Class #428

Traditional Reformer

40 min - Class
55 likes

Description

Enjoy a high intermediate level Reformer Class with Niedra as she guides you through a classical class with some fun variations.
What You'll Need: Reformer w/Box

About This Video

Apr 29, 2011
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Transcript

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Okay. So shall we get started? Okay. So standing right at the front, Cross your arms, lift the powerhouse up and sit down and lie back on your back for footwork. Toes those slightly apart. And heels lifted high. Pressing out. Just check that the neck is relaxed and long and the arms are law in the powerhouses up. One more time. Okay. Middle of the arches. Bird on a perch, long toes and onto the heels. Spread the toes.

Pull the little toes up towards the knees so it's really open up the sole of the foot and spread the arch and tendon stretches. Press south with the legs long and lower. Slow. And if the fast, lower, slow, lengthening the body out and fast. I'm fast. So every time you go down milk a little bit more. Now reverse it. Drop low quick and lift up. Slow. Slow, nice and long. Lift, lift and long.

Last one. Long legs, long body. And Benji needs to come back in hundreds. So let's start with the legs going straight up to the ceiling. Lift your head and chest up. So start breathing in. Two, three, four, five out, two, three, lower, little, two or three. Lower, more. Last set. Lengthen out.

Bend your knees, Bend your arms and set up with short spine massage. So make sure you don't pull the machine or pull on the straps. You lift your bottom to get the feet in the straps. Whew. Make sure to adjust the springs. Okay, head red.

Mine is okay. Press out the legs, tighten the hips and lift up long. Then the knees. Keep the feet with ars. Roll the hips down. Lengthening. Make sure you really lengthen the lower back and the hips and press and lift up. So there's a lot of temptation on the way down to use the legs to push, but you want to work the spine and the powerhouse. Have the legs long and relaxed.

[inaudible] one other thing to watch for is on the way down, not to let the knees be too turned out. So they really are just about shoulder width facing down. So the hamstrings get a nice even stretch right down and last one, press powerhouse lifts and bring the legs all the way in coordination. So we'll do a few variations. Cruel. Your head and chest up. Stretch your arms and legs out. Opening close bend, same thing again. Extend and now first variation. Extend open the right leg, open the left leg. Then same thing, reversing.

Make sure that the legs it's not moving, is totally stable and adding little beats extended nice and long. And there'll be two, one, four, five, six, seven and eight. Bend in, in, and rest and swing around for rowing. So pull the arms in as you lean back. Take the arms out, keep the body there as you push and then keep the machine from moving into you can as you bend forward and stretch the arms out. Big Circle all the way over. Pull the stomach way in and up and come back up. Unreal press. Keep the machine steady.

Big Circle of the arms stretch way down, pulling the stomach in and back. Come back up one more time. Roll press and circle. [inaudible] come back up. 90 degree angle. Make sure elbows and hands up even and lean back without anything changing in the shape and stretch forward. Pull the arms back. Say Movement with the arms.

Arking circle with the arms and then come back up. Now this time say didn't go all the way back so you're parallel to the floor. Keep the elbows lifting and come back up. Big Stretch. See if you can touch the floor with the arms and big circle and last one. Go all the way back again. Stretch the arms out, lift up in one piece and pull big circle. Pull the power in in up and come back up.

Swing around to face the front for reaching from the shoulders. So if possible, broad shoulders, reach out. Forehead Height, lift the spine, lengthen up, get even taller, keep the high, keep the high, keep the height and again, stretch Nathan out of the lower spine. Long, long, long stretch. Thanks and way up all the way out. Dan. Flex the feet, press the heels out, slide forward. Reach beyond the heels and sweep all the way up.

Big Arc and scoop the powerhouse as you go forward. Lyft, [inaudible], school lift, long waist. Yeah, saving the back of the head. Index Finger and Sam together. Elbows wide, the possible behind the plane of the ears and lengthen up and as the arms bend, keep them wide behind the ears and stretch and see if you can pull from the base of the ribs through the shoulders, through the fingers thing from the waist, extending all the way up. Think from the hips extending up through the fingertips.

