Mindful Movement Reformer

Hi. I'm Sarah Kahoon, and I'm here at Pilates anytime today filming my mindful movement reformer class. This is a reformer class that I like to take myself through usually on a weekly basis. It's just a time to sort of slow the work down, really focus on what's actually happening in your body and tune into that mind body connection. So it's just gonna keep a nice fluid flow. That's not gonna be too intense workout.

But it's really just gonna challenge that mind and body. And I've got the lovely Mary here who's doing my class with me. We're gonna get started with just showing you how to set up the theraband that we're going to use a little bit later on in the class. So if you've got a theraband, we're using a green band, you could use a blue band or even lighter if you wanted to. I'm just gonna pop myself down to sitting and grab the end of the thera band, loop it around the arch of your foot. We're going to tie that thera band into a nice firm double knot. So just make sure that it's really tight that it's not gonna come undone.

It can be a little bit tricky sometimes. Once you've done that, just pull nice and tight on the band and make sure it's secure around the arch of the foot, and then you can just unravel that loop and take it off the foot, and that way we've got that loop ready to go for when we need it. And we're just gonna pop the thorough bend down beside the reformer bed and we'll come back to that later on. We are starting with the footbar up and just one red spring on We're going to come to standing beside the reformer bed and take your right foot or for Mary to be her left foot. Place it right up against that timber there and take your left foot and place it back up against the shoulder rest and have that back knee just resting onto the bed. Hands just nice and lightly onto the footbar.

Eve's Lunge

Breath in, and use that breath out to flush out any old air out of the lungs and the ribs, take a fresh breath of air in and stay out on this one. So we're going to take the arm up that is the same as the leg that's on the reformer and take a little side bend over towards the outside of your reformer. Come back to center, bring that hand down onto the reformer, screw around and pull in. Let's do three more of those. Smoothly take out out to the lunge, take that arm up, and side stretch over, and you should feel that deeper hip flexor stretch as you go into the side stretch.

Last one, take it back, stay, lift that arm up, side stretch one more time, and then bring that arm lightly back onto the reformer. We're gonna hold that position just float the back knee up off the bed and then lower the back knee down. And we're gonna breathe out, float it up, breathe and lower it down. One more float it up, and if we can, we're gonna take that inside arm off again. And we're gonna reach it all the way up.

Take the other arm off as well if we can. Reach it all the way up. Go for a little chest opener. Two, three, circle the arms around hands find the footbar, scoop, pull all the way up to standing and rest and we'll walk it around to the other side. I'm gonna scoop through there.

So place that foot right up against that timber and the back foot pressing up against the shoulder rest. Start with that knee resting onto the reformer bed, really light on the hands as we inhale, press into that hip flexor stretch, exhale round and scoop, breath in to open, opening up the heart and chest, big exhale getting rid of all that air as you come in. Last two as you pull the reformer in, really think about that tailbone rounding and scooping under towards the footbar, chest opens as you go out. Last one, we're gonna stay out and we take that inside arm up, stretch it over towards the outside of the reformer, bring it back down, find that foot bar and then round the spine, pull in. Press it back, float the arm up, stretch over to the outside, back to center, hand lightly on the footbar round to pull in.

Last one, Take the arm up, side stretch, when it come back to center, take that hand down and stay, lift the back knee up, breathe air, inhale lower it lightly down. Exhale up. So I'm really think about driving that back heel into the shoulder rest as I straighten the leg. Last one, we're gonna keep it up, float that inside arm all the way up if you can. Both arms to the sky, little lift of the chest, two, three, circle the arms around slowly, scoop around, come all the way in and rest the reformer bed.

We're gonna pop the boxes on next long ways. So grab your box and popping that onto the reformer. Good. We're gonna pop the footbar down flat. So that's out of the way, and we will stay on that one red spring. So we're gonna come to sitting onto the box and where we'll pop our feet onto the headrest.

Roll Back

I'm not really sure. And we're gonna exhale roll it back forward. Inhale, stack the spine up tall. Let's do one more of those. Exhale roll it back.

Three deep breaths. And just think back to that last exercise and the hip opening that we got. You wanna try and find that hip opening in this position so that you really deepen that c curve from the spine. Exhale round the spine and come forward. This time we roll it back.

