Day 7: Total Body Flow

Welcome to our final day where we are putting some of my favorite reformer classes onto the mat and of course, using all the principles that we've worked thus far this week. Core, legs, arms, all the body parts into this class and into our practice. So you'll begin lying all the way down onto your mat with me. Get there however you wish. Giving those knee a nice hug, taking a deep breath in.

Exhale, filling those shoulders sink to the floor. Maybe hugging those knees a little bit tighter. Giving yourself a good hug, a gentle rock, one more breath in. Exhale, letting any stress tension go. Really beginning to center our mind and our body here as we get started.

And then we'll draw the chin up over the chest, forehead towards those knees. Arms will float by the sides. We'll begin some leg and footwork here. Knees, shoulder width apart. Shoot those legs out, nice and long and then inhale, exhale deepen the belly to draw the knees back in towards the shoulders.

Inhale to lengthen through the toes. Think of a tight zipper, drawing those knees back in. Inhale to reach, exhale zip up through the waist to pull it in. Lengthen and squeeze high in those inner thighs. Deepen in the belly, breaking at the hips for four.

Exhale to pull it in and three. Chin hovering over the chest. Arms hovering off the floor. Last two, deepen the belly, pull it in once more, reach, draw those knees in. Release the head and the arms down and back.

Bringing the knees together will prehensile or bird the feet here, pressing those legs out again on the inhale, zipping up through the waist, pulling them in, giving our head and neck a moment to relax here and actually a little more work into the core with that head down. Still focusing on that leg press. Inhale to length out, deepen the belly. Think of resisting against the springs as you pull those knees in. Pressing away, really wrapping your feet over that imaginary foot bar for three more.

Inhale, exhale, fingertips, stay reaching long. Crown of the head, reaching back, two. Pull it in once more, press out, deepen the belly, pull it in, strong flex of the feet. Reaching through those heel bones. Last set of presses here.

Think of tying that corset around the waistline, really working our core here, warming up the whole body, inhale to lengthen the legs long, deepen the belly, zipping up high in the inner thighs, low in that waistline, press. Pull it in, four more, inhale to reach, break at the hips here, trying to keep the sit bones and tailbone long. So we're trying to stay out of those hips and quads, working into the back of the legs. Inner thigh, low waist, two, one more extend the legs long. Keep them there, once again, peel, chin up over the chest, reach through your toes.

We're right into our hundreds. Pulsing those arms up and down, breathing in and exhale out. Two, three, four, five. Inhale through the nose and exhale out. Pulling that belly button a little deeper towards the mat.

Aiming to get those toes right at eye level, inhale and exhale out, two, three, four, five, strong pulses, using those triceps, zipping up through the waist. Four more breaths in. And exhale out. Last three, hovering right over the tips of those shoulder blades. Last two, inhale and exhale, Last breath and out, two, three, four, five.

Hold and reach. Draw the knees all the way in. Bend the elbows and rest the head back. Take a moment here. Squeeze those inner thighs together.

Squeeze the elbows in by the waist. Inhale to prepare and exhale, peel the chin up over the chest, into our tight little ball. We go into our coordination, arms and legs extend right back to that hundreds position. Open, close, deepen the belly, pulling knees into the nose and resisting into that bicep curl. Inhale to lengthen, open, close, deepen the belly, pull knees, elbows back.

Inhale to reach, exhale, pull it in tight, little tighter each time, three, exhale, reaching longer through the arms, higher into that crunch for two, one more, inhale to lengthen, open and squeeze. Pull the knees in, bend the elbows. Rest the head back. Arms lower back to the mat. Legs extend long on the diagonal.

We begin to float those legs back and up all the way to the ceiling for our jackknife. Reach those toes up a little higher. This time we'll break at the hip so let the legs lower parallel to the mat ground and then roll down chest away from the chin. Keep pressing into your palms here, opening up through the spine with control. Once that tailbone touches the mat, begin to lower the legs to 45 degrees.