And last one all the way from the tailbone. Lengthen up even longer. Open the arms out. Cross the feet the other way. Take a deep breath in and breathing out. Elbows lifted. Breathe in. Breathe out. Breathe in, breathe out. Breathe in and reverse the breath. Breathe out with the arms out. Breathe in, breathe out.

Breathe in, breathe out. Breathe in. Breathe out long body lifted spine and hopefully have straps the high for swan. So push the carriage a little bit forward so your hips are right at the crease. The groins are right at the crease.

Sometimes you may want a pad under the pelvis and from here, sweep the arms up, keeping the carriage quiet. If you can scoop the powerhouse, the hover, lift up again, lift the spine even further. Extend out so the arms are straight, the legs are straight, hover over the barrel and uh, and again over the box I should say, not the barrel. Lifting up things an out of the lower back. Extend even further. Hover over the box and relax. Last one, lifting and parallel. Lift up again. Extend out, lengthening out of the lower back, long legs. Hover and bent.

Very good reach and hold the strap and move forward to the shoulders at just about flush with the edge of the box. Long arms and get a sense of the spine being long and parallel to the floor. The nose is facing down. Don't change anything in the spine right now, but pull the shoulders on the back. Pull the arms back by the size. Shoulders have to be pulled back and up. And whoops. Next one is same thing, but we lift slightly to pull the shoulders on the back and a mini backbends you're looking forward to upper back. Shoulder girdle is arcane.

Pull and release. Again. Pull the shoulders on your back, pull the chest forward and look up to the corner of the room. Slightly larger. Back Bend and down t shape. Hold the arms out to the side. Now see if you can inward rotate the arms, soften the elbows and pull the hands behind your bottom. If you can open the arms out again, little back bend. Squeeze your shoulder blades back and together.

Open out. And if you can deepen the back bend, lift a little higher and out. Hold the handles with one hand. Stefan, adjust the spring for backstroke. Two Springs for me. Okay. Yes, right at the front on my box on your back, arms above your forehead, arms and legs. Go Up, arms and legs open and reach. Hold. Reach towards the knees and resist with your powerhouse to come in and lift. Open and stretching deep and into the powerhouse and hold the position.

One more time. Lift and curl and deepen into the powerhouse and come back in and transition into teaser. So you need to release the spring lie down and at in this place in the relaxation point, really allow the shoulders to be open. Lift your head and chest, bring the arms to the thighs and pull up to teaser down and lift. And lift and lift. Lifting more than the power's. Pull back with a powerhouse. Resisting with the arms setting. Roll, roll, roll.

Open everything out and breathe into lift up. Circle the arms. Reach from the POW house. Reach up. Pull the power ass in. Deepen into the back room. So roll, roll, open everything out. Okay. And deepen into the power side. Lift up one more time. Reverses circles. Keep the shoulders down. K to three. Pull away from the arms row, row.

Oh when everything out. Very good. Pull the handles with one hand. Step off and set up for basic breaststroke. So pull the arms and I like to have the knees just over the edge of the box. If the boxes are growth spots from here, lift the chest up and extend the legs. So the chest and the upper, the little back, upper back.

And then just start swimming and keep your head above the water. Three, holding the shoulders down every time. Four, five, six, seven. Very good step off and transition for horseback so the legs are long if possible, to rotate it in. So very, the temptation is to rotate after pants by the hit, by the waist, will the powerhouse up and lift and forward and back three times. One to keep scoping the stomach, pulling back the back ribs. How can the midline and sit back down and lift the chest and hug the box powerhouse back and up and lift against. Circle the arms too.

Three and sit back down. Lift the spine one more time. Scoping, lift and reverse. Yeah, and sit back down. Long Spine. Yay. We did it. Okay. Off of here and long stretch series. Next. So sometimes we can have two springs. We can have 'em again, maybe different on yours. Okay, so right-hand when you place it, I want the shoulder right over the wrist.

