Laura's Go-To Reformer

Hi, I am Laura Hanlon, here on the Universal Reformer, teaching you a quick 30, 35 minute reformer flow class that I like to squeeze in when I have a busy day between clients and get a nice sweat and workout in. We'll start seated facing towards the footbar. My headrest is up, my footbar is up, whatever height agrees best for your body, we'll move starting with some leg and footwork, today, I have on two reds and a green. Reach those arms forward round through your spine. Take a beautiful deep breath in into the back (inhales deeply) and exhale round down all the way onto your back.

Palms will lower, head will lower, nice open chest, starting in our first position, Pilates stance, heels together, knees and toes apart. Take a deep breath in and press the carriage out, zipping up high through those inner thighs and exhale, breaking at the hips, nice neutral pelvis to return. Inhale to lengthen back. (inhales deeply) Exhale breaking to resist the carriage back in. Nice and long lift in the knees and the thighs. Think of using the glutes and the hamstrings to return so we find a stretch through the front of the legs and resist with the back of the legs.

Inhale to lengthen, long spine, long crown of the head. Exhale, deepening into that belly, leg and footwork warming up through the core here, using that breath for two (inhales deeply) and resisting in. (exhales slowly) One more time, lengthen all the way back. Exhale, bend the knees just halfway in. We'll pulse here back an inch, inhale, right back in an inch, exhale. Inhale back, exhale to resist.

Continue to squeeze your heel bones together, your sit bones and butt cheeks together, really warming up the backs of those hamstrings and glutes, for four, resist. Inhale, press, exhale, resist. Last two (inhales deeply) and one, (exhales slowly) press all the way out. Zip up high through those inner thighs once again, inhale here (inhales deeply) and exhale bending those knees to come all the way back home. Inner thighs come together, heels come onto the bar, toes flex firmly to the ceiling.

We'll go into that same series pressing all the way out on the inhale, making sure your feet are right in the middle of that bar, getting that beautiful length through the tops of the thighs, exhale, bending at those knees, resisting with the glutes and hamstrings. Inhale to lengthen. (inhales deeply) Exhale to return. (exhales slowly) Warming up through the legs here, flexing all 10 toes straight up to the ceiling. I like to think especially of my little pinky toes so we have a nice stretch across those shin bones, the tops of the shin legs and inhale to lengthen, exhale to resist, that chin stays lifted off the chest. No wrinkles in the neck, double chins. We want that nice, beautiful open throat.

Inhale, press, exhale, resist. Once more, all the way out, just halfway in for those little pulses. Back an inch and in an inch, inhaling and exhaling. I like to add these pulses into the work. They access those glutes and hamstrings.

We keep that pelvis neutral. The tendency, it will often be to tuck here. You wanna keep that sacrum long and flat on the mat, pulling that belly button deeper to the spine. Inhale and exhale, for two, (inhales deeply) and one. Press all the way out, stretching long through the legs and bending all the way back in.

Sliding down to the arches, middle of the foot. Imagine rolling the arch of the foot over a tennis ball or something that feels good here, like the foot bar pressing all the way back. You inhale, find the length, exhale to come back in. Lengthen, lifting high in the thighs, resisting with the back of those legs. I feel mine working already, hopefully, you do too.

Inhale (inhales deeply) and exhale, ribs knit together. Belly button deepens a little bit further towards that mat. Inhale to press. Exhale to resist back in, long legs and return. Two more full presses out, four resistance into home.

Once more, just halfway. We pulse back an inch and in an inch. Maybe you feel this work in the glutes and hamstrings, a little further back, a little closer towards your footbar. Do what works best in your body here, using those glutes and hamstrings, firing up behind the legs. Inhale and exhale for three (inhales deeply) and two, (inhales deeply) and one, (exhales slowly) pressing all the way out.

Lifting in the knees and the thighs and bending all the way back in. Sliding all the way down to our toes now. And then lifting the heels up into a high releve position with those parallel legs pressing all the way out, really squeezing those ankles and knees tight. Depending on your knee alignment, be careful with your legs, but do try and find that inner thigh adductor connection, really good for ankle stability here. Bending at the knees, keeping those heels nice and high.

