Connect to your Powerhouse

All right, let's get started. We're going to start out today on four springs. So I have a growths reformer on four springs. Stand next to your form or very close to the edge of the uh, carriage. Cross your arms, lift your powerhouse and sit down with control. And when you perch right on that edge, you'll fit right into the blocks. Put your feet toes apart, heels together, and then snuggle into the blocks, pulling your powerhouse and press the carriage out.

We're going to go like this for five repetitions, really stretching the legs long three and pressing out four and progressing out five. And then I want you to come in, sit up and take off three springs or take off springs until you only have one left, one spring left. Go Back Down, toes apart, heels together. And this time press slowly out. Since you only have one spring, I want you to pull it all the way back in. We're going to do this for five repetitions. Press out, pull the carriage all the way back in. Really find your powerhouse in order to get that carriage back to the bumper. So when we go back to four springs in a moment, I want you to feel the work of pressing out and pulling back in. Let's call this one five all the way in and sit up, take off, uh, put back on your springs and we go back down. So we're going to start all that over, toes apart, heels together. Here we go. Perris it out, pull it in and to polio three and in, make sure you're squeezing your bottom and your lengthening your back into the mat.

Six hand in seven all the way in eight and nine and 10. And we'll put our feet on the bar, knees together, wrapping them around it, press it out, pull it in. Keep going like this. I want you to feel as though you're pushing the bar away with your whole body. It's not just your legs extending or your upper body extending. You're pushing that bar away with your entire body. Seven in, eight in nine, one more.

And then come on and put your heels on the bar. Flex your toes back. Try to keep them there and push it out. Pull it in two and three now your legs will really start burning. Make sure that the Tush is working. You're still squeezing your bottom and pushing that bar away with your entire body. Seven and eight.

I'm always surprised that this still hurts. Last one and come in and stop. Please bring your toes back to the bar just a little bit apart or all the way together. Press the carriage all the way out. Zipping the legs up for tendon. Stretch the heels lower, lower, lower and lift. Lift. Keep going. Make this an exercises though.

You're moving through glue so that you actually have to work the movement and not just the getting up and getting down. You're working the middle, so the journey that counts. It's five and lower. Six and lower seven and lower up eight and lower. Zipping your legs up, bringing your attention to your powerhouse. Last time. Come all the way back in. All right, we're going to drop the foot bar.

Give yourself a little space between you and your shoulder blocks. Pick up your handles and we're going to reach curling right up into the a hundred press into the straps. Try to reach into those straps from your rib cage so you're really bending your rib cage. Start pumping. Inhale and again, so 10 in and out, 20 in, I know 30 in Oh 40 n out, 50 an hour, 60 in, but it's still tight. 70 n o 80 n oh one more N. Exhale all the air reach as you bend your knees in and bend your arms last. Okay, put the straps in one hand. Sit Up, take off two springs.

You're going to be left with two. You have two springs on. Lay back down, had piece flat. Make sure your head pieces flat. It's very important here. Hold this drops one in each hand. Long legs over the bar. We're going to go for the overhead, but we're going to start it with just as a slow warm up here. So first from your powerhouse, imagine someone just stepped on your stomach and that's going to bring your legs up. Has Your arms go down, hold, and then everything returns. Reaching longer from your strong center and same thing again.

Arms down, legs just straight to the ceiling hold and everything. Returns getting longer. Pull in your stomach last time. Arms down, legs straight to the ceiling. Hold and everything goes home. You can continue with that or the legs will rollover on this next three. Here we go. Arms down, legs, rollover, hold and we'll roll down like that. Zipping the legs together, reaching your toes for the back wall.

Everything goes home to more arms down, legs over hold. Reaching as you back down. And the last time, arms down, legs over hold. Squeeze and roll. Everything back down. And on this last two, your legs are going to go up at the end. First. Arms down, legs over, adding on legs. Reach up, keep reaching up as you roll down. Strong legs, reaching up still and everything comes home. One more legs over, arms down, reach up, keep reaching as you roll down, curling back to the mat with control and everything else. All right, he's sitting all the way. Uh, sorry.

Elbow is on the mat for coordination. I want to miss this one. Lift your head. Keep your knees and nose as close as you can get them and arms on the mat. Shoulders Open. Inhale, press everything out. Hold it and open. Close the legs. Knees fold in, arms fold in. Inhale, Suresh it all out. Reach open-close knees in, arms in.

Inhale, reach it out. Hold the breath for a moment. Open, close. Exhale, knees. Exhale, arms and inhale out. Hold it open. Close. Exhale, knees. Reach your arms longer, shoulders or on the mat and bend your arms. Think of a chest expansion on this last one. Your chest is open, open, close. Exhale, knees and exhale arms. All right, moving onto rowing. We're going to sit up and turn around. Once you're around, reach back, take off a spring.

