Powerhouse

Hello from Brooklyn, New York. My name is Kira and this is Plot Twist Pilates. This is the first in a series of six classes where we are going to tell the story of "Classical Intermediate Mat". We're gonna tell it and retell it. But every single week, you're gonna play the lead and we're gonna introduce a really important supporting character or a plot twist, in order to add some layers, some nuance, a little texture to the story, so that hopefully it won't feel predictable or boring or too repetitive.

Today's focus is a character study on the PowerHouse. Your powerhouse is like your sidekick, your BFF and ideally, your powerhouse should be with you, for the easiest exercises and the hardest of exercises. So let's start by reacquainting and building our relationship back up with our powerhouse, so we'll start standing, start with your feet parallel and together and just place your hands on your hips, from here, pivot your feet into a pilate stance. Now turn your attention to your hips, because your fingertips have just landed on what I will call your hip points, in order to scoop your powerhouse in and up we'll start here, feel as if you're using your abdominals to pull your hip points up into your navel. So you're using your abdominals to pull your hip points on an upward diagonal, so much so it feels like you're pulling your lower abdominals into your lower back, if it's hard for you to access that, just place your hands on your lower back and practice pulling your abs back into your hand.

You'll notice that your hip points will lift and your tailbone will just drop and lengthen down towards your heels, so you scoop your powerhouse in, in order to create stability. So keep doing that, keep pulling your hip points into your navel, now we wanna add length to our spine. So continue pulling your navel up your spine, behind your chest bone until it lands right at the base of your skull, so I'm pulling my navel all the way up to here, so now I'm creating length from my tailbone up to the crown of my head. So let your arms just hang for a second, stay connected to your powerhouse taking a big inhale into your ribcage. As you exhale, pull your hip points into your navel and navel up to the back of your neck, feeling the stability and lengthen your spine.

So we're gonna use our powerhouse to do a traditional descent to the mat, if you have a history of knee issues, just meet me on the mat and like the same case for any other exercise, if we do something that doesn't feel good on your body, just omit it, that's totally fine. So let's start at the base of your mat, once again, set up your pilate stance and look down to make sure you have four fingers distance between your big toe joints and then route down through the ball of your big toe, your small toe and the center of your heels, make sure your feet feel like equal tripod and then after you've rooted down in your feet, pull your hip points up into your navel so that your tailbone lengthens without tucking you create length and then pull your navel to the back edge of your mat. Oh sorry, to the base of your skull and then beat your arms down towards the floor. As your arms reach forward, feel like you're pulling your front ribs into your back and your lower abdominals into your lower back, stack your arms one on top of the other, keep scooping your powerhouse cross one foot behind the other. You lift your powerhouse up towards the ceiling and you can descend to the side of the back leg until you sit with control your hands go next your hips, scoot yourself back and then lie down on your back and just take a moment to feel your bones settle.

Just take a big inhale and as you exhale, empty your long scoop your powerhouse in and up and we all know how the story begins, it starts with 100. So we're gonna do a modified version, bend your knees into your chest and give them a hug for a second and then transition your hand so they're on the backs of your thighs your legs are super glued together, press your legs forward into your hand, I'm pressing so much that it straightens my elbows. If I'm pushing so much, that if I were to let go, my legs will fall forward, that's how much energy I'm directing forward as much as you direct energy forward with your legs, pull your hip points up into your navel and pull your navel to the back edge of the mat. From here, bend your elbows, curl your head and shoulder blades up off the mat find your armpits down the sides of your body, pull your hip points up into your navel, navel to the back end to the mat. Just take a big inhale breathing into your back ribs, exhale, empty your lungs, extend your legs straight up towards the ceiling into pilate stance, reach your arms forward and we pump you inhale two, three, four, five and exhale as you breath in, think of pulling your hip points into your navel and as you exhale, pull your navel to the back edge of the mat, exhale, two, three, four, five big pumps, two, three, four, five and exhale two, three, four five.

If you wanna increase the challenge, pull your hip points into your navel, reach your legs forward and keep pumping two, three, four five, inhale two, three, four five and exhale two, three, four five, hip points into your navel, keep them bend to the bottom of your chest bone. Two more sets, exhale two, three, four five, final one, exhale two, three, four, Pause. Pull your hip points into your navel to bend your knees in and rest your head. Next, we're gonna do the half roll up, I'm gonna rock up and slide my feet underneath the black canvas strap, if you had one, do the same, if not flex your feet and feel like your feet are standing on the wall in front of you and then like all the way down on your back, reach your arms up towards the ceiling. We're gonna start with a fundamental to connect your arms to your back, close your heels reach forward, let your arms go back and you'll notice how my ribs popped up, I can find my hand underneath my back, I'm gonna take a big inhale as I exhale I enter my lungs and my ribs slide towards my hips and hover my arms off the mat.