We stay and we're just gonna do 10 small pulses from that position. So little breath out inhale back. So everyone's height for this one might be a little bit different. You really wanna try and work down through the feet, draw back with the abdominals away from those thighs, lengthen and round the spine. Last two. Take a breath in, exhale round the spine, breathe in, stack it all the way up tall.

This time we're gonna twist to the left so we do a little rotation, exhale roll the spine back and just do five little pulses now to that side. Exhale to still keep the hips nice and square. Four and five. We're gonna pass through center on the breath in exhale twist to the other side just from that upper body, five little pulses there. Two, breathe out three, four, press through those feet. Five now stay on that angle as you roll it back up to sitting.

Roll Back w/ Rotation

Let's do one more each side, twist to the left, exhale roll it back. See if you can float the arms through the middle, roll it back up on that side, and then stack center. Last one, big breath out, up and over with the arms, twist to the left, roll it back up, and then hit center. Now we're gonna do one more roll back just through the middle. Go back to where you were before.

Chest Lift

Next exhale all the way back down to the box and circle those hands around behind the head and you should have the shoulders just back off the box. From there, we're going to inhale, take the shoulders and head back off the edge of the box. Exhale come up into a chest lift. Inhale to take it back. Exhale come up. Really enjoy that opening of the chest and the jaw.

And then to come up, we're going to think of it lengthening through the spine to lift you into that chest lift. Last one, let's stay at the top, and we're going to bring the right leg up to the tabletop. Take your left ribs towards the inside of that right knee and then exhale go back towards your left elbow. Exhale, go across towards the inside of the right knee back towards your left elbow. So you're allowing the eyes to go back towards the left elbow, the rib to stretch back, two more.

Chest Lift w/Rotation

Toe Taps

Arm Press Back

Cobra

And on the inhale, keep the arms straight. Slowly move through into your copper. Big exhale, press back away. And then on the inhale, we're going to bend the elbows out wide. Exhale, push out, and feel the shoulders engage down the back.

Try and increase that feeling as you inhale lift the chest into the extension, exh healthy even from your center, and inhale bent. Breathe out to press. Breathing guide you into that extension. Breath out reach away and inhale bend. When I do two more, exhale press, inhale lift. This one I'm gonna stay up at the top.

Take your right ear to your right shoulder. And then circle the head around to the middle, stack it back up tall. Take your left ear to your left shoulder, circle the head around to the middle, stack it back up tall, push back away again Bend the elbows, come all the way in. Let's do one more like that. Press it out.

LEase the chest up into that extension and take the right ear to the right shoulder. Circle it around to the middle, feel that next stretch up to center. Left you to left shoulder, circle it all the way around, come up to center, push through a former bed back away. Get a little longer with that body. Bend the arms come all the way in.

From there, bring your hands onto the box, tuck up into your rest position. So to bring those legs on, just let the body hang down, and you can let the head rest wherever you feel comfortable. Let the arms just feel like they hang and really try and feel that breath right into the sides and back all the way down into the pelvis. One more deep breath in, and deep breath out. Slowly come all the way up. And from there, we're gonna come onto all fours on your box. So we're gonna wriggle the legs back and let's take your right arm out to the side and we lift it up to the sky, take a big breath in, exhale take the right arm through for a thread, the needle. We're going to use the box and press into the box as you rotate, and then inhale.

Child's Pose

Thread the Needle

Single Leg Lift

And from there, we're going to take your right leg back to straighten and lower it down towards your headrest. On the exhale, we're lifting that right leg just straight up in Sara, inhale lowering it back down. Exhale straight up in Sara, breathe in, lower it back down. Exhale. Sometimes it's really hard to feel if the leg is actually parallel.

So thinking of a little internal roll of the thigh can actually help really get that hamstring going and get that leg nice and parallel. We're gonna do three more. Try and keep this right hip lifted so that it's not dropping down towards the box as you lower that it's keeping the height and you're folding in that hip socket. Hold up on this last one when you stay here for 10 little pulses in that parallel and one, two, three. Really feeling that movement organically coming from the hip and not the foot. Nine, ten.