Right leg extends in a straight line, so I personally don't mind. It doesn't have to be on the crease. It depends on the length of the body. Want the shoulders over the risks and the body. Long, long spine. Nothing moves. Keep the heels forward as you press out and lengthen the spine.

Bend the knees down, down. Stretch. Okay. Bring the hips forward and lift the sternum up and broaden the collarbones and lift every time. Lengthen the waist plains in the spine and open the chest. And if the pond, the fingertips, lift up the spine, bring the arms up and mini backbend. Arking the chest up to the ceiling.

Then bring the hands back and lift the hips up for down stretch I should say. Up Stretch head is into the knees. Pull the stomach way up. Tighten the hips and pressing sheen out. Comes straight forward over the front bar and pipe. Pulling your head right in as though you're trying to touch your knees with your head. Nothing moves in the shoulders. This is a short machine.

Come forward and Pike Up. Oh, I have a block. Okay, so powerhouse sending up, head in and again, press out much better. Straight forward over the front part and up. And one more time. Power half sitting up. Hips are locked on the way down. The hips stay locked so you can take the pressure of the spring.

And if the elephant heels to the mat, lift the toes way up and pull the powerhouse up for me. I would like to wait further forward towards a hand. Yes. So the body is in a deep school. Keep the stomach in and push the heels away. Pull the stomach up. He always away stomach up. Press and press and press and press and press lifting every time the powerhouse.

Very good. He also lifted for Arabesques. The spine is long. Again. Push the machine out about [inaudible] inches and take the right leg up without the hips opening. Bring the carriage in three times. One, two, three legs down. Push the carriage out, lift the left leg up, hip stays stable. Shoulders are stable. Bring the machine in. One, two, three, step our for that long back stretch. So hand, foot, hand, foot broad. She color Bose bent, low the hips, school, push out. Lift and come back in. Press scoop out. Lift and come back in. Lifting the chest, lift and lift the spine, reversing it. Scoop, push out and lift.

Scoop to push out and lift scoop to push out and lift and stepped down. And stomach massage. We have pads. Yes, working out and talking at the same time. Perfect. Okay. Okay, so three is four springs, depending upon what the tension is that you want to work with.

I like to place the hips with the heels lifted so the hips are right under the knees. There are various places the body can be placed for this. Now hold the front of the carrot and lift the powerhouse up. And now just let go for a minute. So you really connected the powerhouse. Put the hands back down and here we go. Press out lower. Two, three, four.

Keep the nice lift through the stomach, long in the lower back. Seven, eight, nine and 10 very good releases. Spring hands behind you. Now lift the spine way a broad shoulders and again, press two, three, four, five, six, seven, eight, nine, 10 [inaudible]. Very good. Release another spring and losing my pants so I'm going to put them back on.

Okay. Long arms, about four head heights, a slightly lifted. Push out and pull the stomach in as you lift and reach forward. So even though there's a scoop, you're attempting to lift out of the lower back and lift out of the low back, lifting into the waist and lift. Now heads go shoulder height, push out and twist to the right. Reaching way back. We'll shout and open the left so you can go 180 degrees. Opening the ribs and the shoulders.

Push out and open. One more time. Lift the spine even further. Rotate from the waist. I'd hold the foot bar, push out, put the legs, pull the stomach up, lower your heels, lift the heels, bend the knees to come in. One more time. Nice juicy stretches. Make it feel good. Press all the way in. Very good. Okay. Tendon stretch.

So you can work with or without a little pad that just stand. So either three quarters off or a quarter off. Just depends. The three quarter version is a lot people stretched. Let me pull my pants up because I know that when wouldn't get caught in the spring. So the hooks [inaudible]. Okay, so he owes Dow stomach in. Press out, push the heels way away. Lift the hips and come back in and press and come back in.