Arms float up to the ceiling. Maybe you take the legs a little lower with control, arms pressed down as legs float back and up. Inhale at the top, break at the hips and slowly lower down vertebra by vertebra. Chest away from the chin. Reaching back through the toes, back through the crown of the head and then long through the arms and legs.

Twice more, inhale and exhale. This time you have the option to try and stay as vertical as possible. Use those arms pressing into the palms as you roll down vertebra by vertebra deepen that belly. Legs lower, arms float up, last time, inhale and exhale. Hold at the top.

See if you can squeeze the inner thigh, lift a little taller through the waist and lower all the way down, like someone's pulling your toes to the ceiling. vertebra by vertebra, keep reaching those toes up, lower the legs all the way down. Float those arms up, taking a breath there and exhale, turn around and roll all the way up to seated. Finding a beautiful stacked spine here. We'll flip the palms up and go into our rowing series.

Bending at the elbows, flexing through the heels, taking a deep breath in and then a long exhale to contract and round back about halfway. Staying curled, still exhaling. Shoulders come over the hips and then reach through the fingers and toes, again, just like that. Inhale, exhale, contract. Just the first part of this series to begin, warming up through the arms, warming up through that spine, maybe taking in an inch or two lower and reach once more like this.

Inhale, exhale, contract. Curling forward and reaching long. We'll take this into a flat back. Elbows bent, feet flexed. Lengthen through the crown, reaching back, staying lifted in the elbows.

Coming back up to vertical, reaching through the arms and the legs. Flip the palms, diving the crown of the head towards the knees, palms reaching to the ceiling. See if you can grab one hand with the other. Reaching fingertips back, palms up and then circle those arms all the way around, taking a beautiful forward stretch. Stacking spine up, elbows bent, feet flexed, inhale and exhale.

Hinge back from the hips. Reach forward with the heels back through the crown of the head, vertical with the spine as the arms and legs extend. Circling, seeing if you can grab hold with opposite hand here, reaching out and back with those arms and circling around for that forward stretch. Nose to knee, twice more. Inhale and exhale, maybe reaching a little further back.

Think ribs away from the hips here. Think about our neck pull exercise we worked earlier. Working that hinge with the flat spine and then engaging in the back here, working the arms and the lats as we lift up and circle around and join that moment of a stretch. Once more, inhale, shoulder blades down into the back, exhale, zip up through the waist to hinge, lift back up to vertical, find length through the fingers and toes and dive it all the way up and over. Inhale to reach a little further and exhale toe circle and release into the stretch.

Rounding all the way up here, we'll open our arms to the sides and then cross the legs one in front of the other here. Try and do so without using your arms to adjust. See if you can find the position, lifting your waist and maintain it. Inhale, we hug our imaginary tree. Exhale to open.

Nice big hug. Fingertips right in front of the sternum. Inhale, engaging into the back. Yes, of course you could use your hand weights again here, if those arms aren't too tired, but feel the resistance of your own body working as if you have those straps in your hands. Form are sitting a little taller through the waist, belly pulling back to the spine, inhale and exhale.

Last two and open. Once more, hug and open. Keep those arms wide, see if you can switch the cross of your legs, once again, without using those arms. We take a slight forward hinge of the hips and make that diamond shape with our forefinger and thumb overhead right into that shaving, shaving off the back of the head, back of my ponytail and reaching fingertips long crown of the head down. Inhale to bend, elbows hugging tight, ribs hugging together to reach, pulling it back and reach with resistance here.

Really pressing those fingertips towards one another to use your own body weight for resistance here, reach it up a little longer. Belly pulling back, ribs knitting a little tighter for three and lengthen, two, nice tall straight spine here, zipping up through that waistline all the way out through the fingertips. Coming back up to vertical. We'll extend the legs out once again and then lower the hands right in front of us. Pulling the elbows back towards the ribs, we'll go onto a port de bras variation here, reaching those arms on a high diagonal, sit a little taller, lower the fingertips to hover, tap the outsides in the mat.

Reach up out to a T and resist right back in. Inhale to lengthen up, exhale, lower, squeeze between those shoulder blades. Reach by your ears and press all the way down, resisting back in with the biceps. Two more inhale and exhale, lift a little taller out of the hips. Inhale, reach, exhale to resist.