You want to have your bottom one hand width or a little more from the edge that you have somewhere to curl down. Take the handles. I like my hands knuckles, just pointing straight ahead. Lift up nice and tall and then as if somebody pressed a fist into your belly, curl back, pulling your carriage hold. Open the arms from the pit of your stomach. Press your arms back, nothing else moves yet, and then scooped had to bring your head forward to your knees. Hands back, scoop to lift the arms up. Scoop to release. Keep your stomach away from your thighs. Stretch we go a little faster.

Curl back, open press and scoop. Hands Back, lift, circle and reach. Lemoore, open per essence, scoop and lift and a nice big circle. Rotating from your shoulders and come on. Lift your elbows nice and high. 90 degree angle.

Pull your ribs and make your back long. Squeeze to hinge back. Squeeze to reach out. Pull along the edge. Use your arm, hit muscles and lift up and circle all the way around and come on up. Hinge back, reach towards the corners of your reformer. Pull your rib cage in. Pull your belly back and stretch. And a big circle. And I'm working very hard. Three are out this to try not to let my back open ups.

I'm trying to keep it long. Pulling the front to the back. Lift in, hinge reaching, stretch and pull. Lift and circle. Come all the way up and we'll turn around for the front rowing. That was the back rowing. And from here I want you to think about starting the movement from way deep in your back, almost by your bottom. So whenever we're moving, we're going to start way down low, hands by your ribs, shoulders roll back, belly pulls in. Inhale and reach the arms, lower the arms scooping, lift the arms and a nice big circle.

And then reach from the waist. Lower and lift, and a vague circle growing. One more. Inhale and exhale and lift in a big circle. Bring your hands by your hips, still pinching your bottom. Pull your navel back, flex your feet, reach past your heels, roll at reaching, keep reaching, keep reaching, keep reaching. And then circle. It's still coming from your waist. Try to get taller and reach. Roll up in a big circle last time and reach and roll up in a big circle. Cross your legs, flip your hands over and bring it behind you so your elbows open up. And again, try not to let everything stick out. I want it all pulled in.

So you're making a long line. Stretch up for shading and bend. Think of shaving the base of your neck. Your arms. Don't want to go there today. They're trying. That's a lot of work. Two more and one more. This time we're going to reach up and open the arms like a hug. Change your feet, elbows a little bit lifted. Take a nice inhale, exhale to hug. Inhale and open. Exhale, hug.

This is opening your back. This is opening your chest. Open your back, open your chest will reverse the breath. Inhale, hug. Exhale, open. Inhale, open your back. Exhale, open your chest. One more. Inhale, open your back. Exhale, open your chest, and then let those guys sit down their hooks.

We're going to add a box on for pulling straps. So long box position. We're still on one spring, so go ahead and just bring yourself down on that shoulder. I like your shoulder right at the edge unless you're very, very tall. This is the best position so you can create a chest expansion in this exercise. So we're going to start out one long line. Squeeze the heels together, pull the stomach in and up away from the box, holding onto the straps.

Nice and high shoulders way from ears. Pull down and back and then think of a chest expansion. Rolling your shoulders back. Exhale, come do that again. Inhale, pull it back is if someone could have hugged your arms behind you. Give your chest a stretch. One more exhale, and then we'll slide the hands down until your arms lift like a ti long waist Blinn and reach back. Opening up the chest. Exhale, reach and in and reach back. Lifting up, rolling the shoulders back. Exhale, reach. Last one. Inhale, reach and exhale open. Take your straps in one hand so you've got both handles in one hands is a really difficult transition.

You're going to place the handles right on the box at a spring. We're going on to backstroke, so you've got two springs. Handles are on the box. Watch me. I want my butt to hit right on this edge. Nowhere else. So pretend this is all hot lava and you only want your bottom to go to the edge. Once you're there, lay down.

Look back at your straps and unsought them if they've talked, become twisted. You're ready to go. Inhale up. Exhale, open, circle, and reach. Hold it right there. Hold it, hold it. Touch your knees. Exhale, come home. Inhale up. Exhale, open, circle, and reach. Hold it. Exhale, come home. Now. This exercise, backstroke, swimming, we're going to do it in one big breath now, so it's a big inhale all the way to the knees. Hold it.

Exhale, come home. Big Inhale, hold it. Big. Exhale. One more big inhale, hold it. Big exhale. Let's reverse that. So first, reach out. Hold it. You're gliding through the water and exhale backwards. Swimming. Come in. One more. Hold it. Big. Exhale. Take your straps into one hand. Again, sit up, take off a spring, and when you lay back down, you'll want your bottom on the box fully just to make sure you scooched back. Open up and enjoy this nice stretch.