Inhale to lengthen. Exhale, breaking right at the hips to resist, sit bones, tailbones, stay reaching long, straight towards that footbar. Inhale to press. Exhale to return. I love how these shoulder blocks really help my shoulder blades pull away from my ears so I have this nice open neck and throat.

I'm feeling length through the spine all the way out through that tail, pressing a little longer each time, resisting a little bit more. And inhale lengthen, (inhales deeply) exhale return. (exhales slowly) Once more, press, just halfway and we pulse out and in, inhale, exhale, press and resist, inner thighs and glutes squeezing tight for four, (inhales deeply) and three, (exhales slowly) last two, and one, press all the way out, keeping those legs straight, lowering the heels under the bar, feeling a much needed stretch for those achilles and calves. Keeping the connection in your glutes so we don't let that seat go soft, the lift of the knees and the thighs and we lift those heels right back up. Inhale lower, exhaling at that tight zipper to lift, heels lower under the bar, heels lift up to that high heel position down. Exhaling up (exhales deeply) for five and lift and four, (inhales deeply) belly deepens, ribs knit tight, three, exhale to lift, two (inhales deeply) and up once more, inhale, exhale, heels lift, and then bend the knees to come all the way in.

Extend your legs straight up to the ceiling from here, turning out, flexing the feet. With our hands guiding, we'll open the legs to a nice wide V, feeling a stretch for those inner thighs. Gentle pressure opening up through the hips, maybe a little rock, whatever you need here, roll those ankles, get all those cracks out. Then from here, keep those knees open, with control, bend your knees. Heels will come to the corner of the bar.

Now if you're turned out, you can be open here, but without just letting it flop, without letting those ankles go askew, we want the heels in line with the knees, in line with the hips and the middle toe. From here, arms reach back long, pressing out in this wide second position on the heels, inhale, lengthening, exhale to resist. Think of like a wide sumo squat if you've ever done any work with weights here, we're letting those inner thighs wrap up and forward, feeling that external rotation and work coming from the seat, inhale, working both directions out, resisting back in, long, lifted legs and return, (inhales deeply) ribs draw tight. (exhales slowly) Bringing that awareness right back into that core, belly button to spine, pubic bone to sacrum. Last three (inhales deeply) and resist. (exhales slowly) And two (inhales deeply) and return. (exhales slowly) One more time all the way out, halfway in, we pulse back an inch and in an inch. Inhale and exhale, nice controlled movement here.

Simple breath, inhale out, exhale return, for four, keep flexing those toes up and back. Three, squeezing into the sit bones, two, and in, last one, press all the way out, nice and long, deep breath in (inhales deeply) and exhale, bend those knees to return. From here, we'll bring those toes back up to the ceiling. If you have nice, long, maybe wider hips, long legs, and it feels comfortable with your alignment to have your heels on the edges of the bar here, you can do so. If you're more petite and you want your feet a little narrower, maybe you bring them in.

I'm gonna go somewhere in between for my body. We're going to a nice slow pelvic press to open up through that spine a little more today. So lower your headrest down so the head and neck are flat, arms reach down and springs stay the same. Take a deep breath where you are (inhales deeply) and begin to tuck and curl your pelvis just to hover off the mat an inch or two. From here, your glutes aren't working too much.

Maybe a little bit to hold the carriage still, but it's more about that scoop from the low belly and then lengthen that tail back long, inhale, (inhales deeply) exhale, small scoop of the pelvis, (exhales slowly) ribs knit together, belly button pulls down, lengthen back long. One more time, inhale, (inhales deeply) exhale, small tuck and scoop. (exhales slowly) From here, hold it. Take a breath in, (inhales deeply) without moving the carriage, begin to curl your hips up a little higher. Think of reaching your knees forward over the footbar, right in line with those middle toes. Your pelvis lifts up.