Last time, lengthening up and forward and lower, opening up across the collar bones reaching long. This time bending all the way in towards the hips. Palms hovering off the mat, flexing through the heels for our rowing front. Chin tucked over the chest, belly pulls back, fingertips reach past the toes here, stacking that spine up, leading the arms right by your ears, and then pressing all the way down to hover by the hips off the floor. Again, inhale, exhale abdominals, pull back, fingertips reaching long, lifting up through the spine and pressing down with resistance.

Twice more inhale, exhale, belly pulls back. Really engage in your core here like you're getting hugged from the center, lifting up and resisting with those arms. Last time, inhale, deepen belly back, reach past the toes. Inner thigh squeezing tight, lift all the way back up, little bit taller and circle and rest. Should feel our arms working a bit there even without the weight.

We're gonna do a little more line on the stomach. Make your way down for some back extension work here, starting with the arms overhead. We're gonna go into some swan, pulling on the straps here, tops of the feet stay pressing into the mat firmly. Think of lifting in the knees and thighs, really feeling engagement in the backside here, deepening the belly to support that low back. We'll begin lifting the upper body arms by your ears.

Hold it there. Open just to a T, squeeze between the shoulder blades, inhale and exhale, reach back overhead, biceps framing the ears. Inhale, pull to that T reaching along with the fingertips, exhale back to the front. Inhale to pull and lift, exhale to open, ribs and knee together, belly button supporting that back, pulling up towards the spine and reach. Once more, inhale to the T, exhale stay and hold.

Shoulder pulls away from the ears. Pull back, pinky fingers towards the hips and then open just to the T. Inhale, lift a little higher as you pull over the hips and exhale to open. Three more times here, lengthening back through the toes and fingertips, forward with the crown of the head. Inhale, lift, and pull, exhale to reach.

Once more lift and pull and hold, reach those arms all the way back forward and lower all the way down to rest. Give those hips a gentle little wiggle side to side here, and then we'll place one hand over the other here. Forehead resting on that top hand, keeping the feet turned out here, heels together, knees and toes apart. We're gonna go into some hamstring curls, a little more work for that backside. So begin to hover the toes and the knees off.

The knees can open slightly into a little diamond here as we bend those knees, pulling heels towards the glutes. We're really keeping the thighs lifted, pelvis pressing down, belly button pulled up towards the back, extend the legs out just a little bit. Pull the heels towards your glutes and extend. Inhale, pull, squeeze the buns, exhale to release ever so slightly for four and release and three, keep toes reaching to the ceiling. Shoulder blade staying relaxed, forehead released onto that top hand two and extend.

One more pull, hold it here, little pulses up for five. Squeeze the buns four, lift the thighs, three, last two, press those heels together, lift those knees higher. Hold on one and release the legs all the way down. We should feel that. We'll sit all the way back into a child's pose to let it release, both the hips and the back for a moment here.

Just give it a little wiggle, take a breath in and exhale, let it go. From here, we'll come onto the hands and the knees, meeting on all fours, shoulders stacked right over the wrists. Hips over the knees. Take a moment to round your spine into that cat shape, releasing any tension in the shoulders and then arch through the back, pulling heart forward, hips back. We'll go back to that rounded spine, working into our curled position in our knee stretches.

From here, tuck the toes underneath you and just give a little wiggle forward and back so you can really feel the weight pressing into the balls of the feet and a nice stretch for the soles of the feet. If you've let your back arch at all, make sure you're still rounded, shoulder blades pulling down and wide. Taking a breath to prepare gazing back towards those thighs. As you exhale, hover the knees an inch or two off the mat. Think of lifting so much in your waistline, that's what's pulling those knees away from your mat or your reformer, which is what we're imagining we're on right now.

Take a breath in, deepen that belly button a little higher to the sky, drop that head all the way down, release any tension in the head on the neck, holding for two more breaths in and exhale. Once more, inhale, stay for the exhale. Lower those knees down, untuck your toes and go into that beautiful cow shape back arch. We've one more set, adding a little more challenging variation here on one leg. So meet me with that rounded shape and toes tucked.

