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Hi, everyone. Thanks for being here with me today. I feel like there are days when we need to push, and there are days when we need to go slow and steady, and that's one of those days for me. So we're gonna do some basic mat work. I love the basics. So let's start sitting on our mat.
With the feet flat, and about sit bones distance apart and the hands behind the thighs, and I want us to lift up and close our eyes. I'm gonna close my eyes anyway because I feel that it's nice sometimes to investigate sensations without any visual stimulus, feeling the length of the spine, the heaviness of the bones of this pelvis, heaviness of the bones of the feet, bringing some awareness to the arms and feeling that you can gently allow your arms to help you create a sense of lifting the spine. And as always, bringing awareness to the breath, inhaling. And gently drawing the abdominals back towards the spine as we exhale. And as we inhale again, let's open our eyes.
Pelvic Tilt w/ Spine Extension
And this time as we exhale, we'll tip the pelvis under keep the shoulders over the cull this where they are and just round through the lower spine. Inhale as we rise back up, exhale as we extend lifting the chest up and forward. Inhale as we arrive back to just a tall spine. XL using the arms almost to hold the body or the shoulders in place as we round through the lower spine. Deepening into the abdominals inhale as we lift up.Excuse me. An exhale as we extend the spine. So just doing a little rocking action, exhale as we roll back inhale as we sit up, exhale as we go up and back, and inhaled and neutral. This time exhale around the spine just like before and then just begin allowing the arms to straighten. As the arms straighten, they begin to slide down the outsides of the thighs. We roll down till we feel the lower spine come into contact with the mat.
Roll Back
Exhale now roll back up and build the spine back up tall again in here and exhale round the spine. Keep the eyes just just forward. Rather than down into the push down into the center of the body. Just gaze out on the horizon and in here maybe there's somewhere in that horizon year You're wishing where you were at that moment, and you could just imagine yourself there. I'm left right now for me.I don't know if there's anywhere I'd rather be. I'm down a beach somewhere with a margarita roll back. Just kidding. This is number one. And exhale. We'll just do that one more time.
Lifting the body. And I'm playing with lightness, moving with ease, moving with yes intention, yes correct muscular recruitment, all those things that we think about in pilates, but also with ease. We're gonna lift the arms. Take them out to the sides and then forward. Inhale, lift the arms.
Take them out to the sides and then forward. In lift the arms, the abdominals are helping the lower spine connect to the mouth they go forward. We're gonna do one more up and open and forward. And Let's take the body all the way down. I'm gonna scoot in towards my feet.
Bridge
You can do the same. Arms heavy up on the mat. Inhale feeling the weight of the body are equal on both feet. We're gonna start to roll the pelvis up. So lifting the hips off the mat, standing equally over the feet, feeling that nice straight alignment of the spine as we come up into that bridge and inhale. And then exhale feeling that the bones in the body come down individually creating space and inhale, and lower spine flattens into the mat, weight of the body into the feet, roll up.Check-in with the shoulder blades and see if they're just lying flat on the mat and in here, my pinching together, not lifting up to the ears, but just dropped back softly and inhale. And exhale lifting up. And inhale. Just feeling that that the front of the body can be used to manipulate or move or create space in the back of the body We'll just go one more time inhale at the bottom and exhale to lift up and inhale. And exhale as we lower ourselves down.
So once you arrive down onto your back, take your arms up over the shoulders towards the ceiling and then open them out to the sides laying them down on the mat. I'm gonna reach around and hold my mat with my hands, but if you just have a floor, just keep the arms straight out. Lifting the legs up one at a time, we're gonna take the legs to the left on the inhale and to the center as we exhale. So as we're going across to the right, we're pulling in trying to keep the naval hold back towards the spine and then we deepen that to come center. Inhale as we go over to the left rocking side to side across the pelvis exhale to come back.
Supine Spine Twist
Inhale as we reach across, exhale to come back, inhale as we reach across. A exhale to come back. We'll do two more in each direction. Breathing and with the breath deepening into the position and into your experience and the movement. Last time. Last time to the other side.Placing the feet down now. I want you to keep them all the way together. Reach back and put the hands behind the head holding the back of the top of the skull and then making sure the shoulder blades are reaching around a little bit around the front of the body actually, press the legs together and press the feet down and imagine they're glued to the mat that as you lift up into your chest lift, attempt to try to lift those sticky feet. Inhale and pause and then exhale and lay the body back down. So it's a creation of sensation.
Chest Lift
Keep the feet stuck to the mat. Attempt to lift them at the same time. Keep the head heavy in the hands as we come up into that nice high lifted position in the spine and exhale to lower down one more like that exhale to lift up. And inhale and exhale to lay the body down working in both directions exhale to lift up Now grounding into the feet lift the pelvis just off the mat. Pick it up just a little bit.
