling like a ball. So I start by curling my tailbone up through my knees and then I dive my shoulders towards my knees. And again, roll back, exhale, dive your shoulders forward. One more, that tempo, roll back, dive your shoulders forward. Now, we flow.

Rolling Like A Ball

Balance comes from your lower abdominals instead of straightening your spine and sitting on your sits bones, tuck your tailbone under, bring your legs together. Keep pulling your hip points to the back edge of the mat. And as you roll down, you'll simultaneously extend the left leg and you are set up for single leg stretch. But we're gonna rock up and do that again. Hug your knees in rock up to seated.

Single Leg Stretch Variation

So keep holding onto your right angle. Scoop, roll back, make a picture. My shin is parallel to the floor and I'm pulling my knee to my ear and I'm reaching this inner ankle forward. And then I scoop and switch. Reach your right inner ankle forward and pull your navel back and you flow and switch and switch.

Single Leg Stretch

Drop your tailbone down. Pull your lower abdominals in. Double leg stretch. As you exhale, you bend at the bottom of your chest bone. So you only feel the bottom tips of your shoulder blades.

Double Leg Stretch

Pull your waist away from the reach of your legs. Circle your arms against the tension of straps. Exhale. Then we flow. Inhale, reach, circle, exhale.

Inhale, pull your lowest abs in. Exhale. Two more. Pull your lowest abs into the floor. Final one.

Hug your knees in, rest your head and shoulder blade down. Single straight leg. Right leg goes up towards the ceiling. Curl your head and shoulder blades up. Extend your left leg to 45 degrees or it can be eye level, depends on your powerhouse.

Single Straight Leg Stretch

I'm pulling my waist away from the reach of my bottom leg. Pull, pull, scoop. Make sure your inner thighs brush past one another as they go up towards the ceiling. Up, pull, pull. Legs up, pull, pull, up.

One more set. Then bend your knees into your chest. Rest your head. Double straight leg. Here you stack your palms one on top of the other.

Double Straight Leg Stretch

Inhale, reach your legs forward for three, two, one. Now, exhale, press these ribs down to lift your legs up. You inhale your lower abdominal scooped stabilize you. Exhale, feel like you're gonna roll up into a teaser from here. And again, inhale, reach your legs forward.

Try to touch the wall in front of you. Exhale and lift. Three more. Inhale, I'm pressing the backs of my thighs towards the floor and I exhale and lift. Two more, inhale, pull your navel towards your thumbs, toes towards the wall and lift.

One more, curl up higher, Kira, reach your legs forward and then exhale, lift. Bend your knees, rest your head. All right, ready for this last one. Everyone's fave criss cross. So hands stuck behind your head one on top of the other.

Criss Cross

And then lift and switch. Left ribs, right inner thigh. And then lift, try to touch the wall with your right foot and then lift and twist. One more set. Try to get your elbow to reach away from the reach of the straight leg.

Last one. Elbow and leg in opposition, center, breath. Rock up to seated spine stretch forward. Five times each time we get a little bit deeper and more stable on our foundation. So feel like you're rooting your sits bones, the backs of your thighs and your heels into the floor.

Spine Stretch Forward

Head goes between your upper inner thighs, hold. Can you press your lower back towards the wall behind you? Slide it up the wall, pressure thighs down, roll up on an inhale. At the top you exhale. Inhale, lifting goes to your chest.

Empty your lungs, it's a breathing exercise. When you have no more exhale, you inhale. Drop your sits bones, pull your waist back, roll up and exhale. Three more, lift chin to your chest. Can you get deeper by pulling your waist away from the forward reach of your arms?

Lift your navel to the top of the wall behind you. Press your thighs down to row all the way up. At the top you exhale. Last two, inhale, lift into your chest, empty your lungs, press your front ribs into your back ribs. Inhale, press your thighs down.

Roll all the way up and exhale, we could be up to 10, I don't even know. Lift up, tingles to your chest, round forward, this feels so good. Keep sliding your lower back up the wall behind you and then roll up. At the top you exhale. All right, so we're gonna do a little bit of a fancy transition.

Bring your legs, just the width of the mat. Turn your legs out a little bit, reach your arms forward. Your fingertips are magnetically attracted to that wall in front of you. Feel like you're just rolling down. Curl your tailbone under.

