Day 1: Power + Breath

Hi, everyone. I'm Tash from South Africa, and I'm so excited to be back at Pilates anytime. We are going to introduce a 7 day challenge starting with day 1 today. So why don't you join me on your mat? Bring your body and your mind onto your space, and I promise you you are going to feel fabulous after this first session. So standing on your mat, with your feet 1 fist width apart, you wanna already arrive with an intention and a beautiful upright posture. So come and arrive with a organized body. Your chin is up.

Feel a little bit, connected with your abdominals and your back engaged. Relax your arms by your side and take a deep inhale right here, inhale through your nose, And then as you exhale, you're just going to lengthen your spine and maybe bring yourself a little bit more into your body instead of leaning forward. So let's do that twice more. Inhale. And as you exhale, keep lifting your abdominals, breathing out, getting rid of all the stale air in your body one more time, guys, inhale. And Excel.

Great. Are you ready to move? We're gonna roll down. Inhale for your preparation. And as you exhale, draw your chin towards your chest. Roll your body forward, bending your knees. Remember, this is the first moment that you can check-in and feel what your body needs.

Take another inhale here. Excel, lift your abdominals, roll yourself up. Moving your spine nice and safe back up into your standing position. 2 more times inhale and exhale moving with great intention. Feel your body, recognize the areas that need a little bit more love so that we can feel balanced at the end of the session, breathe in and breathe out. Use your breath.

Always use the breath. Arriving a tune up and tall last one inhale. And exhale rolling down. Moving forward up and over and allow your body to just hang out here. Relax your head.

Look through your knees. Grab hold of your elbows in this position. And just feel the way gently lengthening your spine a little bit more. Take it inhale for me, rotate your upper body over to your right side just for a little lateral move here and inhale center. Repeat that. Exhale over to the left side.

Keep your head relaxed and center. And one more each way stretching and enjoy that stretch just through the waist, not the knees, and one more over to the side and back to the center. Relax your arms for me. Bend your knees, reach your arms forward, see if you can get close to the floor this time and then assist yourself to bring yourself into a seated always having your feet 1 fist width apart. You're gonna bring your body down onto the floor. In your supine position or just lying on your back.

Check with your hands that you are in the center of your mat. We like the balance aspect of what this work offers. So send to yourself on your map with your feed one fist with the pot Ready for your beloved pelvic cold. Take your inhale. As you exhale, draw your abdominals. Tilt your pelvis feel that lower back connect with your mat, then continue the movement and press your pelvis up towards your ceiling.

Pause and hold inhale. And in XL to roll down one vertebra at a time. Oh my goodness. That feels so good. Let's go. Inhale. And breathe out.

Pressing into those glutes in help, pause, and it exhale to roll down, curling down, curling down, curling down, shoulders are wide and down, back to neutral. Inhale. And exhale. Breathe out. Let your breath. Initiate the movement. Left and lift and lift fire those glutes. Hold the position here, breathing in.

And in Excel, roll down, keep those inner thighs running parallel to each other. Making sure your thighs stay in line with your hips back to your neutral. Late to 2 more inhale. And we excel, press that lower back down, flex, flex, flex, roll up. Use the hamstrings, use the glutes, lift, and hold it here.

Take a breath. And exhale to roll down, cool down every time a little bit deeper into your own work. And we repeated last one inhale. Exheld back of the arms are pressing into the floor. Your collar bones are wide.

We're gonna lift and hold and pause it here for a second because there's always a little bit more to give. Use your glutes. Press that pelvis posteriorly. Hold it. Yeah. Abdominos are close to the spine.

So draw in and press up. Take a breath inhale. And as you roll down, start lifting your arms. Reaching your arms up to 90 degrees back to your neutral and extend your arms out in your t position here. Left your right leg off the floor.

Bring your left leg off the floor and draw your two legs together. We're gonna move your spine from side to side as you inhale, move the knees over to the right side, and exhale back to the center and inhale over to the left side Always have a little click here and exhale back to the scene. So remember the aim is to move your body to your own range and your own capacity. So feel your body, guys. Gotta connect into your body. And breathe in, moving side to side, nice and easy, getting that spine to rotate, side abdominals are working, 2 more inhale and inhale.

Exhale back. Last one. Inhale over to the side, rotating here, and exhale back. To your center. Bring your feet back down onto the floor. Circle your arms, interlace your hands behind your head.

You're still centered on your mat. We go into abdominal work, breathing in. Excel draw your chin, draw your abs down, flex and call your chest forward, keeping that pelvis still breathing, and then exhale roll back down. Use your paws in hell here, and we exhale draw the chin curling up, curling up, curling up, lifting up and holding it here. Keep pulling those abdominals down, down, down, breathing in, and exhale to roll back down.