So I'm lifting my arms from my powerhouse and then lower them all the way down, take an inhale, exhale all the air out, feel your back rib sink into the floor, lift your arms up, feel the connection between your arms and your powerhouse, lower them down. You have one more, taking inhale, as you exhale feel the weight of your rib sink into the floor, hover your arms, keep feeling the weight of your ribs, pull your hip points up to your navel, navel to the back end to the Mat. From here, reach your arms up towards the ceiling and pause. we're only gonna do part of the roll up, so step one chest curl, lift your head and shoulder blades up off the mat, now try to press your front ribs down into the floor to curl up a little bit higher and then lower all the way back down. Reach your arms back, keep your lowest rib grounded, arms go up towards the ceiling, feel the weight of your ribs, lift your head and shoulder blades up.

Now try to press your waist down, curl up higher, pull your hip points into your navel, notice my arms didn't move and then lower all the way down, reach your arms back. One more is your arms go up, pull your hip points into your navel sink your ribs, lift your head and shoulder blades up, we're gonna add on, lift up higher. Let's try to dive your head through your arms to roll up and round forward into your seeker, Press your legs together, pull your hip points into your navel, initiate the rule back by pulling your hip points to the back end to the mat. Your shoulders just wanna live there, keep pulling your hip points back shoulder stay over your hips and you'll roll all the way down, feel that lowest rib touch, keep it there as your arms go up and back. From your powerhouse lift your arms, lift your head and shoulder blades up as high as you can, dive your head through your arms to roll up and round forward.

Lift your hip points into your navel, pull your hip points back towards the back edge of the mat. Keep pulling your hip points into your navel, navel to the back edge of the mat, keep your lowest rib down arms go back. One more this tempo, arms go up, curl your head and shoulder blades up, press down into the mat, use it for leverage to roll up and round forward and then pull your hip points back, pull your navel back, find your lowest rib on the floor, arms go up and back and now a flow, arms go up, inhale, roll up, exhale round over your hips, initiate from your hip points, exhale round through your spine arms back, arms go up, inhale, press each bone into the mat for leverage, exhale, inhale, curl your tailbone under, pull your hip points back, roll down. Final one arms go up, in a roll up, exhale, keep pulling your front ribs back as your head goes forward, pull your hip points back, pull your navel back like all the way down, arms go back. Make sure you're still connected to your powerhouse, arms go up, they lower by your side, bend your knees, place your feet flat, we're gonna do a fundamental, to prepare for single leg circles.

line your knees and your feet up with your hip points you're gonna move one leg, but use your powerhouse to stabilize your hips and shoulders. So press your arms down, as you inhale, open your left knee out to the side, it's like dead weight, as you exhale, pull your lower abdominals into your lower back to bring your leg back up. Inhale as I opened my knee, I'm trying not to roll, I'm trying to stabilize my right hip and then exhale and bring it back. You're using your powerhouse to manipulate the movement of your leg, your leg is only there to challenge your powerhouse. Exhale, pull you your hip points into your navel to return, other side, inhale, let your right leg be heavy, maybe start conservative to start with and then as you exhale, empty your lungs, pull your hip points into your navel, navel to the back of your mat.

Two more, inhale open as I'm opening, I'm pulling my hip points into my navel, exhale, empty your lungs, make sure you still feel your waistline on the mat. One more, inhale, open your leg out to the side and then exhale, empty your lungs, bring your legs back, slide your legs and feet together. Interlace your fingers behind your left side and pull your knee into your chest and then pressure leg forward in the table bar like we did before the hundred. We're doing that to make sure you don't side them, so keep reaching that left hip down to the bottom edge of the mat, extend your leg up towards the ceiling, as your leg goes up, pull your lower abdominals down and if it's available, slide your right leg straight, it's time to reach for the wall in front of you. Press this side down, this leg up and rotate it, press your arms into the mat and you scoop.