It's not gonna last long. Here we go. And do a teaser. Folding yourself in half. Make sure you go through that backstroke swimming position and then curl all the way up. Hold it, lower the arms. Scoop them up for one lower for to lower up for three. Hold it. Keep reaching with your fingers.

Sink your stomach away from your fingers in opposition and come through your backstroke. As you roll all the way back down, I want to see that every time you roll up or down. Second one was circles up we go. Circle one arms above the legs. If you can take the arms up and reach, keep reaching, sync your waist in the other direction. Roll the way through your backstroke. Open it up and we'll reverse the arms. This time I swayed the more challenging.

Hang in there around end up and two and three. This time stay up with the arms, hold it and reach. Sync your waistline and rural through your swimming and all the way down. Feels good. Take your straps and hop off. I'm going to add one on here.

We're going to let the strap come down and be loose so that I've got two loops. This is kind of fancy. I'm going to put one strap over one foot. I'm going to stand on the carriage. Don't fall off. I'm going to put the other foot on the other side and loop it over my foot. That's tricky.

And then from there I'll lay down and make sure they stay on the feet. I'm going to get that one back on. Okay, I got it. Let's take some minute. I understand. Keep your knees just off the edge so they're not way back. They're just off the edge. I'm on one spring. Still.

Press your hips into the mat. So there is no space. If you can't tell, put your fingers right here. There should be no space. Try to lift your knees a little bit at the same time. Pull in heels to bottom for eight and slowly release and seven slowly release and six release and five knees away from the box a little bit for so they're lifting. That'll help keep your hips anchored to and last time, reach back. Keep your heels right where they are. See if you can catch your handles or the loops of your strap.

And then when you sit up, those are going to come off your feet. Ooh, that was like the first time I did that smoothly. Can you believe it? So I've got my handles. Fancy. If it takes you about 20 times, it's probably taken me 50 so you'll be ahead. Flex your feet, you're on horseback position, arms by your sides, scoop your stomach in and we're going to point and circle one circle to scooping your tail. Under circle three bring your arms back, have a seat, flex your feet again. Same direction. Arms Circle one. Try and get more of your belly button to pull back. Arms come back, flex your feet, have a seat. Last time pose and even more. Try and scoop your stomach all the way to your spine. Have a seat. Flex your feet. All right, we're going to turn the box sideways for short box.

So this will go here. Actually I lied. I'm going to take the box away. We're going to do Joe's original order. Romanos order adds the box there. Keeps the box on. I'm going to take it away for awhile. So this bar goes up. You have two springs, so we're getting ready for the long stretch series.

Pad is on the headpiece head piece. Lifted two springs bar up. Can make sure you're nice and tall. One hand goes on the bar, thumbs with fingers, other foot goes on the headpiece. You don't need to be on the crease. I like your leg farther back. If you're tall, other hand on the bar. Step up into a straight plank. Squeeze it all tight and press out. Inhale and exhale.

Pull it back in. Try to make your body one piece of steel everything strong, particularly in your lower back and your bottom. Hold the kerogen step one foot forward lightly. Reach down. Take off a spring. Hold on again now, maybe not so far. Be careful. Squeeze your legs together. Press out halfway. Pull back in taller.

This is demonstrating today how taking away springs one more often makes an exercise harder. Let's try the ultimate. Take one foot forward. Be careful. No Springs. Maybe you only go an inch out a little. Don't move your heels in all the way out. A little in all the way last time.

It should be under control. All right, softly. Set your knees down with care and add those springs back on. You've got to set your feet against your blocks really well so your toes stretch because when you're 90 you want toes are still flexible. Shoulders roll back, chest lifts up, scoop in your stomach. Inhale to go out. Exhale, lift up. Inhale out. Get more air out this time.

Last one, exhale. Come up onto your here, squeezing the back of the legs. Reach up for the sky. Keep reaching up and lifting your spine and make a circle all the way to your heels. Maybe touch and then reach up. Reach up, reach up to come back to the bar, holding onto the bar again. We go right up for up. Stretch heels on the blocks.

Now I want to go over something. See, stretch your hips back like this. Notice that you're making a v. This makes it nice and easy to press the carriage out with your heels. We don't want that actually today. I want you to round your back up so you're a little more forward over your bar.