Ribs knit together, belly pulls down. We keep this lift, we press the carriage out, reaching the crown of the head back, legs long, squeeze the seat, draw the ribs tight, draw the carriage in slowly with control. Again, lengthening through the front and tops of those thighs. Inhale, exhale to resist it back in. (exhales slowly) Three more times, pressing all the way out. Deep breath in (inhales deeply) and exhale, drag that carriage all the way back in, (exhales slowly) for two, lengthening, maybe you don't go all the way out and that's okay.

We only want to go here as far back as you can do so without letting those hips drop, without arching the back. Bring that carriage in, stay, find the stopper. Take a breath in (inhales deeply) and begin to roll down, articulating vertebra by vertebra, chest away from the chin, opening up through the upper back, through the middle back. Try not to let that carriage move, into the low back, releasing at the very bottom. We'll do that once again here, finding that long spine to start.

Deep breath to prepare, (inhales deeply) exhale, starting with that small tuck, that initiation from the low belly, tailbone hovers. We hold for another breath in. (inhales deeply) Make sure that carriage stays connected to the stopper. Curl those hips up as high as you can go without finding pain in the back. We wanna aim for tight glutes and hamstrings connection into the core length through the front of the hips. Pressing out for five.

Inhale length and back, exhale, bring that carriage in, dragging in from the hamstrings and glutes, for four, (inhales deeply) and exhale, return, (exhales slowly), gaze stays lifted here, pressing down into those palms, open chest and throat. Inhale back, (inhales deeply) exhale in. (exhales slowly) Two more times, press, (inhales deeply) and in. (exhales slowly) Once more, inhale lengthen, (inhales deeply) exhale, return and stay. Take a deep breath here (inhales deeply) and exhale slowly rolling back down. Carriage stays still, vertebra by vertebra, opening up through the spine, feeling those legs nice and warm. Hug the knees all the way in towards your chest for a rest.

From here, we'll lower those feet down to the ledge underneath the bar. Reach the arms to the ceiling, taking a breath in (inhales deeply) and exhale to round and roll up, (exhales slowly) using those abdominals and coming up to lower our footbar and change our springs. Working into some, I call it Hundreds prep, abdominal prep. We will be going then into Hundreds. If you would like to change your springs in between, you can always pause.

I'm gonna stay on the same for both. Challenge myself a little bit and stick with a red and a green, why not? It's what we're here for, it's a short workout. Reach those arms long, knees bent. Take a breath in (inhales deeply) and exhale, roll all the way back down, vertebra by vertebra.

This time, making sure you have a little bit of space between your shoulders and your shoulder blocks. And then flipping that headrest back up so we have a little bit of a lift for the head, neck, and shoulders. Hands come into the straps, bring them so they're nice and taut to prepare, take a deep breath in. (inhales deeply) As you exhale, draw the right and left leg up to a tabletop position. Again, that pelvis stays neutral, tailbone and sit bones long, no tucking of the pelvis please. Take another breath in.

Press your palms into the straps and move your hands right over your shoulders. Feel those shoulder blades anchored down away from your ears, activating your back. Take another breath in. (inhales deeply) Stay here as you exhale, draw that imaginary corset tighter around your waist. Your body is working in this stillness minus, take a breath in. (inhales deeply) Exhale, press your palms down towards the mat. Crown of the head stays long, palms hover by the hips.

Inhale, arms float back up with control right over those shoulders, keeping some tension in the springs and the straps the whole time. Inhale as the arm floats up. (inhales deeply) Exhale as the arms press down, the belly button pulls deeper to the mat. Legs stay nice and still, inner thighs connected at tabletop. Pulling that low belly deeper to connect into the core, taking the pressure out of the hips. Inhale the arms float up.

This time we'll add a crunch forward. Chin over the chest, palms hover off the mat by the hips, head and arms lower down and back. Exhale, curl up. Reach up, sink that belly button deeper towards the mat. Inhale, take it back. (inhales deeply) Exhale, curl and reach up and forward. (exhales slowly) Once more, inhale, (inhales deeply) using the breath, exhale, curl and reach.