Chest Lift w/ Pelvic Curl
As it's coming down, I want you to feel that it's bringing your chest up higher. We're trying again to lift the feet up off the mat at the same time as we're not allowing them to lift and then we go down. Again, inhale, exhale head and chest come up Press down into the feet, curl the pelvis. As the pelvis comes down, the chest follows the pelvis, the feet attempt to lift. Oh my goodness. It makes it so difficult.In such an amazingly beautiful way. Last one, exhale to lift. Feed stays stuck, pelvis comes up. As the pelvis goes down, the Feed attempt to lift lift lift lift and take the body down. Lift the leg that's closest to me.
Chest Lift w/ Rotation
XO lift the body up rotate towards that leg. Take a hold of the leg with both hands. So what I want us to feel, I'm rotating to my right. Doesn't really matter which side you're rotating to, but the opposite rib comes across towards that hip and then the inside ribs slide in and that's where we find that nice high lifted position for the chest lift with rotation. I want us to take one hand back memorize the position, place the leg back down, come into the center and lower the body down, lift the leg up on the opposite side of the body.Lift up in center. So as I'm rotating towards that leg, the opposite rib comes across and points down to that hip. This rib pulls in on the same side using our arms to help us find a nice high, controlled, connected position. One hand comes back. The other hand comes back. We place that leg down, lifting even higher.
We come into the center and we take it down. Again, exhaling as we lift up. Press down with the feet, tuck the tail, curl up a little higher inhale. And now, x, I'll try to find that same sensation as you twist and in center. Lift up and across and center.
Keeping the sides of the waist equally long and center, exhale lifting up and over. We're going two more times in both directions. Up and over and center up and over. I know it's difficult. It's difficult for me too.
And center, and I love it. And center. Lay all the way down. Separate the feet back into the bridge position. Take the hands to the mat to an inhale.
Bridge w/ Single Leg Lift
As we exhale, we're pressing down into the feet. We're lifting the body lifting the body. Want us to hold the hips up high stand on the right like and lift the left leg off the floor without dropping or shifting at all inhale touch, exhale left, inhale touch, exhale, pull, inhale, touch, pull from the center of the body and down one more time, exhale, lift now take the body straight down and straight up. Straight down and straight up straight down and straight up here we could stand on the arms a little bit last two pressing into the palms of the hands last one, stay lifted to place the left foot down and then roll through the spine coming all the way down all the way down. Dropping the pelvis, breathing in, exhale as you roll back up, now lifting the opposite leg up keeping the hips up high as you reach to touch and lift.
Single Leg Bridge
Again, the intention or what I want you to try to do is to lift that leg from right underneath the ribs last two touch and lift. Last time touch and lift. And now we take the body down and up, down, and up, three of five, pressing into the hands, pressing into the upper arms, I believe this is five here left, take the leg down inhale, exhale as you roll down and as you roll your spine down, want you to reach your head and chest up lift your arms up, place your hands behind your head inhale. Now exhale lift one leg and down same idea coming from the center of the body pressing the chest to the thigh, we'll do three more. And two more pressing the chest.
Bridge w/Single Leg Lift
If you need to put your head down, you should. Now as that leg goes down, this is where it's difficult for me. Can we put that foot down without noticing any other shifts pick up the other leg? And done. Keeping the chin lifted away from the chest.
Single Leg Bridge
The chest and the thigh pressing actively towards each other, actually all the time. So even as that leg goes down, the chest is still trying to chase it one more time. Place that leg down. Place your head down inhale, exhale roll through the spine. So alternating that flexed position with a little bit of hip extension Now as you go back down, curling the spine down, you're gonna lift the head and chest up.
Single Leg Lift
Inhale, so lift one leg on your next exhale, change. And change and change. Holding the chest high will do three, three, two just hinging from the hip. Last one, And when one foot goes down, the other foot goes down, the spine goes down, the pelvis comes up. Good. I'm keeping my elbows just a little bit away from the floor inhale.
Alternating Toe Taps
Exhale as we roll the spine down, we start feeling the head light and not coming up into flexion. Let's walk the feet together. Inhale, exhale with both legs. And reached a touch. And reached a touch, keep the height in the body three more and down. Keeping the stability of the spine and down one more.
Double Toe Taps
Take the hands behind the thighs. Remember the arm position we need earlier to look for our obliques while we're gonna do it again. So we rotate using the arms to help us really get a good clean position there. And what I do is I think of lifting my thigh up out of my hip as I press my hip down so the uplift helps me keep my spine lifted but the down press keeps me grounded. We're gonna do this one and then last time to each side Come into the center, hands on the thighs, curl up a little deeper, curl up a little deeper, curl up a little deeper, and come up, bringing the feet in, balancing and keeping this shape rocking back inhale and coming up to balance and rocking back inhale and coming up to balance And, seriously, using the abdominals to tip back, keeping the shape last two.