Shoulders away from ears. Make a you see your back as a u shape. Use that to press the carriage out. Come forward, curl back up deeply, make a you hold it, squeeze and press and come forward and then deep you. One more forehead towards your knees and stretch and scoop up. I'm going to add onto this. We're going to make a circle now. So first in the deep u shape, we press out, open the chest, come forward all the way forward, curl under, and go back to the UW. One more out. Open up all the way forward and then curl your chin to your chest.

Go back to the U. I'm going to reverse that. So now we go back, open up, press it back again, curl up. We'll do that one more time. Go out regular, open the chest and press back in. All the way up. Heels down. If you're not sweating by now, maybe close the door, lift your ribs up, press the carriage out, pull it under. Try to work only from your belly button down your upper body. Soft three, four.

Make every repetition a little deeper. Every time you work deeply into yourself, you change something. I want you to keep that change and then out a little more each time. Hold. Take your right foot back, reach it back long and press pole three times only toes on the opposite foot. Try to lift. Take that leg down. Other leg back.

Stretch it long. Find the hamstring stretch and the heel. That's down. Two and three. We'll step all. Lay Down, wipe off your hands. You're still on two springs. One Hand on the Bar, same heel against block. Shoulders open, chest up, eyes up, long back stretch. Bend your arms. Press the carriage out with your hips, not your arms. Lift them up high. Come all the way back in. Let your tail drop. Bend, press out. Use your hips. Really pressed with your pelvis. Come back in. We'll reverse it twice. Press the hips in this position.

I'm trying to get up to make a long line from heels to shoulders down and come in and lift. This is still a difficult exercise for me after so many years. Every time I do it, I feel something change. All Right, take the pad forward. Stomach massage. Today. I'm going to leave you on to give my pants a little pull up perch on that pad.

You're only on two springs. Normally I would start this on four but today's, since I'm playing with Spring tension, you're going to feel something different. Try to sit right over your hips, shoulders over, hips at the same time. Lift. Here we go. Don't be surprised. It's lighter. Inhale, lower lift and exhale one. Keep breathing. Just natural breathing. Now the heels go down and up. Really hug the heels together.

The secret on this one is to make sure your carriage comes all the way to the bumper, so when you get it in all the way to the bumper, six, use your exhale. Seven heels are hugged together. This is nine and last time. 10 take the arms back. Open the chest up. Stretch your spine tall as you press. We're stretching. Open the upper back. Now in the last one, we were stretching open the Cape of muscles across your spine, across your upper back. Now we're reversing that. Oh, I forgotten to pull my carriage all the way in. It's so easy to forget. There we go.

See if you can do this with soft elbows so that you're relying more on your waist. Hmm, no slamming like that. Last two, last one. Okay. Arm lift up. Lift to reach out and lift in out and lifting out and lift in out and lift in. One more. Now we'll add a twist. Reach both arms equally.

Stretch as tall as you can. Look, come back in. Taller. Stretch and lift and come and stretch. Lift too. And stretch. Lift three. And in one more. Stretch and lift. And in stretching, lift. Stay open with the arms. Sit as tall as you can. And Circle, circle, circle reversed.

Taller, taller, tallest. Hold onto the bar. Bend forward. And just a gentle stretch. Only push out from your powerhouse here just a little bit. Do not use your legs. Use your stomach. Exhale, come back in. Yeah, and we'll step off of that. I'm going to have a little fun with the tendon stretch.

Put the pad right on the edge. You're still on two springs. I'm gonna make it so my inside springs are loose, so I'll have room for my feet. And then holding onto the bar. First, I'm going to have you sit on the carriage toes apart, heels together. Make sure your twoish is hooked up to the front of the bar, your sit bones in front and use your powerhouse to press the carriage out. Pause and sink your heels. Good. From here, fold over.

If your legs are tight, you'll notice that now lift your toes. Sync your heels. Make sure you're steady. Pull your shoulders away from your ears. Lift with your powerhouse and come away from the bar and inch. Press the carriage out from your stomach up an inch. Press out for two. One more up an inch. Perris out for three. Have a seat.

Carefully bring your carriage in. Stay right here slowly fold in half. Still holding the bar. Take one hand to the mat and then the other hand you might want to put your hands on the blocks. If you're very tight, sink your heels down and feel the weight of your hips right over your heels. Toes are up. Carefully reach back at the bar again and more than you think you can.

Keep your weight over your heels, challenge yourself to stay there and now just lift your powerhouse to move the carriage out. Forehead to your knees, pull the carriage in one and harass the carriage out. Hold the carriage up to last time. Press the carriage out. Pull the carriage all the way up, up, up, up like there's a wall that you don't want to touch your bottom two right behind you. Hold that. Take your left hand and put it between your legs, bending your left knee, hold your left leg out to the side, wherever you can reach through that toe. This might be it. You might also try pushing the carriage out and lifting it in. It's actually easier than it seems. Push it out, lifted in last time. Push it out and lift it in.