Open Leg Rocker Prep

Now, pull your abs into the floor so much you can flip your legs up and then lower them down and sit back up. All right, try again. If this does not feel good in your lower back, skip it. So lift your spine, magnetic attraction that way, pull your lower abdominals back. Your lower abdominals are trying to press into the floor.

So keep scooping. On an exhale, your lower abdominals go down, your legs like miraculously, just float up. And then lower your legs and then reach them forward. And last one, lift your spine, curl your tailbone under, keep pulling your lower abdominals towards the floor. Keep reaching your arms forward and pulling your ribs back.

Now, if you can, scoop, grab your ankles and balance. If you did not do that, come to the bottom edge of the mat with me and then hold onto your ankles, curl your tailbone under and extend your legs. Walla, we're all together. Everyone push your thighs together and pull your hip points back. Now, from your tailbone, you're gonna roll back.

Open Leg Rocker

'Cause that flattens your spine. Let's do two more. I lift my tailbone up or do my pelvic curl and then I press my ribs down to come up. One more. Pull your lower abdominals into the floor, pull your chest into the floor and come up.

Find your balance. This is like your spine stress forward. Push your thighs forward like they were pressing into the mat. Press your front ribs into your back ribs. Pull your hip points up into your navel and your navel to the back of your neck.

This is also your teaser. Bring your legs together. And then today, just walk your hands down the backs of your thighs. Roll all the way down. Rest your head.

Corkscrew

That's your chest expansion. Make sure that your ribs don't pop up towards the ceiling. You wanna feel your ribs and your waist heavy at the same time. Legs go up towards the ceiling. Heels together, toes apart.

I dropped my tailbone, but I pull my lower abdominals and to draw my legs towards me. I circled to my right hand, down around to my left hand. I come center. And then you can try that pelvic tilt if you want, press down and forward with your arms up and back and then roll down. Circle to your left hand.

Pull your lower abdominals into the mat as you circle it around, come center, you press your arms down and forward. Press your ribs down, tailbone up and then lower. A little more flow. You go to the right scoop to circle it down around. Come center, square off, pelvic tilt.

Roll down. You go to the left. Pull your lower abdominals in. You come center, press your arms down and forward. Press your ribs down tailbone up.

Lower, ooh, I lost track. Go to the right. We'll do one more set I think. Circle it around, come center, press your ribs down, tailbone up, lower. Last one to the left.

Circle around, use your arm, you're standing on them. So it doesn't matter how high your hips go up, I'm trying to press my ribs down. And then from here, rock up to seated and you're ready for saw. Separate your legs a little bit wider than your mat. Press your sits bones, the backs of your thighs and your heels into the floor.

Saw

Pull your ribs back like spine stretch round forward. Now, I keep rotating my right ribs to my left inner thigh and look at my back arm, that tricep is pressing up. I roll all the way up and center. As you twist to the right, counter twist your hips to the left. Now, see if you can go a little bit further forward.

Now, as you round forward, I pull my ribs back and then I keep rotating my left ribs to my right inner thigh. This tricep reaches up and it also presses behind me so I can rotate more. And then roll all the way up and center. Lift your spine to twist. Now, press this arm up in behind you as you round forward.

Roll all the way up and center. Lift a twist, right arm presses up and back you round forward at the waist. Roll up and center. One more set. Lift a twist, round forward, pull those ribs back.

Your right ear goes to your left knee. Roll all the way up and center. Final one. Lift a twist, round forward, press that back arm up, but also press it to the back left corner of your mat. Roll all the way up and then center.

Now, we'll do some extension. We'll start off with neck roll. So flip onto your stomachs. Once you flip onto your stomachs, you're gonna make your arms into goalposts. They're gonna be 90 degree angles.

Swan Prep

And then I pull my navel to the front edge of the mat. If you have the dowels, press the dowels away from your head and slide your shoulder blades down your back. If you don't have dowels, press your arms down into the floor, and feel like you're dragging your body forward past your fingers. So then you're going to either push or pull depending on what you're on. And just lift your chest up only, just your chest goes the opposite of the 100.