Inhale, cross your leg over your body as you circle around lift leg for more, inhale to cross, exhale pulls your hip points into your navel. Inhale cross, exhale, scoop your powerhouse and lift, two more inhale, exhale, reach your leg forward hip points back, one more and then you reverse, open, exhale around and lift. Make sure you still feel that lowest rib on the mat as you circle, you have two more, exhale, final one. After this, hug that knee into your chest, pilate that foot flat on the mat, interlace your fingers behind your right side, from your sit bone, press your leg into tabletop to square off your coding box. Extend your leg up, pull your abs down, extend your left leg forward and press it into the mat.

Rotate your heel towards your nose, press your arms down, here we go. Inhale across, exhale, pull your lower abdominals into the mat, cross feel like there's a vacuum or suction underneath your lower abdominals, constantly pulling them into the floor, exhale. One more, keep pulling your navel back towards the back end to the mat, reverse open, exhale circling around and lift, open so I can feel that my left shoulder keeps coming off the floor. But the keep pressing the back of my arms in my hands into the map. One more, from here, hug your knee into your chest, we're gonna transition with a roll up to extend your legs for arms back, but you wanna make sure your ribs are popping up connecting your powerhouse, like we did earlier.

Pull your hip points back, arms go up and then curl your chin into your chest, keep pulling your hip points back roll up and round forward into you sit up and now we're ready for rolling like a ball. Place your hands next to your hips, your feet going into pilate stance. Lift your hips, lead with your tailbone, so your lower back is already round, sit your tailbone directly behind your heels. Notice that I'm not thrusting my ribs forward, because I have to round my spine, keep pulling your hip points up into your navel and then release and grab your ankle and then once you hold on to your ankles, press your feet into the floor and see if you can press your front ribs into your back ribs. Your shoulders are close to your knees and then pull your hip points into your navel, it's almost like I'm lifting my navel to the top of the wall behind me.

I lift so much that my feet come off the mat and I find my balance, I'm still trying to make my front body concave, you're gonna hold this shape, tip it back like an inch, so I curl my tailbone under hikes and then dive my head forward and curl your tailbone underneath you and then exhale, guide your head forward, notice I start rolling back by curling my tailbone under and I go forward by diving my head forward. Now let's roll to our lower backs, so you roll to your lower back and then dive your hips forward, Oh, and again, curl your table under, you feel like you press your front ribs into the floor to bring you back up, one more roll back, and press your rib into the floor find your balance. Now really keep your elbows bent, so your heel stay tip, I'm close to your tailbone that'll keep your lower back round, keep your shoulders close to your knees, we're gonna do five rolls ready, roll back with your tailbone up, dive your head forward and again, roll back, hips up, press your ribs into the floor, inhale, roll back press rib into the floor like we did in the roll up, roll back exhale, press ribs down. I don't want your balance, exhale and then place your feet down, hands go behind you, slide back to your legs are straight, find that seeker, but a lifted seeker curb instead of just the collapse seeker. So press your thighs down pull your hip points into your neck bone and then starting with these hip points, pull them back, my head is going forward, my hip points are going back.

Then keep rolling down one bone at a time and we're ready for everyone saved the series of five. Starting with single leg stretch, bend your left knee and as you pull your knee and once again, you're trying to avoid side bending, so you hug your knee and reach your hips forward, pull your hip points into your navel, make the right leg longer, in one motion, lift your head and shoulders and leg off the floor. Now here, can you drop your tailbone and pull your hip points into your navel, to move your legs, you scoop, pull your hip points into your navel and switch I initiate from my powerhouse, I scoop in to switch. One more that tempo, pull your hip points into your navel to switch, one more, pull your hip points into your navel and that will flow scoop and pull abs in and pull, scoop to pull and pull and pull abs in and up, one more set and pull and pull her both knees into your chest, rest your head. We're gonna do double leg scripts, we're gonna do it the way Joe did it and return to life.

So even before I curl up, I pulled my hip points into my navel and my navel is already back here and then I press my ribs into the floor to curl my head and shoulder blades up, so you can curl up a little bit higher, drop your tailbone lower, inhale, pull your hip points into your navel and reach your legs forward. My hands are gently pressing into my thighs my armpits slide towards my hips, I pull my hip points into my navel and hug my knees in. Inhale, pull your hip points away from the reach of your legs, inside your armpits down the sides of your body, exhale hug in fourth for flow inhale and reach, exhale all the air out, Inhale, pull your hip points into your navel exhale in, Inhale to reach, exhale and in final one, inhale to reach, exhale and in rest your head and shoulder blades down. Single straight leg, we're gonna start with your leg all the way down on the mat. Your powerhouse is responsible for lifting your legs, so we're gonna practice that.