Hold it and bring that leg back. Take the right leg, right hand between the leg. Lift your right leg out to the side and region as far as you can. If that toe reaches more, you'll be more balanced. That's one press and pull up too and press and pull all the way up. Up Up for three and bring that leg back. Have a seat.

All right, climbing off of there and we'll take the bar down. We're going to go onto a short spine massage. We sweating, had piece goes down, thread the strap through the handle, leave it there for myself, and then all the way down, lift those up and bring your feet up to the loops. Try not to pull the loops to your feet. If you can bring your feet up to them, especially if this is the beginning of your workout. You'll know that your back is ready so you're nice and pro pulled into the mat. Press your carriage out, pull everything in and lift up.

Reaching your toes longer overhead. Well, when the carriage comes home, bend the knees and curl down. Upper back, middle back. Bring your feet with you on this first one, lower back all the way to your tail and we'll do that one more time. Scoop and lift up and bend the knees. Bring your heels with you this time as well, so you roll down like a ball. I'm going to add on, stretch out.

Really use your bottom and reach through your legs to come up. So your whole body does the lift and bend this time. Leave your feet where they are and rule your body down away from them trying to get your lower back, your tailbone, all the way down to the mat before you bring your heels back to more like this Lyft, Oh man, Ben, oh all the way down to long legs and curl last one and left and bend and all the way down to long legs and curl. All right, and we'll get rid of those and prepare for short box. Let those go. So now we're adding the box back on.

I think I did that in reverse versus order. Usually it's short box and then short spine semi-circle. But that's okay. So I've got my pole, I got the box. I like sitting up here without a pad. Had Him to stick me in place. So pad is optional. Okay. And I'm going to wrap up my waist, linkedin and start to curl back.

We're just going to go for three of these. I like to start the first one. If I'm really cold just to here and then curl back up and if that feels good and I feel ready for going all the way back, then I'm going to turn that into it back then. All the way down, reach back if you're comfortable here and hold on and give yourself a little pull. Come up crew all the way back over. Same thing again. If you were comfortable reaching back, take your arms to the floor, press into it and open your chest and release. Lift your head and curl.

Making sure your eyes look where you want to go. That will help your body work properly. Holding the bar very wide. Reach the bar up, shoulders away from ears. Pull everything in again, finding that long stretch from way down in your hips. Grow taller and hinge back. We're going to flow right through this series.

That's one taller and come up for two and even taller and up for three and stretch to the side and come up like a waltz stretched to the side and up for two to the side and up for three. One more, and here we go to the side, twist and go back and reach longer and twist and go back end even longer. This time we'll go fishing, twist, reach with the bar thick, have a heavy fish and twist reach. It's very heavy. We're going to go around the world and it's quite smooth all the way home and twist, reach, twist, all the way home. That's it. Take your bar away.

You can stretch forward for a moment when you're finished. Roll yourself up. Now, throughout that series, I'm doing my best not to jiggle the strap. Hold onto your leg and sit really tall on this. On a tree. You might hear a little jiggle for when you're leaning back, climbing down. You can open up if that's comfortable and calling back up. Joe Hated it.

Just for a little history when the strap jiggled, if it feels good, you can reach all the way back and give yourself this stretch and come all the way up. If the strap juggled, it meant you weren't using your legs can reach for the floor. Walk your hands back and chest open. I'm going to do three circles. These are optional. I did not add these circles probably for 10 years of my practice reverse. They were just too much for me. Down, around and up, down, around and up, down, around and up. The Marlins come up, head up all the way up.

I'm going to cross the leg over my other leg, lift the powerhouse and fold over giving your back a nice stretch after that other way and come all the way up and we'll tuck it under and switch. Make sure you're not hunched over. It's all nice and straight. Straighten and bend. Leave it out there. Climb up and lean back and then stretching down. This is opening up the front and it's giving you a back bend.

Even if you don't go to the floor, come back up. And number two, there are many variations of the tree. [inaudible] this one is nice. It's like you're doing a roll up. You're bringing your body all the way to your leg. Last time, hands on the floor, press the floor away. I'm adding the circle. It's just an option. You can come up.

Let's to one more circle for three. This reverses circle one circle to circle three I should say. I also didn't feel very comfortable going into the well dropping back in that back then for quite a long time in my practice lift and bend forward, I tend to be able to bend forward this way much easier than I'd been backwards. So it was a lot of work to find that again from myself. So that's you. You're normal. I'm gonna get rid of the box again.