Focus on sliding your shoulder blades down your back and then lower all the way down. Maybe this time come up higher. The most important thing is that you do not compress your lower back. So I keep pulling my lower abdominals up into my lower back and then I lower all the way back down. One more.

You do not have to straighten your arms, that's just an option. Now, pull your navel forward, reach your tailbone towards your heels. Pull yourself up. Either holds here, find your down stretch. So I'm not sinking, I'm pulling my pubic bone to the top of the wall in front of me.

I look over my right shoulder, chin to my throat. Look over my left shoulder and center. Lift your abs. Look over your left shoulder, chin to your throat. Look over your right shoulder, center.

Neck Roll

Single Leg Kick

Pull your lower abdominals into your lower back and you kick, kick it closer and lower. It's more of a pull, pull it closer, lengthen it and back. Pull, pull it closer. Chest forward, leg back. Pull it in, pull it in closer.

Lower, kick, kick. Scoop, kick, kick. Chest forward and up kick, kick. And pull it in, pull it in. You should feel the backs of your thighs and your glutes working.

Final one, from here, double leg kicks. So you're gonna turn and place your left ear flat on the mat. Your hands go behind your lower back or higher. And then press your hips into the floor. You'll kick your heels to your seat three times.

Double Leg Kick

My arms lift my chest, other ear goes on the mat. I press my hips down and pull three. Pull it closer, pull it closer. I lower my feet. I press my triceps to my hands up towards the ceiling to lift my chest forward and up.

Other side, you kick three, two, one. Lower your feet. Scoop your lower abdominals into your hands. Once you have that lift, reach your arms back, press them up, press them up a little bit more through your pubic bone. And that other ear, you kick three times, three.

Keep pressing your pubic bone into the mat. Lower your legs. Think of squeezing your shoulder blades to press your arms up. This is your chest expansion. And then catch with your hands, sit back in a child's pose.

Round your spine and relish in this 'cause next is neck pull. Even in this position set of collapsing on your thighs, can you press your knees down, pull your hip points off of your size and find your pelvic tilt? And then press your knees down and articulate up through your spine one bone at a time, you come to seated and now we're ready for neck pull. So I'm gonna use my strap. Even if you don't have a strap, you wanna think of separating your feet.

Child's Pose

Neck Pull

Now, instead of arching back, hinge, the moving comes from here. Pull your lower abdominals back and now pull your hip points back and roll down one bone at a time, rest your head. And again, pull your lower abdominals into the mat as you roll up and round for top of your head to your knees. And then press your thighs down, lift your waist up to roll all the way up. Press your head into your hands.

Hinge back. Now, keep pressing your head back. My gaze is forward. My chin stays off of my chest as I roll down. Last one, flex your feet, roll up.

Top of your head goes toward your knees. Pull your waist up, size down, come up to seated. Press your head into your hand so you feel the back of your neck working. Pull your lower abs back. Now, keep your gaze forward on the horizon.

Pull your front ribs back, your waist, your lower back down and then rest. And then arms go by your side. In preparation for that, which is to come in and advance, let's do some shoulder bridging. So there's some basic. You wanna align your feet and your knees up with your hip points.

Bridge

And then I can peel one bone at a time off the mat, like I'm peeling Velcro up. Press your arms down. Now, in this position, try not to lead with your ribs. You wanna lead with your pubic bone. So it's higher than your hip points.

Your hip points are higher than your ribs. The first thing to lower your chest bone sinks down between your shoulder blades, front ribs sink into your back ribs. Then your waist, then your lower back, then your tailbone. And again, press your arms down and forth. Push your feet down.

You should feel the back of your body working. Pelvic curl, it shortens the distance between my hip points and ribs. I'm constantly pulling my hip points back towards my ribs. So my tailbone goes up between my knees. Press your arms down more.

Find your chest expansion. Now, check in with your feet. Do you still feel the ball of your big toe or have you rolled to the outer edges of your feet? Find your midline and then roll down one bone at a time. Last one, press your arms down and forward, push your feet straight down to the center of the earth.

Feel your lower back press into the mat, before it appeals off the mat. Then your waist comes up. Then your lowest rib. Then you're up in a bridge, it should be a diagonal line from your knees to your hip points to your shoulders. And then keep pressing down with your arms and feet.

