Rhythmic Mat

Welcome. Welcome. Welcome. Welcome back to your mat. This is your girl, Michelle, and today's practice is called Rizomat or rhythmic mat. Or mat with music. Whatever you wanna call it here are the ground rules. So music, it can be flowy.

It can be athletic. It can be rock. It can be whatever you're genre that you like to do it with, but we're gonna do it with counts. We're working with the rhythm of our body and the rhythm of the music that we're using. So please steal this flow. It's a quick in and out, but it's delicious.

There's gonna be some yummy parts. There's gonna be some challenging parts, but I believe you. So we're gonna start with finding our count. So counting So I'm going through an 8 count. So if I go 123456 7, 8. That's a full 8 count.

But if I wanna go halftime, I can go into fours. 1, 2, 3, 4, at the end of the 4, at the end of the 8, and even if we do 2, 1, 2, the second count or that last count is where the full expression of the movement happened. So let's get our bodies moving. Shall we? Yes. We shall. So I'll give a little rhythm so you'll hear it's playing in my head. I hear it. Let's go.

Tilting the head forward chin comes into the chest. 2, 3. 4, up, 2, 3, 4, take the head back and forward. Do it again. Tip forward 1, 2, 3, 4, and up. Take it to the back.

And take the ear to the shoulder, pick a side, or 3, 2, 1, and up. This side. Same thing and 4, 2, and up. Good. Same thing to the side. And up 2 and other side. And up.

Good. So that's pretty much how I want you to think about this. That was initial movement. So let's keep moving through this. Head goes forward. And back.

Head goes forward. And back. Ear to the shoulder. Take it to the side. Reach the ear wide and center. Other side and reach the ear and side back to the front, we go forward and up, take it back.

Back. And up ear to the shoulder and 2, and up last time to the side. Yes. And up. Shoulders coming up. Shoulder and up. Just a little shrug and down. Take it up.

And down. You got this. So, again, this is gonna be as fast or slow as you want, but this is a foundation for you to be able to seal this flow. Last time and up. Take the shoulders round and back. Round and forward.

Round. We got 2 more. Round. And forward. Reverse the shoulders. Take the shoulders forward.

Yes. 2. Two more. Go. Yes.

Last one. Open the chest up. Wide present. Contract hips come forward. Chesco's forward hips back and forward due 2 more and up. Good.

And back. Last one up and back, reach the arms forward, reach. And reach Think Jane Fonda. Reach. This is slow. And reach. Let's pick it up.

Reach. Reach. I'm feeling real Jane Fonda right now, and reach 2 more to and one. Keep the arms there. Take the arms out to the side. I want you to take a little side stretch Left the hand reach the leg, maybe reach the diagonal with that top arm, and hold it, pulse it for 4, 3, 2, 1, really reach, reach, and stretch, and then come back to the center.

Gorgeous. Right? You have another side. Reach their arm up. 2, 3. Read to what and stretch it. 2, 3. Give me pulses. 4, 3, 2, wanna reach up, come back to a tee.

My stance is already wide. So my arms come down, feet are in second position, or a wide sand toes are out to the side, nice, long, spine, tall spine here, go ahead and interlace those fingers behind the ear and then bend or plie. Pull the belly button in, and then we're gonna side crunch We're gonna do 8. You got this 2¢. Let's go 2, 3, and 4, and go.

Uh-huh. You have another sago at 87654 3, 2 other side. Less 5. I told you I can't count, but I got rhythm. 2, and to the other side. What is she saying? I don't know.

3, 4, 5, 6. She's got to come to the center hold extra credit. Bend a little bit more. Let's lift that hill off the floor. Yes. Hold it there. We're gonna lift and lower it just that hill. Ready? Only 8. Let's go.

87, 6, 5, 4, 3, 2, 1. I got you. Set yourself up further this side. You ready? Let's go. 8, lifting lower. I think that's 5.

Rythm, what happened? Hold it there. Let's bend right here. I can count this. 4. 3, 2, another 4, 3, 2, hold it there. Love it. And we're out.

Take the arms to the side. Turn the body towards the front of your mat. Arms facing each other. Go ahead and take that seat back, sit in that chair. So now that you got the set up, there's your chair.

Your gaze is 45 degrees in front of you. We're gonna do some tapbacks. 8 counts, each leg twice. Are you ready? Let's go. 8, 7, 6, 5432 switch your leg.

Let's go. I know I cheated. That was 7a half. I hope you're counting. That other leg is really strong. And it's supporting you. Good.

Other side, 8, 7. And you can speed this up 6, 5, 4, 3. That leg is really working. 3. That's 1, that's just 2 threes. 8. 7. 65432 One. Go ahead. Stand up straight. Keep the arms up where they are.