Reach your arms forward, curl your head and shoulder blades up off the mat, keep pulling your hip points into your navel, take a big inhale as you exhale, scoop to float one leg up like dead weight and then lower, exhale, I pull from here and lift my leg up and then lower. One more exhale, curl up to meet your leg and then lower. final one, exhale, lift, lower, rest your head and shoulder blades all the way down. We're gonna take it a step further, reach your arms forwards that reach comes from your armpit, sliding down the sides of your body. Pull your hip points up into your navel, curl your head and shoulder blades up, now scoop float your right leg up as high as you can, grab as high as you can and float the other leg up to 45 degrees.

From your powerhouse scoop to switch for your hip points into your navel and switch and switch and pull, scoop right here, lower abdominals into the floor and switch and switch, you have one more set. From here, bend both knees into your chest, rest your head, double straight leg, stack your palms one on top of the other, place your palms at the base of your skull. From here, lift your elbows like an inch off the mat inside your armpits, down the sides of your body, so you feel connected to your back and then connect to your front by pulling your hip points into your navel and pull your navel all the way back to your thumbs. Exhale, pressure from ribs down in order to curl up, press them down more so you can curl up higher, reach your legs up, inhale, pull your hip points into your navel as you reach your legs forward, exhale and lift. It doesn't matter how small the movement is, you don't wanna compensate by flattening your spine.

Ready and again, pull as you lift your legs feel like you're rolling up into a teaser, to more inhale reach, exhale, pressure from ribs down to crawl up higher. One more inhale reach, I am shaking at the lift, bend your knees, rest your head. (Kira graoning) Alright, let's do crisscross, so your legs start together, pull your hip points into your navel, navel towards your thumbs, press your front ribs down into the mat to curl up. Straighten your right leg, now curl up taller and rotate your right ribs up to this left side and then switch curl up, scoop and twist, lift and twist you're gonna love me 'Cause we're only gonna do three sets, last one and hug your knees into your chest, rest your head, rock up the seated for spine stretch. We're gonna do three versions the way Joe did and return to life.

So separate your legs, they're slightly wider than your mat, pull your hip points up into your navel, you'll reach your fingertips on the mat between your legs, you're gonna use your hands as a prop to help you stretch. Remember the stretches from your lowest ribs to the top of your hips, so scoop you inhale, chin goes to your chest, round forward just a little bit press the heels of your hands down and forward and then pull your hip points up into your navel, lift your navel to the top of the wall behind you, slide your hands further and forward, push your hands down and forward, lift your waist up and back, I'm also pressing my thighs down, slide your hands a little bit further forward, I'm pulling my waist back, press your thighs down and then feel like you're rolling up a wall, come all the way up to seated, inhale lifting your chest, exhale, round forward, push the floor away, lift your waist up to the top of the wall behind you, slide your hands forward and lifting more and again, lift more hold. Can you pull your hip points into your navel, press your front ribs into your back ribs roll all the way up. Okay, one more lift, chin to your chest round forward, press floor away, lift your waist round forward a little bit more, my hands are pushing the floor down. One more, slide your hands further, trying not to collapse by the opposition of my hands going down and forward waist up and back.

Hold here, grab your ankles firmly, Press the backs of your thighs into the floor, Pull your hip points up into your navel and lift your waist to the top of the wall behind you. Even press your front ribs into your back ribs and notice that stretch you get your spine, you wanna recreate that for the next three spine stretches. Roll up one bone at a time, did you also notice that was your open leg rocker. So reach your arms in front of you, pull your hip points into your navel, inhale chin to your chest, exhale, round forward nose into your navel, keep lifting your hip points, inhale, drop your tailbone all the way up at the top, you exhale. Inhale, lift chin to your test, empty your lungs, press these front ribs back, focus on these ribs going back to your head goes down, inhale row all the way up at the top, you exhale.