Make sure you feel the inside arches of your feet, reaching into the floor. And then roll down, but keep your hips suspended as long as you possibly can. Once your hips are all the way down, just let your hips sink into the floor for a moment. Let your hip creases relax in the front. Let your glutes relax and then pull your knees into your test one at a time and give them a hug.

Side Leg Kicks

My head is reaching the top corner of the mat. Now, peek down at your feet. Your inner ankle should reach for the bottom edge to the mat. The outer edges of your feet pull back towards you. Pull your lower abdominals into your lower back.

Place your arm right in front of your waist and open up your chest. This hand is cupped right at the base of your skull, like neck pole and you lengthen attracting your neck. Now, pull your abs and make your legs longer to lift them up in a way from you. Keep your tailbone where it is, angle your legs forward and down. I'm gonna keep my bottom leg parallel for now.

I'm gonna outer spiral my top leg, just like we did for single leg circles. Keep beating this top hip all the way down to the bottom edge of the mat, of length on the top of your Pilates box. Swing your leg to the front, lead with your inner thigh and heel. And then reach for the bottom edge of your mat. Pull your lower abdominals back.

So you use your gluten hamstring to press it back. The same muscles you just did for bridging, just flow. Swing into the front, exhale, scoop and press it back. Find your stability in the movement. Try to keep your shoulders stacked, your hip stacked.

You have three more, two and one. Press it back and hold it back. Make this leg longer. Pull your navel up to your thumb that's behind your head. And then see if you can use your glute and hamstring to press your leg further back.

Stack your legs one on top of the other. Now, I'm gonna externally rotate both thighs, it feels like I'm in a pilot stance. Lengthen out this hip, next is up and down. Slide your top leg along your bottom leg and then lift it up and then lower it all the way down. And again, lengthen it and lift.

Side Leg Lift w/External Rotation

One more, lengthen and then lower it down. Once it's down, five small circles in each direction. Circle it front, up and back. Two and three and four and five. Pause, reverse.

Side Leg Circles w/External Rotation

Inner Thigh Lifts

Two more lengthen to lift and then lower it all the way down. One more, lengthen to lift. Now, hold it up there, circle it to the front leg, down to the mat, press it back and way up to the front, to the mat, to the back and up. One more, front to the mat to the back and up. Reverse, to the back to the mat, to the front and way up.

Inner Thigh Circles

Flex your feet, look down and make sure you're not curling or sickling. Reach your inner ankles forward. Pull your hip points into your navel. Push this hand down and open your chest and lift both legs up. Make sure you don't roll back, but your hips are stacked and then lower.

Side Lift

Inner Thigh Beats

That's it, fire up your glutes and your hamstrings without dropping your thighs onto the floor, point your feet, open them as wide as your mat and close them. 10 times, open close, 10, nine, eight, seven, six, five, four, three, two, one, lower your feet. Sit back in a child's pose. Just a quick one and then turn onto your right side. I'm gonna continue facing you.

Side Leg Kicks

Lift your legs up. Tailbone stays where it is. You hind your hip joint and lower down. Externally rotate the top leg. Reach this hip away from you.

Now, lead with your heel in your inner thigh, and swing it to the front. And then reach past the bottom edge of the mat. Keep reaching that way with your leg and your head goes that way. Now, use your gluten hamstring to press your leg behind you and now you float. You swing it to the front, exhale, press it back.

Inhale, you kick from here and then you kick from here. You kick and then exhale, press it back. Pull your legs forward from your abs, press it from your glutes. So we get to the front, exhale back, three more, front and back. Pull your abs back.

One more. Keep your leg back. Now, make it longer. Think of taking the art out of your lower back by pulling your hip points into your navel and then maybe press your leg back by using your gluten hamstring, stack your legs one on top of the other, turnout heels are stacked and then lift your leg up. Now, keep your foot on the ceiling, reach your hip away from your armpit to lower it down.

Side Leg Lift w/External Rotation

Side Leg Circles w/External Rotation

Inner Thigh Lifts

Lengthen it into that corner and then lift it up from your waist and then lower. One more. Lengthen it into the corner, lifted from your waist, keep it up. Your leg goes to the front. To the mat, use your glutes and press it back and then up and to the front.

