Stabilizing Reformer

Hi, thank you for joining me today. We are going to use the over ball and do some footwork in an asymmetrical pattern to work on looking for asymmetries, maybe highlighting the asymmetries that live within us and having fun. So to start, bring the ball and turn so that you're facing the foot bar. For a spring I have three red springs, so just know that we're gonna be going from two legs to one leg, and if you need a lighter spring than that, you should give yourself the spring that feels good to you. So we're gonna scooch up towards the front of the carriage, letting the shins rest up against the foot bar and then get the ball about at the mid back.

So shins up against the foot bar, feet on the frame. Once you have the ball sorted, situated, reach back and bring your hands behind your head. So right now we're resting on the ball, but what I want us to feel that we're doing instead is finding some connection to the abdominals, like you're gonna float off the ball. Just doing a little abdominal warmup here before we get started on our legs. We're inhaling to extend the spine over the top of the ball.

And then exhale, lifting back up. So as always, there's work on the down, an eccentric, a lengthening contraction, and of course, work on the up. So what I like about having my legs against the foot bar here, we'll just continue in that movement pattern, is I like to use the foot bar to inform any shifting that might be occurring in the pelvis. So staying connected to the foot bar as the spine goes back. Noticing if there's even just a littlest bit of a shift.

Two more like that. Lifting. Always thinking about the head resting heavily in the hands. Yes, we are pausing at the top. I know it's more difficult.

You're welcome. Last two. And lifting up. One more time back. And hold yourself at the top.

Now, what I want us to do is I want us to take rotation to the left. Now, here's where that foot bar can be more informative. Can you rotate without feeling any shift in your shins? And center and lift and rotate right, and center. In the center we'll go back.

And up. Feeling the shins against the foot bar, rotate left, center, right. Keeping the pelvis steady, and back. One thing that's interesting to think about, for me anyway, and you could try thinking about it too, if you're so inclined, as you rotate, can you keep the ball still? And center.

Feel like you're trying to float up off the ball as you're turning. Might not be possible to keep it completely still but it's fun to try. Last two. And up and rotate. So one side of the ball gets a little less squishy, one side gets a little more squishier but there's no actual rolling of the ball, just rotation in the spine.

And center and back. I'm nice and warm. I hope you are too. And lift up. And take rotation and center, and take rotation and center and stretch back one last time.

Take the hands from behind the head. Maybe the easiest way to get up out of this is just to put the elbow down. Turn to your side and swing your legs out. And then we're gonna go onto our back. So laying all the way down, feet on the foot bar, lift the pelvis high enough so that you can put that ball underneath the small of your back and then lower the pelvis down, looking for a neutral orientation of the pelvis.

If you like to have your head rest up, you can do that. And then setting the arms next to the sides of the body, getting ready to move the legs. Okay, what I want us to do here is I want us to feel that heaviness of the pelvis on the ball and then we're gonna push into the heels of the feet and we're gonna straighten the knees. So we're working to try to keep the pelvis in a neutral alignment, meaning it's floating over the top of the ball as we bend in and press out and bend in. So it's tempting to want to tuck the pelvis and round the spine.

It's not... Not... What's the word? Succumbing to that temptation. And we're staying neutral.

Moving the carriage in and out, we're gonna do two more. Little easier to balance on the ball with both legs. And one more. We're gonna bring the carriage in. Can you stay centered on the ball and lift the left leg up into a tabletop position and then take the right leg out and back and out?

Noticing if the ball is rolling around underneath you. Trying to keep it nice and steady. Trying to keep that right leg tracking straight. The knee tracks straight up on the end. We're just gonna do two more outs and bend.

And one more outs and bend. Coming all the way back in, both feet down, let's take one extension. Just resetting, come back in, lift the right leg. Oh, it's more difficult for me already. And press out.

And in. That right leg stays nice and still. Pelvis stays centered on the ball. It's more difficult than it might look. If you're doing it with me, you know what I'm talking about.

Last two. And in. Last one, and in. Place that foot down, the right foot. We're gonna go straight away onto the toes.

Take a minute, get organized on the ball. Neutral pelvis, take the carriage out and bend. And out, trying not to tip side to side, staying right over the top of that ball. When the legs are straight, the feet are pointed. When the knees bend, the heels stay right in place.

Last two. And bend. And one and bend. Here we go. Lifting the left leg.

Balancing over the top of the ball. Take the carriage out with the right leg and in and out. Trying not to let that moving leg waver from side to side. Trying not to let either, either leg waver from side to side. We're doing two more.