From here lying back, keeping that tension in the straps, feel those shoulder blades pull down without moving the carriage, start to drag the palms down in an imaginary flat wall in front of you until those elbows hug tight to your ribs. Take a breath there, squeeze them towards your waist, and then exhale, begin to shoot your fingertips straight back up to the ceiling. Your triceps should feel this, your core should feel this since we're holding this position, start to drag those elbows back down. The carriage does not move. Deep breath in. (inhales deeply) Exhale, pull the belly down, reach your fingertips back up, (exhales slowly) two more times.

Inhale, elbows pull tight towards the ribs and waist. Exhale, belly button deepens, fingertips reach up to the ceiling, but those shoulder blades stay anchored towards your carriage. Once more, inhale, pull it down, (inhales deeply) and exhale, reach it up. (exhales slowly) Inhale, pull the elbows down once more. (inhales deeply) This time you exhale, press the arms straight from there. Inhale, elbows bend to 90 degrees. Exhale, elbows extend your core, your arms should be feeling this by now.

Your abdominal staying connected, that tight seatbelt around the waist, supporting our legs, supporting our low back. We have three, inhale to bend, exhale to extend. Squeeze those arms tight by the waist. Squeeze into your armpits, head and neck staying relaxed for one more rep here with those arms. Now we'll add our upper body contraction.

Inhale, elbows extend, legs extend, curling up long through the fingers and toes, knees, elbows bend, head releases down. Inhale at the bottom, exhale curl up, reach up. Three more times, taking it back, (inhales deeply) reaching up and forward. (exhales slowly) And two, (inhales deeply) and reach. (exhales slowly) One more time, inhale. (inhales deeply) We're going right into it today, exhale. (exhales slowly) Let's do it, Hundreds. Breathe in, two, three, four, five. Exhale, two, three, four, five.

Maybe those legs are slightly bent, parallel, slight turnout. You choose, inhale, (inhales deeply) and exhale, (exhales slowly) in two, three, four, five. Exhale, two, three, four, five, pulsing from those triceps. Curling up a little higher, fighting against that spring tension. Use the low belly for three, (inhales deeply) and exhale out, two, three, four, five.

Can we lower those legs a little further too? (inhales deeply) Pull that belly button a little bit deeper. (exhales slowly) One more breath in (inhales deeply) and exhale out, two, three, four, five. Hold and reach up one more inch. Draw the knees in, bend the elbows in and rest. Gee, we're only at Hundreds and I feel like I've gotten a full workout here. Hold onto your handles, your shoulder blocks, whatever you have here, let both knees sway over to the right, taking a moment, easing into this rotation for the spine.

Deep breath in, (inhales deeply) and exhale. (exhales slowly) One more breath, inhaling, pulling that left elbow wider, feeling stretch across the chest, the waist, the hips, the thighs, and draw the legs back through center and over to the other side. Keeping that right elbow wide, shoulders relaxed, inhaling (inhales deeply) and exhaling. (exhales slowly) One more breath here, inhale, (breathing deeply) and exhale, let it go. (exhales deeply) Mirroring those legs back up to center. We'll bring the knees into the chest. Place the feet into the straps for some short spine stretch. Say that five times fast.

Feel free to change your springs if you feel like you need something heavier or lighter, depending on what you just had. Again, I'm still on a red and a green. We're gonna lower this headrest down. Bend those knees in, (breathing deeply) fingertips will reach long to the edge of the carriage towards the springs, legs shoot out nice and long. We'll start slow today.

Parallel legs, take a breath here. (breathing deeply) As you exhale, begin to let those legs float back as far as they can go without lifting your hips. You're gonna get a glorious hamstringing stretch here. If you're flexible, you might find the stopper. If your hips start to lift, try and keep using your low belly to keep them anchored. This is about it for me today.

Take a breath in. (inhales deeply) From there, we start to curl up. Try and bring the carriage to the stopper with control. As your toes lift up and back, nice and high on that diagonal, keeping tension in the straps. Chin lifted off the chest. Begin to bend the knees with control.