Rotation w/ Alternating Toe Taps
Last one. Placing the feet down and stretching the legs out long. So we're gonna sit up tall and if that means if sitting up tall means you need to bend your knees to be right up over the sitting bones, you should We can bring the hands behind the head. I want you to press your head into your hands and pull up on the back of the skull. Allow the shoulder blades to reach in both directions so outwards inhale and we do a double pull.
Rolling Like A Ball
Pull, pull, find center and pull, pull, find center. As we're doing this rotational movement, what I also want us to think about is where are the feet? Are the feet connected together? Are they sliding back and forth on one another or are they still? And hopefully we can feel that they're still We'll do two more to each side.
Spine Twist
One more to each side. Center, take the hands from behind in the head, separate the legs, reach the arms forward. Imagine there's a wall behind our back. We inhale pressing into that imaginary wall We exhale bringing the chin down into the chest and let me just begin to articulate the spine out and through the legs. Inhale and then exhale lifting back up Here's another place where we can think about if we so desire to really moving the body with ease, exhale to go forward again, reaching through the legs or past the legs.
Spine Stretch Forward
And inhaling and pressing the feet away. That can happen whether or not the legs are bent or straight. It's an energetic idea We'll do two more inhale and exhale rounding down. Maybe you'll notice that you go a little further each time I do or I notice that I do. It's not a requirement.It's just a I bet it's happening. So maybe we just notice. And then I want us to roll down and this time I want us to send the hands out towards the ankles. And then use the arms, lift the body. Maybe your hands need to be on the shins. Maybe they need to be closer to the knees.
Spine Stretch Forward w/ Spine Extension
We're gonna look for a nice flat backed position. From that place, we're gonna take the arms forward. Out to the sides, we're gonna press back five, four, three, two, one, and then we just make it easy to sit up tall two more times exhale to round the spine forward. Hands come down using the arms against the legs to get nice and flat. Maybe you'll go a little lower.I feel that I might have just then. Let go, reaching forward. Allow the spine to feel as though it's reaching forward as arms reach, arms come out to the side and we place or press back five. Four three two one. And then we sit up and take the arms forward.
We'll just do that one more time rolling down. Finding something to hang on to rippling through the spine. Until we arrive at that nice flat position, arms reach forward. Take the spine forward two. Take the arms out.
Press 5. Lifting the chest. 3. 21. And this time as you come up reach all the way overhead and then all the way back down in a rounded spine and then all the way back up.
And from there we'll just turn so we're lying on our side lying straight out onto the arm. The legs are reaching straight out to the opposite side placing the hand on the mat in front of the body, feel the legs begin reaching away from us. And as they reach away, they lift up, and then they stay lifted as we take them down. And reaching them away and down. Notice if you're doing a lot of digging into the hand or lifting the shoulder on that side up into the ear. If anything, feel the shoulder blade reaching down towards the ankles as the ankles reach away from the body.
Double Leg Lower Lift
We're going four more. And three, and two. And one now holding the legs up, take the top leg a little higher, lift the bottom leg to meet the top leg for a five. Four three two One, take the legs down and bend the knees so that the heels come towards the back of the hips and the knees point forward to open the knee and down and open. Now, we're getting a big rotation in the hip.
Bottom Leg Lower Lift
Imagine pushing against something solid and out and up, keeping the torso stable. Last four and three, soft on the arm, two, and one. We're gonna take that top leg straight out. It's gonna go forward, point the foot and reach back. Forward point the foot and reach back.
Clam
So full range. Again, looking to try to keep a pretty steady back here. And we'll do four, three, feeling the back of the leg working as it goes behind us. Here's one now we're going to come from the back of the body lift the leg around to the front and press back. Take the leg back.
Front and Back
Lift it up to bring it around the front and three. Lift up and around. And two, up and around and one, up and around. We're gonna take that in the other direction. So lift up, reach away from you as the leg goes back and then through. Up, down around the back and forward, up, down around the back last two. One more.
Leg Circles
Take it behind at you. Let it reach behind you. And as it reaches behind you, take your top arm and reach in the opposite direction. And then bend that knee, take a hold of the foot, pull the thigh back. Enjoy.Bring the leg across the other leg. Help yourself up to sitting hug the knee into the chest, drop the hip into the mat, lift the spine into the thigh, breathe. And then bring the legs around to the other side. Lying all the way down, legs aligned, arm is soft on the mat in front of you, taking the legs out and up and down. Out and up and down.