One more lift into your chest, exhale, round forward, Pull your hip points into your navel, lift your navel to the top of the wall behind you and then roll all the way up and exhale. Open leg rocker, we're gonna do a little variation, so come closer to the front edge of your mat, you're gonna bend your knees and place your feet flat, they'll be the same distance as your shoulders, place your hands firmly at the back of your thighs. So I'm pressing my hands into my thighs, so my biceps are working, They're like heavy springs, pull your hip points up into your navel and now just do a pelvic curl, roll to the back of your sits bones and press your front moves into your back, like you just did in the last exercise. Walk your feet closer to your hips, roll back a little bit further, I'm still pressing my legs down into my hands and pulling my waist back and up and then I'll float my feet, up so my toes point to the wall in front of me, keep pressing your thighs forward, pull your ribs back. Now you wanna think of pulling your lowers ribs to the back edge of the mat, tailbone up towards the ceiling and then come back, notice how my elbows didn't stretch and bend during the exercise.

Maintain dynamic tension you have two more, pull your lowest rib back, roll up and lift, one more, keep pressing your thighs into your hands, cath your thighs up towards the ceiling and then come back up, find that scoop, so it's not a compressed sit, pull your hip points into your navel. Now extend your legs if you can and then lift your chest, press your thighs forward, pull your ribs back like we did in spine stretch and now lift your tailbone to roll back and then press your front ribs down to come up and again, roll back, press your rib down into the floor to bring you up to more roll back, tailbone goes up. Press your ribs down, Final one, roll back and then roll up find a balance at the top, maintain that double sit curving your spine, so my ribs are going back lower abdominals back, my legs come together and then with control, walk your hands down the backs of your thighs and then you'll finish with your head down, legs up, your legs corkscrew. Once again, your powerhouse manipulates the movement of your legs, so we're gonna start off by drawing small circles with our toes, think of like the size of a magic circle, press your arms firmly into the floor, if you need to bend your knees a little bit do that. Feel your lowest rib anchored into the floor and then use your lower abdominals to pull your thighs toward you a little bit, circle them to your right hand, which is Pressed on to the floor and then magic circle size, circle it around and center, pull your inner thighs towards you, circle to your left hand, circle it down and pull those hip points back, find that opposition and then we'll go again, make the circles a little bigger if you want, exhale, swing your legs around and center.

Once again, Kira has to pay attention to the backs of her shoulder staying on the mat. One more, pull them towards you and then pull your waist into the mat and center. Final one, circle, pull your hip points away from the rest of your legs and center have your knees into your chest, rock up to seated and we're ready for saw. When we do saw, try to channel your spine stretch too, So flex your feet, reach your arms out to the side, pull your hip points up into your navel and feel like you're pressing the ceiling away with the crown of your head. Twist your ribs to the left, feel like your hips are twisting to the right, round hold chin to your chest, pinky finger to pinky toe, once you're here, can you pull your hip points into your navel and pull your ribs back, look for the backhand and then roll all the way up and center.

Lift your powerhouse twist, as my ribs go to the right, I feel like my hips are going to the left, round forward lifting my powerhouse. Try to press your front ribs into your back ribs and then rock at the backhand, roll all the way up and center. Lift your spine to twist round, round is arkward word so around forward, I'm trying to get my right ear on my knee, my right ribs on my left inner thigh and my gaze to my left hand. Roll up and center, lift with my ribs to my right, hips to my left, round forward, left hear on my right knee, left ribs on my right inner side gaze back, roll up and center, lift to twist, scoop and round forward, find that saw, roll all the way up and center, final one twist, round front, pull your front ribs into your back ribs, roll all the way up and center. Let's do neck roll, the setup bring your legs together, turn on to your stomach, if you have wooden dowels, use the wooden dowels, if not, you want your arms to go in goalpost position.

So the 90 degree angles of my elbows and my shoulder joint, if you have the dowels, you press the dowels forward, if you don't have the dowels pressure arms down, slide your armpits down the sides of your body to connect to your back. Pull your hip points into your navel and your navel all the way to the front edge of the mat. Notice that lengthens your tailbone towards your heels, 'Cause you wanna stay out of clenching up your lower back, so now keep pulling your hip points so far forward, that your chest slides across the mat and towards the wall in front of you, at the same time, I'm sliding my armpits down the sides of my body, it's not a big lift is literally the opposite of doing 100 and then lower all the way back down and again, reach your tailbone towards your heels, pull your hip points towards your navel. If you have the wooden dowels, pushed them forward, if you don't just press the floor down, feel like you're dragging your elbows back as your chest goes forward towards the wall and then lower, now we're gonna do the neck roll, so you can lift up as high as feels comfortable for your back. Make it about your hip points, slide your armpits down, pull your hip points forward, all I'm thinking about is my hit points.