The knees hover over the shoulder blocks here. Chin stays lifted off the chest, take a breath in. (inhales deeply) Exhale, begin to roll down one bone at a time. Thighs stay lifted off the chest. Heel bones continue to squeeze together in this long diamond shape, reaching the sit bones, the tailbone down. If I touch my clients here and give them a little pressure and stretch, oh my goodness, it feels so good, even when I do that myself, lengthen out through that low back and your hamstrings.

Pull the heels into the glutes, reach those legs nice and long. We'll do it slow like that. One more time, inhale, parallel legs. (inhales deeply) Exhale, legs float back as far as they can go and join this moment of a stretch. Take another breath in once you arrive, (inhales deeply) and exhale, begin to curl up and back with control. Zipping up through those inner thighs, glutes, core, all activated to support our bodies here.

Inhale bending to the diamond (inhales deeply) and exhale to roll back down, chest away from the chin, open up through the upper back, middle back, getting as much into the low back as you can. Once you're kinda stuck there, start to press the low back down by deepening in the waist, bringing those heels in towards your glutes and reaching out long. We'll go two more, a little bit quicker, not too much. Inhale to prepare. (inhales deeply) Let those legs start to float back. Exhale, curl up and back. (exhales slowly) Reaching up high with the toes pressing down into the palms.

Knees bend in (inhales deeply) and exhale to roll down, still articulating through the spine. Heels reach in and out, once more, inhale, (inhales deeply) exhale, lengthen up and back. (exhales slowly) Using those abdominals, lifting a little higher, finding that beautiful length, inhale and exhale, using that breath to lengthen through the spine, reaching out long through the legs. We'll keep the legs here. Reaching back to lift our headrest back up for a little bit of inner thigh work here, we'll keep those toes pointed, keep those inner thighs connected in this beautiful external rotation. Lift the legs up to perpendicular and exhale, squeeze the seat, press those legs back down, nice and long, staying open across the pelvis.

Break at the hips to lift, deepen in the low belly, squeeze the buns to lower. Inhale lift and exhale, press, and lower, for three, (inhales deeply) and press (exhales slowly) and two, (inhales deeply) and reach. (exhales slowly) One more time, lift, (inhales deeply) and lower. From here, flex through those heels. Keep squeezing inner thighs tight, bending in for frog. Inhale, (inhales deeply) exhale, lengthen and extend.

Resist to bend, knees open, press through the heels to reach. Inhale, bend, lengthening a little longer through the inner thighs. Feeling that stretch through the knees, through the heel bones, plie, bend, lengthen and extend. Two more times, inhale (inhales deeply) and exhale. (exhales slowly) Once more, bend (inhales deeply) and extend. Pointing back through the toes.

A little more inner thigh work will open about the width of the carriage. Inhale (inhales deeply) and exhale, squeeze together. Again, keeping that pelvis nice and neutral. Flat across the hip bones, feel the inner thighs open up. Wrap and squeeze together, inhale, open, (inhales deeply) exhale to close. (exhales slowly) Breathing in, legs and ribs connect to the midline for three, (breathing deeply) and squeeze (exhales slowly), two, (inhales deeply), squeeze the seat, inner thighs tight, heels connect.

Last one, keeping those toes pointed, bend into a big diamond shape, feel those inner thighs wrap a little wider, lift the diamond up, inhale, press the diamond down, squeeze the seat in the low belly, exhale. Inhale, diamond lifts up. Exhale, diamond lowers back down. Lift (inhales deeply) and press. Chin and chest, nice and open.

Try not to watch our feet here. We don't want to have a double chin, keep it lifted. Engaged in the low belly. (breathing deeply) Break at the hips to lift. Squeeze in the seat to press, last three, (inhales deeply) and lower, (exhales slowly) two, (inhales deeply) and lower. (exhales slowly) One more, lift and lower. Extend those legs all the way out long and then bend them all the way into rest.

That is it for our inner thigh work today. We will take our feet out of those straps, I feel mine. Extend those legs out long. Feel that length we just engaged and worked. Arms reached to the ceiling, take a breath in (inhales deeply) and exhale to round and roll all the way up. (exhales slowly) Feeling nice and warm from here.

