Swimming

The next exercise is called swimming. It's strengthening to the trunk. It's one of the few and very valuable parts of the mat work where we work back extension and open the chest and use all of these back muscles very actively. So Christie, gathering into your powerhouse, you pull your stomach in towards your back, reach the arm, the legs away from you and lift them up in the air and lift your head up. So you're looking forward now, right arm up, left leg up, and then reverse it left and that's it. And inhale for a side. Exhale other side now a little faster and go and go and go and go and go and go and go and go pause and lengthen the limbs away from you and lower down to the mat. Now this is a challenging exercise, so this is few things that need to be watched out for keeping the hips and the trunk stable so it doesn't flop around is very, very key to Christy.

Could you demonstrate doing it badly where everything is flopping in the shoulder? That's it. Where the, she's wobbling all over the place. No good and relaxed down. It's exhausting to do it badly. The other thing is often the most advanced version is with the feet together. That can create a pinch in the lower back, a way to work it more simply as with the leg, slightly to the side separated, and then lift up. One more time. She's anchoring hips and shoulders, and then she goes for the swimming. Yes, without the center. Waste of waste and rib cage moving, so it's all isolating the legs and stabilizing the center and then relaxed out.

So very interesting fun exercise. It's called swimming.