I'm sliding them forward and lifting them up, sliding them forward, lifting them up until my arms are straight without dumping into my lower back, which is super easy for me to do. Like the route my pubic bone down, lift my hip points, look over my right shoulder, roll my chin into my throat, look over my left shoulder and center. Reverse look over my left shoulder, chin into my throat, look over my right shoulder center, lift your hip points even more, lengthen your chest forward, lower all the way back down. Going into single leg kicks, you're gonna do wonder twin power fifth like this, you're gonna connect your fist and push them together right above your head. So my forehead is on the mat, I press my knuckles into one another, I press my elbows down inside my armpits towards my hips and then I drag my hip points forward and my chest forward, like I did in the last exercise.

So keep pulling your chest forward, almost like you wanna drag your body forward, you're gonna pull your chest forward and up and meet your tailbone down and back and then bend your right knee, pull your heel to your butt. Notice if you rock to your right hip, try to stabilize and then pull your healing closer and then reach your leg back, bend your knee, pull your heel to your hip and then pull it in closer, so as you have to use the back of your side and then lower, now we flow, kick pull it closer, lower, you pull it in, pull it in closer, lower, pull it in, pull it resistant back, pull it in, pull it in, resistant back, kick, kick, hip points forward enough Kick, kick hip points forward and up. One more people in your hip points into your navel and then we go into double leg kicks. Wanna do it slightly modified today, stack your hands, one on top of the other, Place your left ear on the mat, lets your elbows drift down, if that's comfortable for your shoulders. You can also start here, find that lengthen your spine first, pull your hip points towards your navel, tailbone reaches for your heels and then bend your knees pull your heels to your hips and then pull them in even closer, pull them in closer, lower your feet and paws.

Connect to your powerhouse, Pull your hip points into your navel and then reach your arms back along the sides of your body, slide your armpits back, chest goes forward, tailbone back, other ear goes on the mat, press your hips down, you pull it in close, pull it in closer, pull it in closer, lower your feet and up, pull your hip points into your navel, navel goes forward, arms go back. Now we flow, you kick three, two, one lower, pull your hip points forward, arms back, other side kick for three, two, one lower, you should feel the backs of your thighs working to pull your heels to back, squeeze them, two, three pull your feet, scoop to reach lowered all the way down by one, three, two, one lower and reach, bring your arms around, sit back in a child pose. Even here, try not to collapse onto your thigh, push your hands into the floor, pull your front ribs into your back ribs, drop your sits bones into your heels. This is me stalling because I don't like neck pull, which is next, so roll up to a seated position, we're gonna do like a modification first and then we'll do the real deal. The challenge with neck pull, i think, if your powerhouse is now responsible for stabilizing your spine and then mobilizing it through spinal articulation.

So separate your knees and your feet, the distance of your shoulders, press your hands firmly against your thighs This is like heavy springs, pull your hip points up into your navel and lift your navel to the base of your skull, feel like you're pressing your thighs down and forward and then from your lower abdominals lean back, I'm hanging from my arms, so I can focus on pulling my hip points into my navel, navel to the back of my neck. Now I'm gonna press my front ribs to the back end to the mat, when I do that, now my hip points and my pubic bone are facing the ceiling. I try to keep my hips where they are, use the strength of my arms to pull my head forward and resist with my waist and then we'll all the way up lift your spine. The tendency is to lean back with your shoulders and lose the powerhouse connection, so start by pulling your hip points up into your navel, press your thighs down and lean back, just find the length in your spine, notice here on the backs of your sits bones, pull your hip points up into your navel and feel how it lengthens the back of your neck and then exhale, Press your front ribs all the way to the back into the mat, tailbone to the front edge of the mat, keep your hips where they are round forward and then roll up from the base of your spine. Let's try one more with your arms straight, keep me to your arms for powerhouse up, pull your hip points into your navel to lean back and then pull your front ribs back to round your spine.

My fingers are actively reaching forward ribs are back and then I round forward and enroll all the way up. So I'm gonna do the full neck pull, I have a strap lucky me it's not good luck. So hopefully connecting to your powerhouse for help, place your feet underneath the strap or flex your feet, should be a distance apart or hip distance apart. Lie all the way down, stack your hands one on top of the other behind your head. Then from here, connecting your powerhouse pull your hip points into your navel, pull your navel towards your thumbs, you should feel your lowest rib grounded and the connect to your back by lifting your elbows up an inch inside your armpits towards your hips you should feel super duper connected here.