Paying attention to detail, last time. Come all the way in. Both feet down. Just like on the last foot position, we'll take one in the center, come back in. Other leg up.

Takes me a little couple extra seconds to get organized on that side and we go out and back. And out and back. And keep that pelvis steady, Meredith. And two and in. And one and back.

Both feet down. Small V shape with the feet. Heels together. We're externally rotating in the hips which means we need to find our external rotators as we stretch out and drag back in. And stretch out, feeling the abdominals drop back towards the ball.

And bend. Again, focusing on not wavering side to side. Trying to keep the ball nice and still, last two. And bend. One more.

And bend. When you're at the bottom, keep the right foot on the foot bar, stay stable over the top of the ball. Float the left leg. It's gonna keep that external rotation. We're gonna press out with the right and back, and press out with the right and in.

Ooh, this is more difficult for me. And press out. And in. Looking for stability, challenging our awareness. Last one.

Out and back. Both feet down. One press. Bend. I'm anticipating this side.

It's been harder for all the other ones. I'm sure it's harder here. One and bend. And reach out and bend. Heavy pelvis on the ball.

Reach out and bend. And two and bend. Try not to tip side to side. Last one out. And bend.

Both feet down. Take the legs back to parallel. Heavy up the pelvis, stretch both legs out. Both feet under and up and under and up. Feel the ribs dropping below the ball.

And up so the pelvis is above the ribs, but we don't want to overextend through the mid-back. Just one more and then we'll alternate. Alternation is telling, can we do the walking, the prancing, the meeting and changing from side to side without losing our stability? And change, up. And change, up.

And change. We're just gonna do two more to each side, fully maximizing that stretch underneath the bar and maximize the stretch. Keep the ball still. Two and two. Takes a lot of thinking, doesn't it?

One and one. Both feet up. Both knees bend. Put the feet onto the foot bar. Lift the ball out from underneath your pelvis and roll your pelvis.

Oh, it feels good, all the way down. Okay, let's turn to our side. Help yourself up. We're gonna need the ball, so just keep it nearby. Change the spring so you have one red and one blue instead of what you had before and then go back down.

So finding our way back onto our back again, we're gonna press out, place the feet into the straps one at a time and then take the ball in between your feet. So I have my arches mirroring the round shape of the ball. Arms come down. We're gonna press out. Now, the challenge here for me anyway, is to try to hold the ball as still as we can.

Turn to parallel. Lift the legs up. Keep the pelvis down. Work from the back of the legs to take the legs down. Externally rotate and bend.

Press out in external rotation, trying to hold the ball still. Go into parallel. Lift up. Take that stretch. Back of the legs press down.

Externally rotate and bend. And feel the backs of the legs working as you stretch out. The ball is really telling. It tells you, kind of gives you something to focus on if you're moving more to one side than the other. Up and down and rotate and bend.

And both legs go out at the same moment. That's what keeps the ball still. Rotate. Come up. Seeing if we can go a little further into that stretch each time, press down, rotate back and bend.

We'll just do two more. Reach out and parallel and up. Heavy pelvis. Long active arms, and down and rotate and bend. I don't know about you, but it's for me hard to keep that ball still.

It's a little mental workout, isn't it? Up. Little further into the stretch each time and down. Rotate and bend. Reach for the ball.

Take it out. Take your one foot out. Put it on the bar. Where is the bar? Take the other foot out.

Hang up the straps. If your headrest is up, please take it down. Now, we're on a light spring here. You can stay on that light spring if you wish, or you can pause and change your spring. I'm just gonna try and stick with what we've got.

Ball goes in between the legs, arms come down to the sides of the body. We're gonna roll the pelvis up. And as we do that, we're trying to hold the carriage still. Fair amount of work. Pause at the top and articulate your spine down.

Stretching out. Mobilize any tension that may have arisen. Tail bone drops. Oh, I've definitely moved the carriage. I'm gonna bring it in a little and try again.

Roll up. Keep that carriage still. Pause at the top, pressing into the ball and roll the body down. Keeping the carriage pulling in towards the stopper. Rotate all the way down.

Check to see if you're gathering any tension in your shoulders. And roll up. Inner thighs squeezing the ball. And roll down. Just centering.

Centering the mind, centering the body and down. We'll just do two more. And lift up. And inhale and roll down. Keeping the carriage steady, pressing back through the arms to help stabilize the shoulder blades.

One more time, lifting up. One more time rolling down. All the way. Taking your time as you work to mobilize the low back specifically coming all the way down, taking the ball, turning to your side and coming up. Thank you for playing with me.

That was hard. I hope you enjoyed it.