Now we hold the leg up externally rotate your thigh bone, and now keep that thigh bone externally rotated, lower the leg all the way down, lift the leg up in the rotation a little bit higher than what it was before. So that external rotation is going to facilitate that little bit of a deeper range in the hip. As that happens, think of a little bit of a deeper work through the abdominal, so it's really drawing back to your spine. Last three, two, and one, keep the leg up there and 10 little pulses in that top range really moving from the hip and the foot just follows. Six seven eight, nine, ten, hold the leg.

We finish off with a single leg cat stretch. So round the spine, pull the knee in, inhale lengthen the leg, open the heart chest. Exhale round the spine, pull the leg in inhale, lengthen open heart chest. Big breath in, two more, and big breath out. Last one, Reach that leg up one more time, open the chest, and then slowly come all the way down.

Single Leg Cat

Single Leg Lift

Just checking with that leg that it's Sara. So little internal role Last one and keep the leg up and little pulses for 10. Two, three, four. Feel that length through your spine. Eight, nine, 10. And now hold the leg up here and externally rotate that thigh, lower the leg all the way down, exhale lift it up.

Inhale, lower it all the way down, exhale lift it up. Good. And just imagine that you are balancing a foam roller across your pelvis. You'd want that foam roller to be really level and not tipping to one side. Four more. Keep thinking about that spine lengthening in both directions. Last two, last one, and we're going to keep that leg up there and pulse for 10.

Keeping that external rotation on the thigh and really pulse from the hip. Sara, eight, nine, hold it up there 10, and now we cat stretch, round spine, pull in, inhale lengthen, reach and open. Exhale. And this you can just move it at the pace of your own breath. Let the breath guide you through the movement.

Single Leg Cat

Bridge

Press into the center of the heels and really try and find that center of your heel play. Keeping that reformer bed still, we're going to breathe out and roll the hips up to the sky. Take a breath in at the top and then exhale roll it down, joint by joint through the spine. Now this light spring is going to make it really challenging to keep that reformer bed still. So you have to be super mindful that you've got that sense of drawing under and in towards that foot bar.

Exhale roll it down. Mary, we're gonna do one more here, breathe out rolling it up, and just think back to that hip flexor stretch we started with, try and get that openness through the front of the hips. But that depth and scoop under with the back of the hips. When you get to the bottom, roll it all the way back down. And now on this light spring, we're going to press the reformer bed out as we inhale.

And exhale pull back in. So your challenge with this spring is to not fly away. Use the inhale to feel that sense of length as we press out. The exhale drive the reformer bedding from the back of the legs. We're gonna do four more on this light spring. Keep thinking of the center of the heels pressing into that foot bar.

Heels

Teaser

Bridge

Arches

Teaser

Bridge

Toes

Tendon Stretch

Heels Single Leg

Toes Single Leg

Last one. And then all the way in, press out one more time and stay. Place both feet back onto the footbar. Let's keep the hands onto the pelvis there. We start the prances breathing in for two.

Running

And now just try and keep the heels under the footpath as you slowly bend the knees in so you get a bit of a deeper stretch through that Achilles. As we come all the way back. Right? From there, we're gonna stretch your legs back out over that foot bar, arms to the sky. Let's roll it up, and we're gonna change the springs for the hands and Sara So let's go down to a red and a blue spring and reach the arms back out, roll it down through the spine. Bring the feet onto the footbar just while we get our hands into the straps.

Teaser

Arm Circles

We've got two more to go. Last one, bring the arms up to the sky one more time, press the arms straight down, and then this is where we're gonna start the oppositional arms. So we're gonna take the right arm to the side, left arm to the sky, and then pull back in meet in center. Breathe in and then breathe out. Pull the arms in.

Oppositional Arms

Single Arm Press

Let your left arm press into the reform a bit. Try set bend on the right arm five times. If this brings a little strong, take it down to one red. Use the power of that breath out. Last one.

Tricep Press

Single Arm Press

Tricep Press

Leg Circles

See if you can imagine like you've just squirted warm oil into your hip sockets and the femur heads are just rolling around in those hip sockets. Let's reverse it. Open out wide. Let the thigh bones drop back deeper as you come up. Breath in.

