Spinal Roll Back Series

Hi, Tracy Mallett here. This setup is seated. The focus is about spinal articulation, working on that mid thoracic spine and really understanding how to open up to the chest. And get fluidity in the spine. We are going to be working with 1 red spring, and we're gonna turn around, place the legs out nice and long, and sit up tall, shoulders over hips.

Now we're gonna get the loops and wrap them around the elbows. Okay? So from here, we're gonna place the hands together. So interlock the hands and bring the elbows wide to the side. So you're in this position here. Once you think of resisting your hands and you've got that space from your hands to the sternum.

We inhale on the exhale. We're gonna slowly go into that c curve position, the sit bones, kind of come underneath the hips, even that lower c curve position. From here, we're gonna roll back up again. In how here exhale, lower abs, into your letter c, curl all the way up. Now we're gonna go down the right side.

So we inhale, exhale c curve, moving down to the right side, curl, stack your shoulders over your hips, c curve down to the right side, looking down, and then coming back. Let's go into the other direction. So c curve, move down into that opposite direction, looking down to your elbow, curl up and over that beach ball, and lift back up again. And curl. Down to the opposite side, looking down, sitting in that incline, curl, and back up again.

Now we're gonna add a little circle here. So go down to the right. We come through the center, maintaining that c curve. Going opposite direction, coming back up the left side of the body, back up to the center. Now we're gonna go the same way as we just went.

So we get out on the right side through the center. It's kinda like round the world here. And then come back again. Let's go the opposite direction now. So c curve going down the opposite direction.

Hit the center. Twist come up the other side of your body, shoulders stacked, c curve down the left side of the body, hit the center, maintaining that c curve position, rotate and come up to the center. Back into the c curve position, hold it here. Now reach the arms towards your ears. So your shape stays the shame, same, You're in that c curve position. You're just moving, get your shoulder joint, challenging your cores.

You take your arms over your head, so your core is gonna be challenged even more. I'm interlocking the hands. You can see and just lifting up and maintaining that lower c curve with a lower spine. Let's do one more. Hold it here. Now round, round, round, round, lift back up again.

Next progression, hands behind your head interlace your hands. Now from here, I'm gonna open the elbows up into a little bit of a high release. So now you can feel that thoracic spine open, close the elbows, and come into a gentle c curve position. And, again, open, lift up. So this is more of a stretch, the open chest. Now in opposition, close the elbows, seat bones come underneath as you draw in those lower abs.

Reach the elbows forward. One more in how which facilitates that extension. And then we exhale, draw the abs in, lower abs that powerhouse is working as we go into that seeker of position, roll yourself all the way back up again. Now taking your straps, put one strap down, turn around into a mermaid position here. Now place the our hand and your elbow behind your body to the back corner, elbow is high. We're gonna go into a lateral mermaid here, and elbow comes back.

Draw the shoulder blades down, lift. Now we can progress it, lift the hips up, and reach the same time, and then come back. Once again, press the hand down, lift up into that side stretch. Remember, you can progress your class, or they can stay with the hips on the mat in your class. And then bring it back transitioning, put your strap down, transition away here, pick up your straps.

Once again, they're gonna wrap them around the elbows, hands behind the head, Now I'm going to bend the knees, knees are bent, and I'm just gonna let the elbows take the hands back in that stretch, and then I'm gonna close off. As I come into a c curve. So this is more of a stretch. Lift up. Take it back.

And then one more time. Inhale. Extension. And then closing it off here in that stretch. Come back out, grab hold of your straps, and reaching out Hands up, incline forwards, hold it here, and we can go straight into our breaststroke here to work that mid upper back, strengthening, elbows nice and wide. Now this time, you're gonna reach forwards.

Open your arms out to the side. If you feel comfortable, take your legs forwards, open them, flex the foot, and then try and gently take the arms back so you can feel a stretch through your chest, not too far. It's a gentle stretch here and lift up into that stretch. Come back into your peripheral view one more time. Just let it gradually. Be mindful of your shoulders.

Going up into that stretch. And then gently reach the hands forwards. Bring the legs together and come back. Put your straps down. Reach the hands up.

Now we're gonna go back into the other side here. So you're going to be in your mermaid position. Take your strap, hand behind, elbow high, ready for your lateral, Move. Now optional. Ready. We lift up.

Bring you back down. Keep the shoulder depressed. Press the hand down. Lift your hips up, reach over. Let's do a couple more like this.

Press and lift into that lateral stretch and back one more. And then bring you back. Put your strap down. Turn around. Nice little way to finish this up.

Put your toes onto the bar. The monkey stretch. Make sure your butt is somewhere closer to the edge of your reformer. Push out. Press those heels down. Going for that thoracic extension as we press the heels underneath the bar.

Bend your knees come back again one more time. As we press the heels out, the focus that lifting forwards, we can always add that rotation if we want here and a little rotation. Once again, being kind to our spine, and then bringing it back down. Hands down, close the carriage, swing the legs forward. Doesn't that feel good?

Yes. We will need to do a little bit more work on that thoracic spine. So there's some nice flows there that you can add into your class. You could even add them at the end of the class too if you wanted to slow your class down. Lovely way to finish your class too. Thank you so much.

See you again. Goodbye.