Alright. And let's see, uh, semi-circle, right? Cause I would have done short fine now. So I'm going to lay myself down. I did short spine too early, which was okay. Put my head piece up just so it won't bounce on the end. I've got my toes in the middle and I'm going to stretch up.

Pause. Once you're out there, make sure you're centered. Try to lift your heels away from the bar. Now this is a backbend exercise, so if it's available to you, lift your seat up and away from your heels. Keep your heels off the bar as best you can. If you haven't been practicing that way, you will hate this the first time. Now, if you had a bucket of water on your hips, I want you to tilt the bucket towards your face and dump the water on your face and that will roll you down into the well. I'm deleting your spine. Drop your hips without your heels falling down. Press the carriage out halfway.

Hold the carriage, still curl your tail up to the ceiling and come back in all the way. I just had a nice back adjustment and save 40 bucks at the chiropractor. Tilt the bucket towards you. Roll all the way down and press the carriage out. Curl your hips up and try to find the back bend. Last time, curl the case towards you to come down and press out halfway. Curl the hips towards you to come up and we're going to reverse.

So now first we press out. You're still going to tilt the bucket towards you as you roll down and curl your tail to the ceiling to come up. This moving from your pelvis forces your spine. I don't want to use the word forces. It makes your spine undulate because you're working it from the bottom to the top. And that moving from your hip actually makes the top part of your spine move to hold it there. Take your hands, your heels, curl your tail away from your hips, from your heels. A little more to open the hip hold and come down.

Whew. If you're sweaty like me, you'll slide right back on. All right, climbing off there. We're gonna stay on two springs. I'm going to cover up my springs with my pad just in case my hair goes back there. I'm going to kneel on the mat with my feet hooked, gathering up the straps for chest expansion. We're still on two springs. Um, when I learned this, I had knees apart. You'll find it's more challenging with knees together. Make sure your feet are holding on. Well, I'm going to give you my favorite image. Pretend that you're in the movie, Ben Hur, and that you're on a chariot and your horses up there really want to drag you in the dirt around the ring. As you, if you've seen that movie, you'll know what I'm talking about. You don't want to get dragged in the dirt, so you're in control. You're in control, you're in charge and you're pulling everything up, but tight belly in. Ha. All right, here we go. Pull the horses to a stop. Opening your chest.

Hold it. Look to the right. Look to the left. Look to the center as your arms come home. Don't relax. Keep that lift and pull again. Anything you get turned to the left. Turn to the right. You get to keep. When you leave here, grow taller and come home, so maybe you'll gain a quarter inch in height pole and turn to the right turn to the left. Maybe someone later will say, wow, you have the most beautiful posture. One more set pole, and look to the left and look to the right.

Then look to the center and grow taller, grow taller, grow taller, and now you can relax. Sit back at a spring on. This is when the pad really comes in handy because if your hair is long enough to go into those springs, you don't want it to catch. Come forward for thighs, stretch, choke up. Then I'm going to try to bend my elbows a little bit cause I just tend to hyper extend. Squeeze your bottom, keep everything you found in the chest expansion. Use it to hinge back in one single piece. Try to grow taller and come back up.

Use it and grow to go back and grow even taller to come back up. Really work this work your legs, lift out of them and lift even more to come back up. I'm going to add this one more thing in. Set your straps down, sit back and take off a spring. Again, this is not for everyone. I'm going to do a back bend all the way to the bar. You can repeat your thigh stretch on three springs. If this is not for you yet, I'm going to come back to the bar and miss that one hand in the front, one hand in the back and I want to lift in between these.

This is a difficult exercise for me still. I'm actually just beginning to practice it. So the secret is lift. Do not stop lifting. You're gonna keep reaching, reaching, reaching, reaching to the bar. And then we'll press in. Bad press and bad press and Ben, no, just the legs forward and under and under and then breach. And that brings you home. And I have to say, I've only been doing that exercise myself.

Some people have very easy time. I've only been practicing it for the last year. I've been practicing for probably 14 years. So, um, there are still many changes you can find far down the road. Still things that can happen to your body every time you work. I'm going to move on to a snake twist. This has prepared us for this. Um, I have one spring you might choose to start this with two springs.

I'm going to start with just a little practice of this exercise. So I've got a sticky pad on the corner of the bar, just cause my foot sweaty. I'm going to put it right there on that sticky pad heel on the bar, toe on the other corner, hand on opposite shoulder, block other hand here. One little trick. If your wrist is sinking down, you're not gonna feel good later. Put it right on top. Okay. And then all you're going to do is bring your leg up and hook it on the other foot. Lift that same hip of the hooked leg up to the sky, and now all we do is press the carriage out about three inches.