Inhale. Breathing out. Breathing out, lifting up, check-in with your own body. If your pelvis is tucking, try and a little bit into the hip flexes and give your abdominals more opportunity to do the work and roll back down 3 more inhale and exhale draw the chin in. Get that sequencing right, left, and hold.

Eyeliners through your size, look through your feet, curl up, curl up, curl up, inhale, and exhale roll down. 2 more inhale. XL to call a pure abdominal work. The elbows are out in your peripheral view. You're not pulling on your head, breathing in, and exhale down.

You've got one more to go. We're gonna add the rotation inhale. Excel, call, and call, and hold it here, breathing in. Rotate over to your right side. Keep your hips still inhale center and over to the left side, inhale center, feel those obliques working as it moves the spine from side to side.

Align is stool through your thighs, everyone. Don't look up. And exhale rotate. Keep your hips still and exhale over inhale and rotate over. And exhale rotate over 2 more. Oh, I'll have to dig a little bit deep here to finish strong. Come on guys.

We can do this. And the last one. And back to the center, lift a little bit deeper and lower back down. Slide your left leg along the floor. Well done, guys.

Bring your right thigh up to 90 degrees, and then Stay that right leg and flex your ankle here. Make sure your thigh is over your hip. You don't wanna hang out here. Bring your side over your hip and then extend the knee. Keep drawing those abs in and down.

Take the leg across the body. We breathe in for a circle. And exhale and inhale. Stability is the key focus for this movement, inhale. And exhale, one more state, inhale, and exhale, pause, and hold.

Let's reverse it out Inhale and exhale. Inhale. Sholders are still abdominals are engaged, pelvic stability. It's a thing. It's a real thing. One more say it's inhale.

And exhale pause and hold it here. Can you extend your knee a little bit more? Can you invite your abs deeper into your back? Bend your knee this time. You're going to rotate and just give yourself a well deserved stretch here. Great, guys. Let's repeat that on the other side.

Slide your leg away. Bend your left leg up to 90 degrees. Keep your size all and extend your leg flexing your ankle here. Draw the abs down. Take the leg across your body.

We breathe in. An Excel. An email. Be aware of the position of your neck, one more set, and hold it here. Let's reverse it.

Inhale for a circle and exhale and inhale and exhale. Abdominals, oblique stabilizing the pelvis, inhale, and exhale one more seat, breathe in. Read out. Hold and hold and hold. Bend your knee. Take it across. Have your straight look in the opposite direction of your knee and come back to the center.

We're going to lift your legs up off the floor. Bring your hands and hold onto the back of your legs, breathing in. Draw your chin in lift your chest up into a chest lift position. Now press into your hamstrings as you press yourself up into your seated, a rolling likable position, we're gonna hover and hold it here. Find your stability within your movement.

We're gonna roll back in hell. Oh, that was a bit wild. In hell back, exhale, hover and hold. We want the stability within the movement And this, you guys, you need to bank this exercise because it's going to progress and be part of our challenge. So hang out here 2 more, and don't forget our little roiling knuckleball is going to develop into something glorious. Hover and hold it here.

For now, can you straighten your legs and just hold it? If you can't have your legs straight, bend your knees, but I'm interested in your straight back. Okay? You guys. Hold it. Yeah. So we quite like pausing moments because it's when your deep stabilizers get to work. And as we're on day 1, and we are doing a challenge. I am challenging you to just take your hands away. Do not drop your legs.

Do not drop your back and hold it for 5. And 4 and be proud and be active and 2 and do not collapse because you have control and stability and bring your self back into a seated position. Okay. Amazing you guys. Sitting up nice and tall. Your legs are open as wide as the inside corners of your mat. Arms are extended, and your abdominals and back are partnering for this upright posture, breathing.

Excel, call and roll forward, roll, roll, roll, inhale, hover, and hold it. Yeah. And Excel call back up. And lift, breathing in, exhale to roll forward, cool, and roll. Make sure your head takes the curve of where your spine is moving into this flexion or into extension, deep breath, inhale. Your feet are flexed. They're not just hanging out.

Your feet are part of the exercise. So flex your feet. Breathing. And Excel cool. And roll and lift and grow taller and taller and taller breathing in you guys and exhale to roll forward. Reach, reach, reach, breathing, and exhale up.

Let's do 2 more debriefs inhale. Excel lifting up and over, moving your spine forward into a very functional position, breathe in. And then reverse the movement and come back into where your life should happen in this upright posture, one more inhale. And exhale roll forward. Roll, roll, roll, pause, breathe in. We exhale call back up. Lifting up, holding it, and arrive here.