Take a breath into prepare and exhale. Hover those knees, lifting in the belly, we'll start by pressing into the right ball the foot. Hovering the left, keeping that right knee low, kick that left heel back for five, deepen the belly to pull it in for four. Hips and shoulders stay square, right knee stays hovering off the mat. Two, deepen the belly, draw it in one more, pull it in.

Lower that left foot, transfer the weight, right foot hovers, press it back for five. Squeeze the glute, deepen the belly to pull it in, four, try and keep that left knee low, it's tough. Three, deepen the belly, pull it in two. Heel punching back, drawing it in, lowering the foot to hold for one more breath in. Stay for that exhale and gently lower those knees.

Untuck your toes, we'll take another well deserved child's pose here to get off those knee caps off those wrists. Inhale and exhale. Making our way all the way back up onto those knees. Now, if you do have any knee issues, you could do this seated or standing. We're gonna go into some chest expansion here, having the feet and knees parallel, arms floating up right in front of us at shoulder height and width, shoulder blades pulling down into the back.

Think of a lift in the low belly, tailbone slightly tucked underneath us. Really vertical spine here, thinking about the whole body. Inhale, press those palms back, hold them there. Reaching fingertips long, looking to the right, looking to the left, looking back center and resisting those arms back up. Inhale, press back.

Feel your shoulder blades engage, your triceps engage. Releasing tension in the neck as we look left and right, and center and resist. Inhale to press, long exhale to look right. Left, keep exhaling center. Keep deepening that belly, again, press it down and back.

Inhale, squeeze and thumbs drawing towards one another. Left, right, long exhale, center, belly back, arms up, two more, inhale and exhale. Last time, inhale, press and hold. Looking left, right, center and resist. Keeping those shoulders down, arms strong.

We go into our thigh stretch. Zip up through that waist a little tighter, hinge back through the crown of the head, starting small, getting a true thigh stretch here if your thighs are tight and then there's some engagement in those glutes and low belly muscles, as we lift back up to vertical. Hinging from the knees, lengthening through the spine, keeping the pelvis pressing forward as the belly pulls back, not letting that back arch, really staying as straight as a board. Lift out of the hips, out of the knees to hinge up and back. Doesn't have to be huge here to feel that engagement and feel that stretch.

Once more, lifting up and back, inhale to lengthen all the way through the crown of the head. Exhale, knit the ribs together, coming all the way back up and sitting all the way back and down. Hopefully our knees feel okay and our thighs feel nicely stretched. I know mine do. We'll turn back around and get into a little more core work here.

From now on, we're gonna do a little diamond rollback series. Take it as you wish. Some parts get a little more challenging. You always have the option to hold onto those legs if you need. I'm gonna have my heel slightly lifted here, knees slightly apart, not flopped.

Just about shoulder width. Begin reaching those arms forward, taking a breath in and then exhale, just scoop and contract back, curling from the low belly, rounding down just to the tips of the shoulder blades. We stay hovering, reaching those arms forward, using the core muscles to roll right back up. Always can hold on if you need. Shoulders come over the hips and then stacking back up tall to vertical.

Inhale, exhale to contract back, zipping up through the low belly, staying relaxed through the shoulders. Right here, feeling length through the sit bones here, trying not to tuck and grip in the hips. Really focus on those low seatbelt muscles as low into your core as you can get. Pelvic floor engaging to lift up out of the hips. Twice more like this, inhale and exhale.

Inhale to hover off the shoulder blades, exhale to zip up in the low belly. Heels pressed together, toes stay down and lengthen long through the crown of the head. Once more inhale and exhale, slow deep contraction crawling back, hovering off those shoulder blades, inhaling at the bottom, deepening the belly back to curl back up. From here, we add on sitting tall to start. And exhale to contract and roll back.

Pausing in that high crunch, the right leg lifts staying slightly turned out like half a diamond. Left leg lifts inhale, deepen the belly, think of a nice neutral pelvis. Of course, it's cinching that waistline tighter. Arms and shoulders the next, stay relaxed, left and lower. Now squeeze your heel bones together.