Let's move around. Get a little more arm work. We're gonna go into some chest expansion facing the back. I'm gonna lighten a little bit to do one red, a red and a blue, I'm gonna go a red and a yellow. Little bit extra weight today.

Starting with the feet at the edge of the reformer, so you have that nice hook and connection to give us support. And then reaching for your handles. Coming up carefully onto your shins. Squeeze your glutes forward underneath, you'll stay lifted in the low belly to support that back. Holding on with a nice tight hand, we'll begin to pull the arm straight down and back on the inhale. (inhales deeply) Exhale, resists straight back forward, (exhales slowly) keeping a long straight spine and a long straight gaze to start here.

Inhale, woo, and exhale. Have to be so careful that the core and the glutes are engaged so you don't topple forward and lose the connection here. You don't wanna end up face planting. Inhale to pull. (inhales deeply) Exhale to resist. Imagine punching straight down to the floor.

One more just like this. Inhale, pull down and back. Exhale to resist forward. We'll add the turn of the head. Pull those arms down and back towards the hips, maybe a little further behind.

Deep breath in, (breathing deeply) punch down towards the floor. Exhale as you look right, exhale, looking left. Exhale, center and resist. Inhale, pull, down and back. Squeeze between the shoulder blades.

Exhale, looking left and right and center. Staying really connected to the low belly and the glutes. I'm squeezing those buns really tight. Inhale, pull, hold it. (inhales deeply) Carriage doesn't move, we look right, (exhales slowly) left, (exhales slowly) still exhaling center, still exhaling to return, really savor that breath. Last time, inhale, pull.

Hold it strong, reach to the floor. Lift through the chest looking left and right and center and return, woo. Carefully lower back down. I'm gonna lighten my springs to one red. Go into a little thigh stretch here.

Walk your knees a little closer towards your shoulder blocks here, so they're right up against. (breathing deeply) Traditionally, it is done parallel here. If you have super tight thighs, any knee injuries, maybe you feel a little better doing this in a diamond shape. Play around what works best for your body. Holding it on a little higher above the hardware. Squeeze those glutes forward.

Roll the shoulder blades down and back, pelvis stay lifted. Arms stay in front. We'll start to lengthen up and back. Take a deep breath in, feel that stretch from the knees all the way through the hips, out the crown of the head. Exhale, squeeze the glutes coming right back up to vertical.

Find length as you lift, length as you hinge. Inhale, (inhales deeply) squeeze the glutes, zip up through the abdominals. Lift back up to vertical. You do not have to go far to feel this. Inhale, stretching out the front of the body, should feel good, although it's challenging on the backside of the body to get us right back up.

Two more times, lengthen and lift, inhale. (inhales deeply) Exhale right back up. (exhales slowly) Once more, hinge up and back. Deep breath in (inhales deeply) and exhale back up to vertical. (exhales slowly) Sitting back once again. Hook those straps back onto your poles. Carefully turn around knowing you're on one spring, we don't wanna fly out underneath us here. Feet flexed against the shoulder blocks for some chest expansion facing front.

I'm gonna keep this on one red. Any shoulder issues, I would suggest maybe going a little bit lighter. Reach back for those handles or straps. Bring your arms right in by your hips. Make sure those knees are in line with your hips and your middle toes.

Take a breath here to prepare (breathing deeply) and then begin lifting your body up, keeping those arms in alignment with your hips. The setup is so important here. Again, we do not wanna face plant down into those springs. Not a good luck. Reach your arms up and forward to about chest shoulder height.

Deep breath in, (inhales deeply) and exhale, resist as you lower those arms right back down to your hips. Scooping forward and up on the inhale. (breathing deeply) Exhale, resisting and lowering back down on the exhale. Using the abdominals and glutes yet again to stabilize here and lower, using the back, triceps and biceps to scoop forward and up and resist. Once more like this, inhale to reach forward (inhales deeply) and exhale to lower. (exhales slowly) Adding some circles, starting the same way, we reach, (inhales deeply) open (exhales slowly) and lower. Think of keeping your fingertips in your peripheral vision.