Big breathe out to circle all the way around. Two more. Last one. And then bringing the legs up from there Sara let's take your left leg out of the Sara. So the left foot comes out, we'll pop that strap back onto your spike, take that left foot onto the footbar, and then press the left leg out to straighten so we don't have any sort of stretch going on that right leg at the moment, we're gonna bend the left leg and let the right leg stretch across towards your opposite shoulder, and then straighten the left leg and let the right leg open it out to the side, and the left knee also opens out to the side. Back to center, and then take that right leg across towards your opposite shoulder as you bend the left knee, straighten that left knee, and then open the right leg out to the side let the left knee bend out to the side as well.

Hamstring Stretch

Back to center, then that leg in will bring that foot out of the strap pop that back onto your spike and bring that left leg in. So pop that left foot on, press that leg up to the sky, and now we'll bend that right leg and enjoy that stretch across the body. And then pass it through the middle, bend the right leg open that left leg out to the side. Back through center. Take it across.

I like to also think sometimes of a little roll in of this foot in that position and it will just get you a little bit of a deeper stretch right down through the peroneals right down through that outer side of the ankle. Last one each side and we'll just stay breathe for a couple of deep breaths. Can roll that foot in if you like. It's not the prettiest of positions, but it's a good stretch. And then back through center, open that leg out to the side and you can pull down on that strap get a little bit of a deeper stretch through that inner thigh, pressing back with that opposing hip.

Back through center, bend the leg, come all the way in. I'm gonna bring that foot out of the Sara, We'll pop that back down onto your spike there, and we're going to come up from there. Let's bring our springs onto two red springs and up to kneeling. I'm gonna flow through a high bar cobra now. So hands onto the bar tuck the toes under and really press those heels right back up against the shoulder rest.

Down Stretch

Push back with the legs. Pull all the way in, open the chest and park that reformer, pull in adding that little bit of pace to it now and just keep it moving and flowing with the breath. Last one, all the way in lift, lift, lift, exhale round. Let's reverse it. Come forward, but press into those heels. Light on the hands and scoop pull back.

Come forward, press into the heels, be light on the hands, push back, exhale scoop from the abdominals. Two more. Last one, see how much you can drive those heels back into the shoulder rest. And round. From there, we're gonna take off one of the red springs and come to standing beside the reformer So we'll have our right leg down onto the timber.

Scooter

Two more. Last one, pull it in and stay from there. See if you can come up onto the fingertips. Then take the hands around onto the pelvis, lengthen out the spine. That's it. It's challenging from there and then go for a flat back.

So you might not get as much push back in this position because it gets really challenging to go from the round to the flat. Four more, think about this stabilizing leg, really digging into that heel, Three. I'm working really hard here not to tip up balance. Two. Last one. And then rest. Good.

We'll take it around to the other side. So place that left foot down onto the timber or onto your floor, hands lightly on and right foot back up against that shoulder rest from there sit back towards your heels tuck and scoop that tailbone under and now we push out and pull in push out and pull in. And this one really use that breath out to pull the reformer in so you get that scope into the belly. Keep it as you push out. Last two.

Last one. And then hole come up onto the fingertips and then if you can take the hands onto the pelvis there and now push out and pull in. Good. And if that's too strong with both hands off, feel free. You can always keep one hand on or even still keep both hands on and just do that flat spine. Yeah. It's hot in here, so the feet get a little slippery. We're gonna do two more.

Really think of grounding down through that standing leg. Last one in and hold. Good work. Okay. From there, let's go to two red springs. We're coming up to standing onto the reformer. Have the feet just in front of the shoulder rest.

Elephant

Pressing the shoulders away from the ears and down through the back into the waist. Last two. Last one. And then step the feet back against the shoulder rest. Take the toes down flat.

Take our right hand and take it through to the left ankle. So we go for a little rotation. Now in how push back, exhale pull in. So if you can't reach right down to the ankle, just go to the shin or to the calf wherever you can get to. If you can reach past the ankle, go for that shoulder rest. Last one. And then place that right hand on, left hand comes around, rotate the body, and inhale push back, exhale.

And think back to that thread, the needle that we did at the start getting that rotation purely around that ribcage. Pressed through the heels. Last one. And then slowly lower. From there, we're going to bend the knees and Colquhoun.