Inner Thigh Circles

To the back, to the mat, to the front, lift it up. Can you create more length in your spine, more reach in that leg, stack your legs, one on top of the other flex your feet. Lean into your hand a little bit. Open up your chest, traction your neck. Make your legs longer.

Side Lift

Keep pulling your lower abs away from your arm, lower all the way down. All right, let's work on our teasers. So I'm gonna flip around. You'll lie down on your back. Knees bent feet flat, but we've done this a few times this way.

Teaser Prep

And then your arms go forward on a diagonal. They stay parallel to your legs all the way up. So start off with your chest curl, you curl your head and shoulder blades up off the mat. Right away, I think of this. I'm pulling my abs and my hip points back so that I can just float my arms to the top of the wall in front of me.

Notice that I didn't keep going up. 'Cause I feel absolutely nothing here. It takes no energy to hold this position. Remember that rolling like a ball position or the open leg rocker? It's here.

My arms are magnetically attracted to the top of the wall, but my front ribs, my waist and my lower abdominals are pulling down and back in opposition to my legs and my arms. Now, squeeze your legs together and roll down. My arms are attracted to the top of that wall, but my waist attracted to the back edge of the mat. A modification if it's hard to roll up. You crawl your head and shoulder blades up.

Now, press your lowest ribbon to the floor if you can. If you need to grab your legs, grab your legs and press your waist down. And then lead with your chest, but your waist trails behind. And then reach your arms forward. And then pull your hip points back, but reach your arms forward and up, and roll all the way back down.

So know that can always be your go-to teaser while you train it, curl your head and shoulder blades up. I'm pulling my hip points back. Keep pulling your hip points back. Bury your lower abdominals into the mat and reach up. Now, hold this round shape of your spine.

Can you extend one leg? Press your knees together. Feel equal weight on both hips. Now, pull those hip points up into your navel for dear life. Extend your other leg.

Teaser

Let's do another version. Rock up the seater. We've also played like this before too. You start seated like you will in the advanced work for boomerang. So we're gonna try this transition at a teaser.

Teaser Variation

I'm gonna push down and forward. I lift my waist and curl my tailbone under. It's almost like I wanna get the backs of my hips on the mat. Look familiar, we did this before. And then from your lower abdominals, try to float your legs up into a teaser.

You can either keep your hands there or scoop your abs back more. Reach your arms forward. Keep your legs where they are, try to reach past them, reach past them until it tips you over and you float them down. Kind of like boomerang. Let's try again.

Hands, go next to your hips. Soften your elbows. Open your chest. Push your hands down and forward. I hollow out my front body.

I keep pulling my hip points back. I consciously pull my lower abdominals to the mat to float my legs up, they're opposite my eyes. I pull my abs back more, reach my arms forward. Now, my ribs wanna stay there, but my arms wanna go past my toes and then I float down. One more, you got it.

Press your hands next to you. Scoop your powerhouse back. You like you're pushing your hands forward to pull your waist back. And then reach your arms forward. Now, you can either get down the way we just did it or reach your toes forward and up and pull your hip points back, roll all the way down.

Hug your knees into your chest. One more just for fun, we'll do teaser three. And remember you can always go back to this one. That's fine. Progressive and systematic training.

Teaser 3

Arms go up towards the ceiling. Now, channel everything we've ever done. Press your arms and fills imaginary straps on the reformer. Press into them to curl your head and shoulder blades up in pause. Pull your lower abdominals into the floor, so much that they almost just like float up into your teaser.

Reach up. Good, and then from here, keep your toes reaching forward and up. Pull your hip points down and back. My arms are still magnetically attracted to the top of that wall, but my ribs wanna go down, hug your knees into your chest. You did it.

Rock up to seater for some seal, come all the way up. You'll place the soles of your feet together. Remember whenever you balance on your tailbone, you're really in a pelvic tilt, posterior pelvic tilt. So you reach your arms through your legs, hold onto your outer ankles, lift your feet up. So watch the difference.

Seal

Keep pulling your abdominals away from your feet. From your arms, you clap three times. Three, two, one. Now, pause. When you roll, you initiate with a pelvic tilt.