Draw your legs together. Extend your arms out into a t position. Rotate your palms up to the ceiling from the shoulder and feel active on your back. Rotate to the right side, exhale, exhale, inhale, and breathe, and breathe, and center. Excel, XL inhale, try and encourage those spinal extenses to stay engaged on that double pulse.

4 more. This feels good. And 2 more. And one, come back to the center, reach your arms over your head with after body collapsing, sitting up tall, you're going to plant a flex, point your toes, reach your arms, who would take a deep breath, inhale, draw into your abdominals, tuck your pelvis, and roll back. Or roll up, rolling down. Circle your arms, bring your arms down by your sides, bend your knees.

We're going to prepare into a role over everyone. Make sure you keep your head up towards your ceiling for the safety of your neck, lifting your legs one at a time off the floor. Take a breath. And extend both legs away from your hips. We inhale lift the legs up. Excel flicks and roll up and over.

Flex your ankles, abduct your legs, lower the legs, if that's available to you, and then roll down through your spine bringing the tailbone down and draw the legs together, again, inhale to lift. Excel flex and roll up and over. Flex and open and lower the legs. This is also one of the exercises that we are going to work into our challenge. So keep this in mind for the next session.

Breathe in, exhale roll over, deflection, deflection, deflection. Feet flex open and lower, rolling down, rolling down, rolling down, shoulders stay down. Let's do 2 more inhale left. Flex open and lower and roll down and down back of the shoulders are down. Leagues are ducted, 1 more lift up inhale, and exhale roll up and over.

Flex your feet, abduct your legs, lower them here, and roll down one vertebra at a time. Press your back down. Circle your legs, bring them back up to 90 degrees, bend your knees, and place them down, lift your right arm up, roll over onto your right side for me, everyone, and line yourself up with the back of your mat, please. Reaching your legs away, ready for the side lift, take a breath, exhale lift your two legs up off the floor, and inhale to lower down and exhale lifting your legs, drawing your abdominals close to your spine, and lower down. Your chin is still lifted.

Don't look down. Keep looking up. Keep thinking of your postural muscles and exhale 5 more. And those legs glue together. Your inner thighs are pulling together and you're working from your waist 3 more, exhale lift and lift and inhale down.

And 2 more. And one more hover and hold it here. Hover on hold, engage your abs a little bit more, pull yourself towards yourself, and lower your legs all the way down. From here, come and prop yourself up on your elbow. You're going to bend your knees.

You're gonna make sure your shoulder and your elbow is on top of each other. Your feet are not your legs are not too bent. From here, we're gonna breathe in side plank prep, exhale, lift your hips, lift your hips, lift, and lower back down leads to 3 more. And exhale, exhale, and exhale, and lower down. I can feel I'm not on Pointer, 2 more, XL, and lower down. Last one. XL, hover and hold the chair.

Pull your abdominals in. Straight your top leg away and hold it here. Don't want you to drop down. You wanna maintain the stability. Alright, you guys.

So underneath obliques and glutes are on fire. Hold it here. We're going to circle the leg. Inhale. And exhale with pure stability through the shoulder, through the waist, through the hip, and 2 and 1 reverse inhale and exhale. Inhale is your back active. 4, 3, 2, and hold it Keep holding it.

Come on you guys. Lift a little bit more. Higher and higher and higher and excel come down and have your well deserved mermaid stretch, stretching over, rotate down, not staying here for too long, because we've gotta get through the whole body. So line your other side, ready for your side lifts. Your palm is up.

Legs are straight and light towards line yourself up with the back of your mat. Take a deep breath. Excel, press 2 legs up, up, up, and inhale lower. And exhale lifting up, working through that waistline, I love this exercise. It's so simple that it's so effective.

If you just get your technique right, use your breath, use your breath, use your breath, and 4 more, and lower. And exhale 3 abdominals in and lower. And 2 more And the last one, lift and hold, lift and reach, and lengthen, and then lower back down. Press yourself up onto your forearm. Legs drawn in a little bit, chest open, shoulders open.

Take a breath in hell. And feet on top of each other, exhale lift your hips up off the floor. Hold it. Yeah. Reach your top leg out. Balance and hull, balance and hull.

We circle the leg in hell and exhale. And the name of the game is stability with in the movement. So no dropping in the pelvis. 2 and one hold it here and reverse inhale. And exhale and inhale pulling to the obliques, pulling to the glutes, 3, to and pause and hold, lift and hold. I'm shaking, lift, lift, and lift everyone lower back down. Pull the knees, lift up, stretch over.

Enjoy that length in your body, and rotate yourself back down. Awesome. You guys, let's go onto your hands and knees. Make sure you always place your hands to the front of your mat. To get into a rhythm of where the body is going within these exercises. This is part of our challenge over the next 7 sessions.