So lift the hips up or the stomach muscles in with the toes. Push up, press the heels away down, and then lift the hips right away and try to keep the bottom in front of the bar here. Press out, heels, go down and keep a deep flex as you come in to really stretch the Achilles tendon and the whole back of the leg. One more time. Press the hips. Come in, come in, come in and bring the body forward. Flex the feet, push the heels down for an extra stretch. Stepping up. Okay, I stretch. That's right. I'm sorry. No chest expansion. Chest expansion. All right, so tell us hooked over the edge too.

Springs. Nice lifted spine. See if you can lift up in the hips and feet a hooked over the edge. Then pull the shoulders back for so the collarbones broaden arms go back, head goes to the right head, goes to the left, look straight, release the arms and keep the spine long and pull again. Broadening the collarbones head to the left, head to the right straight. Release the arms pull in. If the chest head to the right, had the left straight release.

See arms pull in. Lift the chest head to the left, head to the right straight. Release the arms at a spring for thigh stretch. Bring the knees for the forward in front of the shoulder ass, so knees and feet should be peril. Spread the toes a little bit so they become active as though you're, you're pushing the top of the foot into them, into the math. Pull the powerhouse in and up. Look down slightly and hinge back.

Keeping the hips lifting, going as far back as you're comfortable going. If you need help coming back up, lift the straps and again, pull the powerhouse sitting up. Hips lifting seem go little bit further back and come back up. If you want to go into a little back bend, hips, go up, hinge back again. Take the head and shoulders way back.

Close your head and chest and come all the way back up. [inaudible] oh right. Step off and set up for short box. So make sure you have, oh, I'm good. Two or three springs, just this strap came back. Done.

Okay, so you want us to sit ideally one hands with from the edge of the box, right? Wrap the hands around the waist of the powerhouse up and pull the stomach in and rollback with, see you rounding through. Let's go just halfway back the first time, fully engaging in the powerhouse and come back up. And again, going back this time, going as far back as you want to go. So going back, if you wanted to go into fullback, Ben, release and crawl back up. And this time if you want to stretch back and give yourself a lovely stretch back, you go reach the arms back. Take a moment to relax here. And if you can hold the sides of the reformer, definitely stretch.

And you can even put your hands in the floor and do a mini back bend. So you pushing up the floor to open the chest and the shoulders. Bring the hands back to the waist, can connect into the powerhouse. Pull up and grab your shins or your size and give you some lovely forward bend. Come back up for flat, back long arms powerhouse and stomach lifts and lean back.

Long back, long spine. Come back up, lift up and lengthen out. And and one more time and up and a cook the bar beyond your feet. Bend the elbows and use your arms to give you an extra stretch. Yeah. And come back up. Nice. Lifted spine slightly forward, reaching long to the right and back lift and long to the left and back.

[inaudible] and long diagnosis is actually quite a subtle movement because you're focusing on getting the obliques to move the trunk. One more time. Long to the right. So almost it feels like both sides of the waist extending out back and bend forward and stretched out. Okay. Back Up. Twist, nice lift, rotate to the right, keep both hips down and extend to the corner of the machine. Come back up, twist, reaching towards the backbone or no end up. Now, if you want to go deeper, you'll roll to the right hip. So rotate to the right and start shifting the weight onto the right hip, extending out and extend. Bring the hip up.

Good twist to the left. And as you will go out, you roll the hips so you're extending sideways. Come back up and last one, lift and twist. Extend down. Reach with the stick towards the floor. Imagine picking a heavy weight of it and bring it up. That's it. My teacher used to say a hundred pounds, twist, and I, you go take this stick, reach towards the floor and imagine lifting a heavy weight to come back up.

Very good. And Bend forward and relax. Come back up for tree. Take the right leg and bend it up. Lift the spy seam. Get the thigh as close in as you can and lift the leg without the knee leaving. So it doesn't really matter if that I go straight.

You're looking to get this lovely stretch in the hamstring. Now hold the ankle and lift all the way. Extend the leg. So may move away. Flex and point. Extend the foot, push the heel away, extending. Reach with the toes one more time. Now pull the powerhouse up. Lean back to the legs perpendicular, then scoop through the powerhouse. Walk all the way down and back, keeping even in square. Curl in.