Walk back a little bit behind you to the back of the mat in terms. Rolling down, initiate the movement from the fingertips, curl down over a big barrel, reach the floor, Walk it forward, hold that plank, and then interim walk it back. Or Pilates pushup, right, reach it up. Last one. Take it down. And reach it.

You can really make this rhythmical, but today, we're just showing you so you can steal this flow. Now here, we're gonna go into an elephant. Walk your hands back halfway, a little bit wider with your stance. And at the top of your back, really arched up and pitch yourself forward over your wrist. This is a elephant hold. Lift the toes off the mat.

For 3, 2, 1, walk it all the way back, roll all the way up, delicious, but we're not done. Plank hold. Rolling back down. 1, 2, 3, 4, walk it forward. 4, 3, 2, 1. What's that? It's a plank. Let's hold it. 1. 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8. Push back. Pike it back really quickly.

Take two breaths, come back down to your plank, reach that right arm back, reach the left ankle, come back into your plank. Reach it back. Back to the plank. Ankle tap, back to the plank, ankle tap, back to the plank, and roll it up. Hold it here, head is heavy, roll it up.

Awesome. That felt great. Next part bridging. So we'll come to a seated position on our mat. Feet are flat on the mat. Knees stay up. Roll yourself down.

Get down comfortably. Just get there. Just get there. Feeder in parallel or in your pilates v, pull the belly button down to the mat, and we're gonna squeeze up here are your instructions. So as we come up, Squeeze the booty up.

Hit points go to the ceiling. Really feel that squeeze. We're gonna lift and lower hinging the hips up for 8. Right? We're gonna hold. On that last eight, we're gonna hold and pulse. We're gonna pulse, and then we're gonna hold, then we bring it down.

Are you ready? I know that you are. Let's take it up. 5, 6, 7. Go. 8, 7. 6 squeeze. 5. You're feeling it. I know. 4, 3, 2, 75, and hold here, what, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7 roll it down from the breastplate middle back, and the spine is down. Yes.

You're already here on your side. So let's go ahead and turn to this is my right hip. So I'm gonna get on my right hip, check your shoulders, elbow, hand is nice and wide. For clamps, stay here. Hips are stacked. So you can keep the hips here stacked, or you can elevate the clamps when we have the clam, the sides of the feet stay together, and we're gonna have this hand for a little kickstand action here.

So we're gonna open and close eight. 7, 6, 5, 4, open, close, 3, 2, one extra credit, kick, and kick, and kick, kick, kick and kick. Take that leg. Keep it pointed lower to the ground. Option here to stay low for a side plank. Or going to a high plank with your hand.

Keep that knee where it is lift up and reach. Very dancer. Reach and then bring it home. Let's get to the other side. Swing it. That was fun.

Little teaser ish over to the other side. So same thing. Elbow, shoulder, wide hand. Nice stacked hips. Clam can stay low. I'll leave this low because you saw the elevated one already. Right?

Hand for the kicks in. Let's go for 8, 7, 6, squeeze, 5, 4, 3, 2, and then we're gonna kick it out. Kick it leg 87, 6, 5, 4, 3, 2, it's burning. Keep that leg extended. Reach the leg out.

Keep that leg there. High plank. Take it up. Side reached over. I love it. Bring it home. Now here's the fun part.

Think pigeon. Leave that front leg where it is. Back leg is here. Option to go crisscross applesauce if this isn't available for you today. We're gonna stay here a little Martha Graham. A story said that Martha Graham and Joe Pilates fought about this, the undulation I was told this by Susanna Todd.

It may be true. Yeah. Take it with a grain of salt. So the undulation starts from the belly button goes back. Leg reaches. Reach, and then we come back. We reach and come back. Last one, reach undulate. I love it, and then we're gonna reach forward.

Squeeze up. Arabesk. Extend that back leg. Long reach, lift the chest, and lower. I love this. Lift.

And lower one more. Lift and lower. Swing yourself back. Furn kick over to the other side, but actually put the leg back there. That was fun. Right? So for undulation, curling, see curve goes under undulate, and then come back, scoop, and lift, and reach.

And come back. Then the scoop and reach. I love this come back. I love it and then go forward. Reach forward.

Thanks, Swan Lake, Romeo and Juliet. What's your favorite play? Lower the chest. Why do I sound like a old British lady? I don't know. So Very good. Okay.

Anyone more. Anyone more. Oh, it's lovely. Oh, and then we come back. Swing that leg up, round for a fan kick. We are done. We we. Still this flow break it up into blocks.

Use it, have a ball with it. Thanks so much for practicing with me.