So make sure your shoulders are over your wrists. You're going to tuck your toes under alignment is everything. Alright? So we're not inflection. You're in a very neutral pelvis, neutral spine placement. Your arms are strong, and the crown of the head is reaching out and you are going to take a deep breath in. As you exhale, pull your abs up, hover your knees off the floor. Hover.

It's not a pelvis up. You are hovering. You are staying close to the floor. We're gonna hold it here for 5 breaths inhale and breathe out. Prize through your shoulders 4 more to go inhale and exhale. I know it's hard to be stole, but this is where we both strength you guys 3 more inhale.

And Excel, be aware of your elbows straight? Are your inner thighs aligned with each other? Are your ankles aligned with each other? 2 more inhale? And breathe out. Come on. Push through your shoulders. Don't get tired. Yeah.

Keep raising one more inhale. And excel hams up more more more and lower back down. Have a quick wrist position. And then from here, you're gonna place yourself back up into your kneeling position, moving your knees a little bit further away. Moving into a knee push up, bringing the pelvis forward without dropping into the lower back.

So you still have your pelvic lumbar stabilization. Your hands are ahead of your shoulders. I line in line with the crown of the head, and you're going to mic propane those elbows and extinct. And if this is not for you today, then you just keep your arms straight. But what we're trying to achieve is the press up on the knees with a great quality of shoulder mechanics.

Keep moving, formal, inhale. And Excel. And 3. So remember what I said, we're gonna build up on this. So you need to get the basics right in order for us to progress together, guys. 2 more.

And one, hold it here. Your true strength lies in the stability of your movement. This is going to be our push up at day 7. So hold it and hold it. Abdominal Zayin.

Your back is safe. You're feeling strong. You're feeling active in your body. Take another breath. Extend your arms and press back all the way.

Alright. Cool. Yourself up. We're going into your prone position for a back extension, and I'm going to get you to bring your hands underneath your forehead here. Your legs are together. Albers are out to the side.

Abdominals are lifted up on your inhale. Left your head and back. Bring your hands to hover your hands underneath your for it. Yeah. Hover and hold it here. Breathening. As you exhale, lower back down.

Let's repeat that. 1st, engage the abdominals protecting the lower back. On the inhale, lift the head, and the chest, then maintain the height of your back as the arms leave the floor and you bring your hands to your forehead and then lower back down. Let's do that twice more debrief inhale. Abdominals off the mat, back extension, get the alignment, hover the hands, hover the hands. And come down one more, breathe in abdominals off the floor, use the back extensors, bring the hands and we're going to hold the chair, breathe in.

As you exhale, extend your arms into a high v. And inhale come back with the hands 4 more times. Extend the arms. The aim is to maintain the stability in your back while your spine is off the floor and 3 and reach back. And 2 more abdominals are pulling off the floor, you guys. And one hold it here?

Rotate your palms to face one another. Give me 5 on pulses, 43, 2, and 1, don't collapse quality of movement as you come out of the exercise. Elbows into your body and press yourself into your wrist position. Take another breath here inhale. And breathe out.

And one more. And exhale. Roll yourself up, and I have a surprise for you. We are not finished. We are going to do an exercise called the frogs to get those legs working because 7 days is a long time, and we've gotta prep the body.

So you're gonna join me with your feet in external rotation. You're gonna bring your hands onto the floor, squeeze your heels together so you have to keep your rise in this exercise, and you have to keep your hands on the floor. We're going to extend and bend the knees today only ten times, and we're gonna grow and grow and grow. Today's 7. Okay? Are you with me? Hands on the floor, heels stay together so you get those insights to work. Take a breath. And we're gonna get a rhythm, extend, and bend 1.

And 2. And if you can keep your hands flat on the floor, go for it. And 5, and 6, and 7, and 8, and 9, and hold it parallel feet here, hang your body down, relax your head, take a breath, exhale, cool, and roll your spine up and up and up all the way. I'm going to finish the same way we started bringing your body into your upright position. This is the moment the changes in your body and acknowledge it and celebrated you guys.

Let's go. Breathe in. Exel turn to the chest rolling forward. Moving more freely through that spine, hanging your body down, inhale, and exhale to roll up, moving your spine, bringing your head up, and arrive. Let's do one more inhale. Exhale. Can you name the changes that you are feeling in your just for you.

Take a breath inhale and roll up and celebrate whatever that is that you are feeling in your body and keep it in your body for the rest of your day. Well done, everyone. Day 1 is done and dusted. I'm going to you to show up tomorrow, not for me, but for you, we're gonna focus on working the ad a little bit more, a little bit deeper, and we are ramping things up. See you tomorrow.