Keep the leg there, see if you can send which up on the leg. Reach towards the flexed foot and literally stretch up. Pull the toes down and get his bigger stretches you possibly can. And again, go down, reach back with the arms and single like circles. Circle of like three times in one direction to loosen up the hip circle and the other way and then be put into the powerhouse and come all the way up again.

Flex and give yourself a lovely stretch. And then last one, let's take the heel. If you bend the leg slightly, see if you can get the leg first to the front and then take it to the site, to the hips. They even really push the leg out. Now as you go down the hand can slide down towards the calf, but push the leg towards the floor to really open up the hip socket that your body released butt back and then get the right of aside as you come up. Keep it to the side, keep it to the side, keep it to the side, lift out of the sit bones. Then the foot that's then the other leg. And stretch forward and down. Nice. Stretch through the hip are the side.

So pull the thigh in and lift up in the spine. Yeah, good. And lift the leg one and two. So the focus is on getting the hamstring stretch. Walk up with the hands. Now lengthen the leg and the in the knee. Flex. Push the heel point users to really open up the muscles and lengthen through the hamstring and lift the spine. Now as you go back, the leg comes to vertical. Hips stay even. And then keep the hips steady.

Keep the body symmetrical as you go back. Crawl in and climb up. Lifting up tall. Yes, grab the toes and stretch. Go down again this time. Reach the arms under the frame and three circles with the leg. One, two, three. Reverse the circles. You want to feel this, the pelvis, very stable on the box three and keep the leg there.

As you climb up, flex the foot, lift the spine way up, and then bend the heel a little bit to grab the heel. You can even hold a side of the bar and imagine presenting the heel to the ceiling. So when you take the leg out, the leg is rotated as far out to the side as you can. If you can't get to the heel, you can hold your hand, your calf, and then go back. Pressing the leg down, out and down, keeping the hips square open out. Now pushing down into the leg and see if you could come up. Come up, come up, come up, come up, keep the light, go into the side. Bend and stretch.

Oh Kate, very good. Nice dress series two springs. Unless you want to work really, really hard and then you do it on one. Oh, okay. So make sure all five toes the bend. And the heel is pressed way back, round the spine and press back to the hips are pressing close to the heels. Very scoop spine and keep the pelvis there and eight times [inaudible] and then lengthen the spine out, lift the chest and again [inaudible] and this last variation is a fun, very archival variation. But with the knees off and to look into this side, scoop the pelvis, lift the knees up and back and forth.

[inaudible] see if you keep the knees close to Karen [inaudible]. Okay, very good and running as a cool little cool down [inaudible] so parallel legs, toes and heels together, long spine, long arms, tight hips press all the way out. And now as you do this, really focus that the ankles are getting full articulation and lovely stretch in the back of the leg. The stomach stays up, the hips a steady, so no salsa dancing, very good. Come back in and heels in the corners of the bar. Lift the hips up. So the hands, the sacredness about one hands width from the mat. With this school stomach is pulled in and up and press out.

[inaudible] I present so the pelvis actually hovers, stomach is pulling up and the knees should be this in alignment with the third toe as it's very common to want a Donald duck the feet or have the knees in the feet in a different relationship. So knees and feet pointing in the same direction and then roll down, go down, go down that everything set up very good. Stepping off front splits, so two springs and using a pad and some machines, this can be slippery and I said have a pad stepping up you your he dresses up. That's good. Stepping up with the hands on the football and the first foot is your right leg back. So you always, oh, I'm sorry, what am I saying? First you place the left foot forward.

It's always you put the foot on the stable structure first and then place the other leg in a slight turnout. I like the heel on the head. Breast? Yes. [inaudible] now I would like a 90 degree angle, so it's sometimes tempting to go deep. But I'd like the knee and the hip in the same line. Both hipbones facing long in front and the stomach is long and bridges push back and forth three times.

Keeping that angle so you're not going at the bottom should be a little lower down. Yes. So your thigh is exactly parallel. Now see if you can lift up. Let's hold the elbow. So both hipbones facing front and straight back. So it's to strengthen and stabilize the front thigh. Lift the arms up, bend over and bend the right knee down for side stretch.