Double Leg Lower Lift
Soft in the shoulder blade. Pulling the abdominals deep, deep back towards the spine. Last four. And three, and two, and one, take the leg up and now bring the bottom leg to meet it. Bring the bottom leg to meet the top like three more up, two more.
Bottom Leg Lower Lift
Holding on to the balance in the center of the body, bend that bottom knee, bend the top knee, take the top knee open and down. Here's again where we're looking for trunk stability as we work into those deep rotators of the hip. Breathing. Last four and three and two and one. That top leg is now to go straight out.
Clam
We're gonna flex as it comes forward, point to reach back. Pull and feeling at the torso, staying. It might it might go a little forward and back, but it's not rounding and arcing. It's just staying nice and steady. Last four.
Front and Back
And three. Last two. And one. From the back, we go at full rotation, bringing the leg around and down into the back, up, around and forward. Maybe it makes sense to hold the hand on the hip to actually feel what the pelvis is doing as the leg moves through space lasts two times around and forward.
Leg Circles
Last time. Up around and forward, here's the reverse of that go up. Take it around back. Reach away. Take it forward and up. Around to the back. And three.And two. And one, and let it stay behind you. Reach the opposite arm. Find somewhere delicious to stretch. And then bend your knee.
Bring the knee just underneath the hip. Pull the heel to the back of the thigh. Press the whole thigh backwards. Breathe. Then bring the leg around the front of the body come up to find the leg.
I feel like I left something out, but I'm pretty sure I didn't. Lifting up, man, if I did. I'm sorry. Lifting the spine, getting lighter in the spine and heavier in the pelvis just the way we started. And now we're gonna just turn around and laid down on the mat face down, taking the arms forwards, legs back, want us to put a little bit of weight just on the bottom of the ribs, which means the chest is gonna lift up and the head will be off.
Swimming
Pull the abdominals and reach the left arm up in the right leg away and then change. One arm lifts the other leg reaches away. And change. So we're alternating opposite arm and leg, feeling as though we're trying to pull the body longer with that reach of the opposing limbs. Make the body longer.It's never important how high the leg comes up in this exercise in this version of this exercise. In my idea of this version of this exercise, what I want us to try to focus on is the height of the arm and how it is related directly to the height of the torso and to the sensation in our upper back. We're doing one more to each side. And then I want us to bend the elbows, lower the body, maybe just to the tip of the nose. And then imagine here that you're rolling a Rogers, Rogers a marble.
Swan
Roll a marble along the mat with the nose, lift the eyes, slide the shoulder blades in the upper arms backwards to send the body out and forwards again. Trying to find most of our attention in the upper back, maybe a little bit in the back of the arms, and then take it back down. So tip the nose forward. We roll the marble along the mat. Slide the shoulder blades down.Slide the elbows down towards the knees. Lift just to the place where you feel a lot of connection to your upper back, not too much sensation in the lower back and lower down. And again, slide the upper arms, the elbows, backwards. Reach out and forward with the spine. Maybe you choose to come up a little higher and done.
We're just doing two more. Slide the shoulder blades down, reach out through the spine, and down one more at time, sliding the shoulder blades down, Now hold there. Just like we did when we were sitting, I want the arms to come out to the sides like wings and then just lift them up and back. Up and back. Up and back. Up and back one more.
Up and back. Bend the arms, lower the body. Press into the elbows. Come up onto the hands and knees. Take a breath in there.
Cat Cow
As we exhale, we're gonna tuck the tail under round the spine and a drop the head. Come back into a long position in the body and now arch the spine. This is the same thing we did in the very beginning of class seated. XL as you tuck the tail under. Allow the eyes to look between the thighs.Allow the upper arms to feel like they're gliding back to the knees as the knees feel as though they're gliding forward into the hands and then come back into a straight body or a neutral spine. And lift the chest up and through. Let's do two more. XL around the spine, rippling through the lower back, pressing the mat away from us. And back and into an extended spine position and then neutral. Last time, exhaling as you're around, segmentally really trying to focus on the lower spine.
And as you bring the pelvis back into its natural orientation, then putting your focus into standing into the upper spine and then come all the way back round the spine as much as you can dropping your head. We just sit back onto the feet stretching our arms forward and away. Let me just pause here and have a couple of deep breaths in here, and letting go of tension. And letting the back of the body expand on the inhale. And one more breath.
Child's Pose
One final breath out, and then just making our way slowly back up through our spine to sit onto our feet, keeping the gaze soft, maybe keep the gaze soft as you look straight ahead of you, or maybe you wanna close your eyes instead. And just again, bringing awareness to sensation to gratitude. And thank you for playing with me today.Pilates with Meri Rogers: Restorative Workouts
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