Pull it in by scooping your waist up to more. Press it out, pull it in last time. Press it out and pull it all the way in. I'm going to add on. You can continue with that if you choose. Pressing it out. I'm going to open the hips. Exhale, inhale and come all the way back up. Same thing. One more time. Exhale, pressing it out with the leg, reaching into the bar and we'll step down and leave out the twists.

Since I'm teaching just the beginning, my pad comes to the other corner. We're still on one spring, so the right foot or the outside foot goes on. The bar. Heel is touching. Wrist forward on the head, a shoulder piece. Other hand holding here. If you're very petite, you might put your fist on the mat instead. Take your left leg up, hook it, lift that same hip up. We're going to just push out an inch and exhale.

Who Lift your hips to bring it in? It's really the same side of the arm that's on the shoulder block for me. It's my left last one pushed up. That's pulling my carrots back in left side, pulls it in. I'm going to extend it all the way.

Now my right leg is pushing into the bar to help me open up annex. He'll bring it in one more annex, he'll bring it in. Okay, and then we'll step down from there. I'm going to leave that all as it is. Add a spring back on, had piece goes down, sitting on the edge. Oh the way down. Take the arms and hold onto your poles, probably behind the shoulder blocks and we'll start with the legs fully extended for corkscrew. We'll just do this twice. Two sets.

Pull everything in, roll the legs over, reaching your toes for the back wall and we'll make a nice circle. They go circling to the right, just as big as you can control it doesn't have to be huge and over again. Circle left, squeezing the heels together and over again. One more. Try to hold onto your posts with an easy grip, maybe not a death grip.

Just noticed I have a bit of a death grip and over and then all the way down and we'll add on a tick tock. Keep the small, squeeze your heels together and take them to the right. Look to the left Ian Health Center, legs to the left. Look to the right in health center legs. One more time to the right. Look to the left in health center and same thing the other way and back to center and then the knees come down. I'm going to add something in here. This is the step off control balance. I'm going to scooch down a and bring my arms in front of the shoulder blocks. This is very important and it's the reason I'm teaching this exercise.

I see so many people start this hex or size with their head in the head piece, which will break your neck eventually. I want your arms way down so that your arms fully fit between your head and the block. Take a hold of the pole, one of the posts with your right hand left hand on top of the block. Now I'd like you to not turn your head in this exercise if you're attempting it the first time or you shouldn't be attempting it the first time. I want you to do it with an instructor, but if you're learning it, still don't turn your head to watch the TV. Roll your hips up. Reach your legs to the sky. It keep reaching up to the sky. From there, take the right leg.

It's the same one as the arm that's holding the post and stretch it towards the floor. Both legs reaching equally away from each other. Try to touch the edge of your carriage. Bring it up. Same thing with the lift, both legs reaching. This is a three way stretch, I'm going to call it. Your legs are reaching in opposition to each other and your torso is reaching as well. We'll do one more practice like that. I'm going to go ahead and step off. This is an option. You could just come down. This is a great practice, what you've already done. For me, I'm to take my right leg to the floor and reach for the floor.

She'd come all the way down and stand up next to the carriage. You cannot, a little bend and a little lift. And then as we come back to the carrots holding on the same way, reach that back leg as high up as you go Karen. And you'll automatically come back. Change here out of the way. Okay, and then left leg.

So now my left hand is holding the post and my right hand is on top of the block. Now the left leg reaches and we'll do one more with the right leg reaching. And this might be enough for you. You might just come down from here. I'm going to step off. So my left leg fines the carriage and steps all the way to the floor.

I'm trying to stay close to the reformer bend and straighten and lift and down. And as I come back, the back leg is reaching that they stay straight and my powerhouse brings it back up. Whew. A little awkward getting off there. And I'm going to skip long spine today, so my hair is just all over the place. We're going to bring the bar up. We're still on two springs, four knee stretches, so headpiece can go up, hands on the bar, heels against blocks.

Oh my favorite exercise. Curl your tail under. Look into yourself in front of your lower half of your body out. Pull in two and in three in four in five in six and seven and eight. Open your chest up and go out in two and three and four. Five, six, seven and eight.

Huck your tail under. Curl your knees off and in. And two, three, four five, six. We're going for 10, seven, eight, nine softly. Set your knees down. Whew. Sit down. Out of all the springs quickly out of the mine. Quickly lay back down. Find the center of the bar. Toes are centered. Press out running lower. One heel and lift the other.

[inaudible]. Bring yourself back to the glue that we started with so your heels have to work. Your feet have to work to move through that glue. So this isn't just an exercise of jumping up and dropping down. Make the journey, count your body back to normal.