Now bring the hips forward and press out and push the hips down. So it's more about getting the hips between the two knees and it is about getting the front leg straight. Very good. And as you come in, keep the hips low, pressing out again. So nice to focus on the back leg. Pushing as much as the front leg is pushing to get the hips to open even further and back. I mean something up. One more time. Pressing out. I think you'll go further. Christie, push, push, push, push, push with that back leg. Good. There you go. Come back up.

Lifting now left-hand by the knee, right arm is up and stretch over to the left and come back up. And let's change sides. So first the right foot on the foot bar, then hop the back foot back. It's, you know, 45 degree angle with the heel on the head. Rest right. And first of all, check this 90 degree angle and the hip square. So left hip usually has to go a little forward. Long spine looking long, long, long, long diagonal out press and come. Um, press [inaudible].

So the focus is mostly on keeping that front thigh parallel. That's it. Very good. And then lift up, pull the elbows, press straight back and straight back and in. Straight back, very good. And in, live through the powerhouse. Bend over and rotate the Bacnet dam. Square the hips forward and now work the longe even here. And then as you press out, press the hips down and then come back and press down.

So that it's like trying to get a split alignment between both knees. Um, that's a really opening up in the hip flexor and lifting up. One more time, pressing the hips down and then keep the hips down as you can for keep them down. Keep them down so the hips are coming forward. Big opening in the hip flexors. Very good. This hand on the New York and stay on the bar.

Left arm is up and stretch out and over to open up the left ribs. Very good. And step up the machine and stepping back on four Russian splits. Take the right foot and place it on the corner of the foot bar. Hop the left foot forward under the headdress.

Now press out to the back leg is parallel and then see if you can bend the front leg. So it's a 90 degree angle. So now the hip to be even as it there, check that the back leg is totally straight. So press out and come in without lifting up in the hips. That's where it starts to work pretty deep in the hips. Then lift up right arm is forward. One more time, three times pressing out without letting the hips get any higher. Then push all the way out with the legs of the leg comes the straight right here on the, on the front shin. Bring the carriage in, pulling the right hip forward, lifted back, press out again.

Go even the president. Go beyond spreads. Um, come back up and chain sites. So hop the right foot forward. Press out and bend the front leg in. So you getting this pretty deep. That's very good. Yes.

And three times press. I am press and press. Keep this 90 degree angle left-hand forward, very square, two, three hands down. Press all the way out, left ear on the front Shin and pull the right hip back left forward to bring the carriage in. And one more time pressing out going as far as you're able to go and come all the way back up and step down. And I think for tonight we have done an elegant sufficiency, as my teacher used to say. Yeah, that was great. Okay.

Comments

1 person likes this.
wonderful classical workout. if this is intermediate - what do you teach in an advanced class?
That was awesome! I think it could be classified as an accelerated class, though, with all the quick transitions. Very challenging and fun!
Thanks Rebekah and Andrea... I have adjusted the level and pace of the class in the description.
Mind Body Harmony
Thank you, Niedra, for the fun, and challenging class, definitely a new favorite
Thank you, Kristi, for the BEST website, bringing excellence to everyone!
1 min from now
Elizabeth R
Niedra provides very fluid and seamless transitions!
1 person likes this.
Great class! Loved the pace. Really enjoyed the cueing....especially breaststroke and thigh stretch! I will come back to this class for a quick and complete workout. Thank you!
love it but need the names and breathing more..im still learning to teach
Hi Trinity ~ There is no doubt we are all learning from each other with these classes, and reinforcement of the names and breath patterns of exercises is a good thing, but if you plan to teach exercises that are new to you, I encourage you to look to learning the details of them in a formal teacher training setting. The nuance you gain from doing so will enhance all aspects of your teaching style.
Niedra Gabriel
Glad you enjoyed the class, givng and class and taking it at the same time was a new challenge for me - Kristi , we should do more of this...
I'm in!!!!
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