Full diamond lifts, inhale, deepen the belly, lower to hover or tap. Inhale to lift, exhale belly button, pulling to the mat to lower. Last two up and lower. Once more, lift and lower. Toes rest down, taking a breath in and exhale to curl back up.

This is one of those reformer exercises that's more challenging on the mat. You don't have the assistance of your ropes and weights for the springs, inhale and exhale. Pull that belly button back and in. We're working hard on that core, rounding down, hovering for a moment. Our diamond lifts up, this time we lengthen through the legs right from your knees.

Bend back to the diamond and lower to hover. Inhale to lift, exhale to reach to those toes. Inhale, bend to the diamond, heel bones connect, deepen the belly to lower. Twice more, inhale, lift, exhale, reach, bend it in, lower it down. Last time, inhale.

If your core is not shaking, I don't know what to tell you. Pull that belly button a little deeper, pause there for a breath in. Exhale, round right back up. Just a few more parts, stay with me. Inhale, sit tall, exhale, contract.

Deepen the belly, can you articulate a little further onto the mat now that we're a little warmer? This time, think of keeping your knees and toes at eye level, everything lifts together. Heel bones stay tight towards one another. Knees stay bent, lower shoulder blades and heels to hover as one and inhale on the lift and an exhale on the lower as we articulate down. Inhale, lifting through the heart, exhale to roll back.

Once more, inhale to lift up, up, up, exhale to lower. Pause for a breath in. Round all the way back up, up, up, up, up, still finding that round contraction before lengthening at the top, seating a little taller, last set, inhale and exhale. On the inhale, we lift halfway up to where we were before. On the exhale, reach through the toes, find your teaser, bend your knees back into the diamond, upper half doesn't move and lower to hover.

Three more times, inhale lift, exhale to reach through the crown of the head and the toes. Inhale to bend, heel bones connect, exhale to lower with control, last two. How smooth can you float up into that beautiful teaser position, resisting to bend and articulating back down. Last time, lift and reach and bend and lower. Let the head release all the way down, taking a breath in, feeling length through your spine and exhale, turn around all the way back up.

Finding that contraction and sitting tall. Should feel really nice, bring those knees in. Walk your feet a little further away. Squeeze those inner thighs together. Reach the arms forward.

Take a deep breath in and roll all the way down and back vertebra by vertebra. Legs extend long, arms extended by the sides. Give those legs a little shake up and down, side to side. Feel the hips release. If there's any tension there, try and let it go.

We wanna be really working into the core. Palms stay pressing into the floor, draw the knees in towards the chest and then extend them straight up to the ceiling. From here, we'll turn out, heels together, knees and toes apart going into some leg spring exercises as if our feet are supported with the straps, but here once again, a little more challenging. We have to focus on supporting ourselves with our core. We'll start with our leg circles, lowering down, out and around and right back up.

Keep them small to start, inhale, exhale, circle around and up, press into those palms. Just stay open across the collarbones, breaking at the hips, sit bones and tailbone remain reaching long, lengthening all the way through the back of the knees. Inhale, exhale circle and squeeze. One more, take it down and around and up. From here, we reverse.

Open, lower, draw those inner thighs together, deepen the belly to lift the legs back up. Belly button pulling down to the mat. Ribs connect as inner thighs connect, break at the hips to lift, inhale out and then around, exhale, lift the toes to the ceiling without lifting those hips. Circle, feel length through the back of the knees and reach. One more around, inhale, exhale deepen the belly to reach back up.

From here, lower the legs to 45 degrees, we're gonna go into a little Peter Pan pas de chat. Left leg opens as the right knee bends. Think of the thighs staying square with one another so they only open to the same amount, same degree here and then they meet together, inner thigh squeezing tight, inhale, exhale, deepen the belly down, reach long through those legs. Bending left, reaching out through the right and squeeze. Two more each side, inhale, exhale, reach a little longer through the toes.