Inhale (inhales deeply) and exhale. As the palms lift, the shoulder blades stay down into the back, reach around and down. We'll do one more this direction forward. (inhales deeply) Circle around and lower. Reverse, this one gets tough. Reach out to the sides.

Make sure your arms don't go behind you. Palms are up to the ceiling, shoulder height and width, lowering down with control. Keep squeezing glutes forward. Pulling that belly button back. Inhale (inhales deeply) and exhale. (exhales slowly) Two more, shoulder blades pull down, heart and chest stay lifted and resist.

Feels strong, feels challenging. Use the control in your whole body to lower and sit all the way back, phew. Hopefully, we feel our arms. Hook those straps back over your shoulder blocks. Add on an additional spring.

I'm gonna go two reds today. We're moving into some knee stretches. (exhales deeply) We'll change your bar so it's lifted whatever height works best for you, make sure it's secure. If you are on a machine where the bar lifts up, make sure you don't lift it, really press down into it. Hands, kind of underneath the shoulders here. Sit bones reaching back through the heels, and then begin to round your spine.

Get that beautiful lift from the low belly. That connection into the core, shoulder blades opening wide, rounded through the spine, that includes the crown of the head, not looking up, not dropped. We press down into those palms back into the feet. Inhale, press the carriage out, squeeze the buns. Exhale, draw the carriage in from that low belly.

Again, press back, inhale, pull it in, exhale, press and resist. Squeeze the glutes, lift in the core. Keep pressing those palms into the bar, staying open across the shoulders. Try not to let your shoulders lift, I see this all the time. Let's not use those traps, let's use the back, the lats, the arms.

Inhale, squeeze the buns, deepening the waist, for two (breathing deeply) and one. Bring it in and hold. From here, flattening out through the spine, that tailbone stays long. This one's tricky, lift it, zip up through the waist, shoulder blades down into the back. Imagine you're almost in a plank position here.

You're pressing into those palms, open through the chest, back stays flat. We still squeeze those glutes together. We still lift in the low belly without tucking that pelvis. Press out, squeeze the buns. Exhale, lift from the core.

Inhale out, exhale and keep it moving. (breathing deeply) I don't usually say this, but momentum is a little bit of your friend in the knee stretch series, least with the one that's to come if you know what I'm talking about. Press and in, that back stays as flat as a board, for three, (breathing deeply) two, (breathing deeply) last time, bring it in. From here, we round back into that first position we were in with a rounded spine. Make sure you can press into your toes. If your knees are sweaty like me, you're slipping.

We like to add a little challenge here. Round up through your spine. Take a breath in, press into those palms, maybe hold on tight, hover the knees. We press out, pull it in, inhale, press, exhale, pull, lengthen, resist, squeeze the glutes, deepening that belly, trying to keep that neck in line with the spine. Spine rounded, for three, (exhales deeply) two, (breathing deeply) last one, bring it in hold, lower the knees to rest.

Not always a favorite, but gets you working. Tuck those toes, take a moment into a child's pose, maybe your hands stay here, maybe they lower. Do what feels best for you. Take a moment off of those wrists. Breathe in (inhales deeply) and exhale out. (exhales slowly) While we're down here, we will change our springs if you are changing to move into some long stretch series.

So I'm gonna go red and a blue, a little lighter than what I had for knee stretches. Bringing those hands back up onto the bar. We'll stand up all the way onto the carriage for a moment here. Just taking a second in a forward fold. So walk those hands down towards your toes.

Let your head hang heavy for a moment. Let your knees soften, wipe the sweat from them if it's there. Take a breath in. (inhales deeply) Exhale, kinda rag doll over. (exhales slowly) Often, I will get into long stretch from off the reformer, but we're here, so we're gonna step into it with care. Make sure those hands are not too slippery. Your hands are on the bar, your feet step back into the headrest.

Think of the crease of your toes in the crease of that headrest. Articulating through the spine with care and control. Shoulders over the wrists, pressing down into the bar, squeezing into the inner thighs and glutes. We press the carriage out, reaching back through those heels. (inhales deeply) Exhale, crown of the head, drawing forward over the footbar. Inhale to length them back. (inhales deeply) Exhale to pull it forward up and in. (exhales deeply) Staying long, diagonally in this line from the heels through the hips, through the crown of the head.