It was like a little interval right there. Lift both heels up, come all the way in for pelvic lift. Feed on the corners of the Bar, curl your tail up, stretch out, pull it all the way in. Two more like this. Stretch out, hold opening. Pull all the way in. Make sure this is even last time hold when you bring it in. Make sure you do the work, not the spring because hold it and roll down.

We're going to sit up and take off two springs again so that you're left with two. You've got two springs on, same exercise toes apart on the edges of the bar. Slowly curl up, hold. Use your center and your bottom stretch and with control you bring the carriage back in. Work the polling in on Joe's original reformers and I've been on two of them. The spring bar loosens for the last inch.

This is also true of a grots when it's in good condition. The bar in the spring loosen at the very end. So you have to do the work that last inch counts the most. Okay. Last time. Who? I feel these, hold it there rural down. We're going to finish today with the s uh, front split actually.

So, uh, keeping your carriage the way it is. Since I'm sweaty, I'm gonna use a sticky pad on my bar. My feet are a little damp, so I'm going to keep that there. The carriage is just the way it is. Two Springs. We're going to climb up and stand on the carriage itself. Please follow me. This is the safer way to get set up in the exercise.

I'm going to put my left foot on the bar and it's directly in front of my hip, not crossed over, straight in front of the hip. Then my right foot will send me back. Try not to jump in case you forgot one day to add the springs properly. Put weight on the outside edge of that foot in the back foot is angle to the side. Bend your front knee and kind of as if you're going to sleep on your knee.

You get to relax. When do you ever get that over that leg, your back heels trying to anchor down. Inhale, press the carriage out and exhale, pull the carriage back in. Now I happen to be quite tight through here, so this is a great exercise to help me start opening that up and evening out my hips. My hip wants to go off to the side, so I'm going to try and keep my hips more parallel to my spring bar, to my foot bar. One more time. You can continue with that. Or if you're in control and you have your powerhouse, lift your arms off and stay in a deep lunge. Pulling everything up from your powerhouse would go out and in and out.

And then one more out. Reach from your powerhouse please from your powerhouse to go back to the bar, lift your back heel up. Set that knee down. Move your foot against the block so it's fully stretched. Lift your knee. If it's uncomfortable, it helps to straighten out the kneecap. Inhale, press out both legs. Press, hold yourself out at a comfortable level. Breathe and as you exhale, perhaps press a little deeper birth.

Keep pressing your back heel behind you into the block so it's resisting. As you come back in, this will really open the front of that thigh and quad. Do it again. Inhale, press out, hold. Keep pressing back with the back heel. Keep pressing back. Maybe press a little further if you're comfortable. Keep breathing. Yeah, and come back in. And the last one, I'm going to add a little to it.

Press out, hold, press a little deeper. It's not important that you're flat to the springs or anything like that. We're just getting a stretch that's good for your body. And exhale, come in as you're coming in. Pull up in your waistline. Reached the same arm as the knee that's down on the carriage from me.

It's my right up to the sky. Reach really long through that arm. Shoulders away from ears. Stretch across yourself a little bit. This just increases the stretch, brings your awareness down. That leg. It's a two way stretch. Again, arm reaching me, reaching down and bring that down. Whole step to the carriage. Lift up your other knee, shake it out. That leg should feel longer, so that means you want to do your other leg. Move it over.

My sticky pad is in front of my right foot. It's right in front of my hip, left heel. She means back that Nice sweaty spot against the block foot is angled to the corner and going to sleep on the knee. Inhale, press out. Exhale, pull in. Inhale, press out and I can feel a difference in this side versus the other side. Just a little bit. This front of this hip is a little more open. One more of these.

You can continue with your hands on the bar or if you're in control. Liftoff, and this time bring your hands behind your head. Press your head actively into your hands. Press the carriage out. Pull it in one. Press the carriage out. Pull it into, press it out. Pull it in. Three, reach from your waist. Come back to the bar, lift your back heel up and set that knee down.

Bring your heel back to the block. Settle your knee on the mat. Go to sleep on your knee. Inhale, press out, hold, hold, hold. Exhale. Come in, resist with back heel. Inhale, come out, hold. Keep pressing back with your heel behind you. Hold, hold, press a little further. If you're comfortable, Xcel come in last time. Inhale, press out, hold, hold, hold.

Slowly. Resist with the back heel as you come in. Keep pressing it into the block. Take your left arm, the same arm that's the knee down. Reach it up. Reach through your waistline so you're pulling up from way deepen your side and stretch across yourself towards the opposite ear and keeps settling that left knee into the floor, into the mat. And exhale, bring that down. Set your right foot down. Thank you so much. Schedule your next workout right now. Have a great day.