A little longer through the crown of the head. Once more, inhale, exhale, reach and squeeze. Last time, deepen the belly button down, reach long through those legs and then hug them all the way back into rest. Giving them a nice hug, releasing in the front of those hips here with a little gentle rock side to side, maybe even drawing some circles with those knees, whatever you feel like your body needs. And then we'll lower the feet flat to the mat, hip with the part here, palms pressing down by your sides.

Reach those fingertips long towards your heels. Crown the head out and long. Inhale to prepare and exhale to curl the hips up, scooping from the low belly, really initiating from the core here as we lift the pelvis up to feel length all the way from the knees to the hips to the shoulders here, creating that straight diagonal line. Pausing at the top, pressing down to the heels and palms and then slowly articulating back down vertebra by vertebra. Imagine you're pulling your heels closer towards your sit bones as if you're trying to keep your carriage still if you're relying on your back there with your feet on the footbar.

Inhale at the bottom, exhale to scoot from the low belly. Start to squeeze those sit bones and butt cheeks together. Press down into the heels, lift up through the hips. Inhale at the top, exhale belly button, pulling down, ribs connecting and chest away from the chin as we lengthen through upper, middle, low back. Releasing at the bottom.

Again, inhale and exhale to tuck and curl up, scooping those hips nice and high. We'll start pressing down into this right heel, squeezing that right glute, drawing your left leg into a table top position, foot stays flexed. Imagine pressing out on that foot bar, inhale, lengthen through the heel, thighs are parallel. Deepen the belly to pull it back in. We're reaching long through that left leg and drawing it back in towards the chest for three and inhale reach, exhale draw in the whole time staying lifted and strong in that right cheek.

Pull that left knee in and lower the foot down. Transferring the weight into that left heel, hip stay square, thighs parallel, and then draw the right knee up and in. Inhale, lengthen out in a way, deepen the belly and at the ribs together, pull the right thigh in for four and then three, inhale and exhale. Last two, pull it in one more time, reach away and draw it in. Lower that right foot flat down to the mat.

Feet are square, hips lift a little higher, taking a breath in and exhale, rolling all the way down. Lengthening long through the crown of the head all the way through the spine, through the tail and releasing at the bottom. Ooh, should feel good on the back there, a little massage for the spine. Extend those legs long, zipping up through those inner thighs. Give them a little shake once again, reach through the heels and reach all the way up and back through the fingertips.

I feel like your body's growing a bit little longer and leaner here after all this work, arm's floating up to the ceiling on the next breath in and exhale, chin peeling over the chest, belly pulling back to round all the way up and forward towards those toes. Just taking a moment here for a stretch, releasing in the head, the neck, pointing, flexing the feet, whatever feels best for you. And we'll round all the way up and start back around on all fours. Shoulders over the wrists here. We're gonna go into a little bit of our long stretch series so make sure you're evenly stacked and then extend one leg and the other back behind you.

Inner thighs are zipped up as if those feet are in the headrest area. Heels pressing back, shoulder blades point away from the ears. Shift forward over the wrist, crown of the head reaching past the edge of your mat or past your imaginary footbar and then press back into those heels and away from the arms. Shifting forward, zipping up through the waist, exhale, lifting up through those low abs and then inhale, pressing back in through the heels. Shifting forward, zipping up through the low belly, hips stay low, belly stays lifted, press back, squeeze the inner thighs and glutes together.

Once more, exhale shifting forward, forward, forward, inhale, shifting back. Lower the knees from here. Let them separate slightly and separate your feet as if they're up against those shoulder blocks. Sit your hips back towards your heels for a moment, just taking a little modified child's pose and we're gonna go into some down stretch. Begin dragging your heart and your chest forward through your arms, through your wrists, not dropping the pelvis, but instead pulling it forward, pulling your heart forward, opening up across those collarbones.

Take a breath in and then exhale, deepen the belly up and back to sit your hips back towards your heels. Inhale, drawing it forward up and exhale, ribs knit tight, belly pulls up and back to sit the hips back. Twice more, squeeze those glutes as you draw the hips forward. Heart forward, open up across the collar bone, squeeze the shoulder blades behind you. Exhale, zip up through that waistline as you press yourself back.