So I lift my tailbone up, that tips me over. And then I clap, three, two, one. I dyed my head forward through my legs. Three, two, one, tailbone through my legs. Three, two, one, head through my legs.

Three, two, one, two more, tailbone up and over. Three, two, one. Look to the bottom edge of your mat. Final one. And you can come all the way up to standing.

Seal to Standing

Knee Bends in Pilates V

Bend your knees and pause for a second. As you're in this position, just look down, make sure your knees aren't blowing out to the side or buckling in. They're lined up with your second toe. And then make sure you feel the three corners of your feet. Abs back, elbows forward.

Imagine you're on the reformer, you don't think of pushing with your legs. You think of pulling your waist back so much that it straightens your legs and your thighs press down towards the springs. Then you try to create as much length as you can. Reach your feet into the floor. Lift your waist away from your hips and your head up towards the ceiling.

Keep your head there bend your knees. Resist the pull of the springs and then find the three corners of your feet. Lift your waist up so much that you have no choice, but to straighten your legs, pressing your thighs back towards the wall behind you. One more, bend your knees, pull your waist back, elbows forward. Make sure you feel the three corners of your feet.

That's usually indicative of where your knees are and then pull your waist in and up to straighten your legs. We're gonna add a little balance. So bend your knees, but simultaneously press your head up. Now, this hold here, press your inner heels together, find that inner thigh connection. Don't change that.

Knee Bends with Hells Lifting in Pilates V

Now, reach your head up and reach your tailbone so far down towards your heels, that your heels lower on their own. Bend your knees. Find the three corners of your feet. Press your inner heels together and then press your inner heels forward. You feel that big toe joint?

Notice what happens when you roll out to the side to your pinky toe. Squeeze those inner heels, lift your waist up and back. Now, reach your tailbone down and that presses your heels down. One more, bend your knees, press your inner heels together. Heels, go up.

Pull your lower abdominals back. But make sure your tailbone isn't tucked. My tailbone hangs. Press my heels together. Feel like you're squeezing a magic circle between your inner thighs and then lower.

Let's reverse. Feel like you're curling your heels forward, lower abs back. Press your heels together as you bend your knees. Find the ball of your big toe and your small toe. Press your heels into the floor and then straighten your legs pulling your abs in.

One more or two more. Lift up, press your inner heels together. Keep your heels together. Pull your abs back. Then your head presses the ceiling away as your heels go into the floor and then straighten.

One more, press your inner heels together. Lift from your powerhouse. As you bend your knees, lift your waist towards the ceiling. Press your heels into the floor. Straighten your legs.

Reach your arms forward for chest expansion. Inhale, reach your arms down. Chest goes forward and up, arms go down and back. Think of your double leg kicks. Hold your breath, look to the right.

Chest Expansion

Exhale, reach your arms forward. If you wanna add the balance, knock yourself out. I'm gonna try. Pull your abs back. Inhale, lift your inner thighs into your powerhouse.

Chest Expansion Variation

Final one. Sweep your arms down, lift your hip points up. Lift your chest forward and up, arms down and back. Keep pulling your lower abs back to look. Lower abs back to look.

Look center. Exhale, reach your arms forward, hold. Reconnect to the three corners of your feet. Pull your lower abdominals in and up. Reach your arms up towards the ceiling, your tailbone drops.

Breathing

Feeling like you're pulling your lower abdominals into your lower back. And then pull your navel up the length of your spine until it lifts the back of your neck up. Your head presses up towards the ceiling. Take a big inhale, feeling your rib cage expand like an accordion. Exhale, all the air rooting through your feet, lifting through your powerhouse.

And again, inhale, breathe into the back and sides of your ribs. Exhale, release through your feet, scoop in and up and press your head up. One more, take a bigger breath in, hold it at the top and then exhale feel your feet root. Let your shoulders relax, but your spine lengthen up. Thank you so much.

It has been an absolute pleasure working with you all six weeks in a row. If you miss the previous workouts, you can definitely catch them on the replay. And if you have any questions, you can always send me a note on Pilates Anytime, and I would be happy to be of any help. But thank you so much, thank you for the feedback that I've gotten so far. And I really appreciated this.

Have a great day. Bye-bye.