Take it down to one red spring. Keep our feet back up against the shoulder rest. So just do a little wriggle back. We're going to reach back and grab our hand straps. That's it. Good.

Arm Circles

And then again, like our footwork, there's no stops and starts. The reformer just continues to move. Let's reverse it and around. Breathe in palms to the skies. You scoop back and up.

Scoop it back. Really important try and press into those heels. Arms stay in that peripheral vision. Last two. Last one, see how much lift and open you can get through the hips.

Scoop it all the way down and rest. Good from there. We're going to pop those straps back down again. Stay on the one red spring and we're going to come into a side reach. So we'll sit right up against those shoulder rest and just have your butt cheek just onto your heels, grab ahold of your front shoulder rest and take this arm up to the sky.

Mermaid

Let's stay out on this one. Take the arm over and find the foot bar so both hands are on. Breathe that and press away. Rotate the body a little further. Inhale, lift the spine, come all the way up.

Exhale, press out, rotate the body a little further, breathe in, lift all the way up. Let's do one more Think of that body spiraling in space. Last one, press all the way out and stay. Bring that left hand in a little bit more, pass it back through your side stretch. And then come all the way up and let's spin around to the other side.

So tap those feet up as tight as you can to your shoulder rest. Grab a hold of that front shoulder rest. Reach the arm up to the sky. Side stretch over to the feet, take both hands off at the same time, find the footbar side stretch. Coming all the way up, really use the lift in the waist to float the arms off, Thinking of that spine lengthening in both directions.

One more of those. And we're gonna stay out on the next one. Take that top arm around, find the footbar, rotate and press away a little bit deeper, inhale, lift up. And if you know you have one side that's a little tighter in your rotation, potentially try and finish with that side last so you finish with that side open and unlocked. Big breathe in.

Last one exhale press away. And stay out there. Bruing that underneath arm back in a little bit closer. Take a bit of a deeper side stretch, slowly come all the way up and rest. Now we're gonna finish off with one last kneeling lunge stretch. We're going to pop the foot bar down for this series, so pop it down completely flat.

Front Splits

Go a little bit deeper into your stretch if you can. When we come in, stay as low as you can with the hips. So it's like you're splitting with the legs. Once the reformer gets all the way in, pull the hips back up and find your start position. And then starting from that hip flexor stretch first so just that left knee goes back.

Start to push out straighten the right leg. Get a little deeper. Bend from that right leg. Pull the reformer in as far as you can. And then zip. Pull it up.

From there, we're gonna add on the arms if we can. So the left arm goes down as we start the hip flexor stretch. Now the left arm's going to go up to the sky and if you can a little back bend. As you start to come in, the arm slowly goes out to the side. And then it stays out there.

You scoop up, up, up. Last one, let's take that left arm down as we go out. It's really challenging on the balance. Push out, lift the arm up, little backbend if you can, and then slowly coming in, scoping in with the chest with the abdominals, pull all the way up, and then slowly come down and change sides. So bring that right foot back up against the shoulder rest and bring that left foot on. And your foot position might be a little bit different depending on what type of reformer you've got as well.

As to whether that heel will land on the foot plate or not. So let's take the arms out to the side, right leg goes back into that hip flexor stretch first and then start to push the left leg to straighten. Getting a little bit deeper with your stretches, you start to come in, think of the legs splitting apart, and then scoop it up, bring the body really tall. Push back from that right leg. And start to straighten that front leg and think of the legs splitting apart as you come in and then scoop, lift it up tall. Let's add in the arm if you can.

So the right arm comes down and it goes up Your little challenges to do an extension, nice work, Mary slowly to come in, keep the arm moving slowly, scoot from your center lift. Last one, right arm comes down. Stretch the front leg, lift the heart and chest, slowly to come in, splitting with the legs, and then pull all the way up. And then bringing that leg off from there. And we're just going to come to standing beside your reformer and just do a little roll down.

Roll Down

And just little nods of the head or side to side. Breathe into the back, slowly roll it all the way back up to stand, ground down through the feet, open through the hips, zip through your center, open through the shoulders, and then we are all done. Thank you so much for joining me for my mindful movement reformer. Thank you, Mary so much. I hope you enjoyed it. Bye.