Once more, inhale, lifting up and forward and exhale, deepening that belly up and back. From here, keeping the toes and hands where they are. We hover those knees and pike the hips all the way up and back. Feet should be maybe a little wider than hip width as your shoulder blocks would be, pressing the chest towards the thighs. Lift those heels up high and articulate through your spine vertebra by vertebra as if you're rolling all the way over that footbar, taking a breath in, finding a plank with a slightly rounded upper back for that upstretch and then exhale, pike the hips up and back, heels stay high.

Shifting up and over, inhale, exhale, deepen the belly, press the ground away, shift up and back. Three more, up and over, rounding through that upper back, deepening the belly to shift up and back, sit bones reaching high for two and back. Once more, inhale and exhale. Staying back, pressing heels back towards the ground, taking a breath in, feeling this long downward dog stretch. Then thinking of our elephant here, as we start to round the spine and walk the toes all the way up towards the hands by lifting in the belly.

Few more steps here, however many you need trying to stay folded over, taking a moment here, take a breath in, exhale, sink a little further into that stretch. Shake your head yes and no, releasing through the backs of the legs, maybe softening them ever so slightly so you can really relax into the stretch. One more breath here, inhale and exhale. From here, we'll bend those knees ever so softly here and then slowly roll up, stacking that spine vertebra by vertebra. Thinking about rolling down onto the mat, but rolling up to a nice tall posture, standing beautifully lengthened all the way through the spine.

From here, let's place the hands on the hips so we ensure a nice stable square pelvis and then step that left foot a comfortable few inches back, few feet if you can, staying square through the hips, zipped up through the low belly, aiming for a nice hip flexor thigh stretch here as we go into a front split variation, bending that right knee right over the right middle toe, keeping chest lifted, left heel high, pressing down into that right heel, left ball of the foot. Inhale to bend down and exhale, zipping up through the waist, squeezing those glutes forward and underneath us. Two more times, bend and lengthen. Once more inhale and exhale, pressing left heel down, reaching arms all the way up overhead, feeling a length through the back of that left leg and then folding all the way over through a flat back, reaching arms down by those right toes, sort of a Russian split variation here, taking a moment to breathe into the stretch, inhale, exhale, pulling back in that right hip, pressing down through that left heel and then step the left foot all the way forward in front of you right next to the right and we'll gently bend the knees again, rolling up, taking the same attention to detail, rolling through the spine for our second side. Hands onto the hips, right foot stepping back, staying square through the hips and pelvis, zipping up through the low belly, left knee bends over forward towards that left middle toe and then exhale, press down into the left heel and right ball the foot as you stand tall.

Inhale to plie down, exhale, shoulder blade, stay down, lift tall through the crown of the head, zipping up through that waistline. Inhale to lower and exhale to lift, really tucking that tail underneath to get a stretch into that right quad and hip flexor for two. Belly pulling up, heel pressing down for stability. Once more, inhale and exhale. Finding our balance here, arms float up as that right heel presses to the floor, taking a breath in and then exhale, hinging from the hips, taking a forward stretch through the flat back and reaching those arms all the way down to frame the left foot.

Now, of course, if you need to bend your knees here, you're more than welcome to do so. This stretch should feel good, lengthening out the back of the legs, taking a breath in and exhale, sinking a little deeper forehead towards that shin and then stepping the right foot all the way forward next to the left. Once again, softening both knees and rolling up through the spine stacking evenly, taking our time in five, in four, tail tucking underneath, three, articulating vertebra by vertebra, two, shoulder blades pulling down into the back and lifting tall through the crown of the head on one. Thinking about all that beautiful posture that we worked in class, we'll take one nice deep breath together. Inner thighs zipped up, arms reach out and up all the way, overhead feeling length through the whole body, down through the heels, all the way through the crown of the head and the fingertips.

Flipping those palms and pressing the arms all the way back down by your sides. Shoulders pulling down into the back. Chin staying lifted off the chest, feeling invigorated, stronger from all the work you have joined me to do on your mat and I look forward to seeing you again soon.