Always thinking about angles in the work here, zipping up through that waist, that beautiful long line of the body. Inhale to press. Exhale, pull the carriage in. Finding a little more length using the back and the arms here, using the cord to pull us. Forward, two more, inhale, press, (inhales deeply) exhale in. (exhales slowly) Once more, inhale, (inhales deeply) and return. (exhales slowly) Gently lowering the knees down, pressing the feet back up against those shoulder blocks once again, we'll move into our down stretch, hands stay on the bar.

Pelvis presses forward towards that footbar, palms press down into the bar, open up through your chest and your throat. Press the carriage out, deep breath in. (inhales deeply) Exhale, pull the pelvis back forward towards the bar. Zip up through the waist. Squeeze the glutes open up across the collarbones, beautiful extension of the back. Inhale, press down and back. (inhales deeply) Exhale, lifting up, up, up.

Inhale to lengthen back. (inhales deeply) Exhale, knitting the ribs together while still opening up across the shoulders and the chest. Two more times, inhale out. (inhales deeply) Exhale, squeeze the glutes lift it in the waist to come in. Once more, inhale to press, (inhales deeply) and exhale to pull the carriage forward up and in. (exhales slowly) From here, those toes stay tucked, we'll lift the hips up. Keep those heels up against the shoulder blocks, finding a nice high releve, high V position. We'll do a few presses out and in like so.

Inhale, press the carriage back. Exhale, pike those hips up, lifting from the low belly, opening up across the shoulders. Inhale to press. Think of lifting in your knees and your thighs to support the ankles, the feet, the legs. Inhale, press out. (inhales deeply) Exhale, pull the belly up to pull the carriage in.

Two more (inhales deeply) and lift. (exhales slowly) Once more, inhale, press out. Exhale in, now we're ready to move into our up stretch. Press the carriage all the way out, lower the hips, finding a plank position with a slight curl in that upper back. Keep those hips low. Drive that carriage all the way forward.

See if you can find the stopper. If you're long and tall, it's hard. Shoulders over the wrists. Keep the carriage still as you pike those hips up and back using that low belly. Four more times, a little more flow.

Inhale, (inhales deeply) long exhale all the way forward (exhales slowly) and up. We press out, inhale, (inhales deeply) and exhale forward and in (exhales slowly). For two, (inhales deeply) moving with the breath here. It's the music for the movement. Keep it flowing once more, (inhales deeply) keeps it organic, natural, moving with what the body needs.

From here, flattening the feet about mid carriage. We'll move into some elephant. Press down into the palms, round up through your spine. Lifting the knees, see if you can lift in your toes, feel length through the back of the legs, crown hangs heavy. Press the carriage out, inhale, (inhales deeply) deepen the belly up, pull the carriage in.

Inhale to press. Exhale, staying rounded through the spine. Lifting through the waist. Still using the core, but finding length through the back of the legs, across the shoulder blades through the back. Inhale, press, exhale, pull it in.

Last three (inhales deeply) and up and in. (exhales slowly) Can you hover those little toes? We talked about this when we were in our leg and footwork with heels on the bar. Pull them up to feel that stretch in the outer parts of your shins. One more, inhale, (inhales deeply) and exhale to stay. From here, relax the toes.

Bring the hands down, meeting in that forward fold once again. Let the head hang heavy, let the knees bend. Take a deep breath in, (inhales deeply) and exhale to stretch. (exhales slowly) Two more times, inhale, (inhales deeply) and exhale. (exhales slowly) Once more, inhale, bend, (inhales deeply) and exhale extend. (exhales slowly) From here, we'll take the hands back onto the bar and carefully kneel back down onto the reformer. Always careful that we don't stand up with two light springs on there. Phew, well, I'm sweaty.

I feel like I got a good workout. I hope you did too (chuckles) and had some fun while doing so. Thank you so much.