As you roll up, keep pulling your hip points back, ready? Here we go, bend, press these ribs down and pull your hip points back, ribs down, hips points back, round forward, Press the back of your head into your hands and roll up, lift the crown of your head up. Now find that hinge, Pull your hip points into your navel, find that long diagonal and pull your front ribs back. You can even let your elbows go forward to roll all the way down, reconnect to your hip points into your navel, armpits down the sides of your body, roll up, press these down, press down to roll up and round forward and then roll all the way up, lift your spine, pull your hip points up into your navel, hinge back. My spine is reaching up and then all your ribs back, tailbone forward to roll all the way down.

One more, roll up, press those ribs down, round forward, roll all the way up. Now pull your hip points into your navel to the hinge, now lift your spine and curl your tailbone under hip points back, ribs back, rest all the way down. Good. Let's go into sidekicks., so you can start on your left side, line your whole body up with the back end to the mat. You're in a standing position essentially, so my heels are reaching for the bottom corner of the mat, my head to the top, my hand is cut to the base of my skull like I did for neck pull and then place this hand right in front of your waist, it is actually touching my body, my fingertips are pointing to the back edge of the mat. lean into this handle a little bit and open your chest, yow you really need your powerhouse, to help you avoid rotation and side bending.

So as much as you reach your heels down, pull your hip points into your navel and pull your navel to the back of your head, almost feel like you're tucking your waistline but beneath your ribs. From here, lift both legs up, angle them forward, lower them down, today we'll do it in pilate stance, So rotate your thighs into pilate stance, your tailbone should not be tucked forward, it's in line with the mat. Lift your leg to hip height, now just rotate your heel forward and swing your leg forward and hold, make sure there's weight in this hand and you're opening up your chest. Now reach your leg in line with your ear and your hip, make it longer so this hip reaches away from your armpit. Then use your buttock muscles to press your leg back without compensating here, keep your shoulder start, now we swing like a pendulum, swing your leg front, now pull your hit points into your enables your leg goes back, swing your legs front, already I'm starting to lift, lift, lift and press my legs back and again swing your leg to the front, exhale and press it back.

Three more swing into the front, exhale back. When your leg goes forward, think of sticking your butt out a little bit, exhale back, one more thing I last count, press it back and hold it back, make your leg longer, pull your hip points into your navel, almost like your lower abdominal is pulling into your lower back, stack your legs, one on top the other. Make sure you're still turned out, please keep people away from you to lift your leg up, now feel like your toes wanna stay there, but your hip reaches down and that's what lowers your legs and again, reach your leg pass the bottom leg to lift it up and starting with your hip lower all the way down. Three more, inhale lifted up, exhale lower down, inhale reach your top hip away from your armpit. Last two, using your powerhouse to avoid side bending, last one lower all the way down.

Now you're had five small circles in each direction, the whole time I want you to think, about reaching past that bottom leg, so there's lengthen your powerhouse. Here we go, so quick front, up and back, two and three and four and five, then reverse goes back around, two and three and four and five, lower your leg. From here, slide your legs back to the start position, flex your feet, push the wall away with your heels and pull your hip points into your navel, lift your legs up, as you sleep onto your stomach, reach your tailbone toward your heels. Pull your hip points into your navel, beat your inner thighs ten times, ten, nine, eight, seven, six, five, four, three, two, one, lower your feet, Sit back in a child's pose round your spine. You can flip onto your right side or continue facing you, so line your body up with the back to the mat, find your standing position, so my heels returned to the corner, my head goes the opposite corner, use your hand to lengthen your neck, top hand presses in front of you and then lift your legs as they angle forward, keep your tailbone back in line with the mat, externally rotate from the top of your thigh, point that top foot and make it longer, lean into this handle a little bit making sure your hip points are stacked, swing your leg to the front leading with your heel and hold.

You should feel this outer hip working a lot and then reach your leg in line with your hip, make it longer pull your hip points into your navel 'Cause your leg goes back, you're recruiting your butt instead of arching and twisting and again, swing your leg to the front lead with your heel, exhale and press it back, inhale, stick your tailbone back, exhale, pull your lower abdominals in, three more, swing it to the front, exhale, press it back and swing it to the front, exhale, press it back, one more swing into the front, exhale, press it back, make sure hip is parallel to the fourth module high and make your leg long. Pull your hip points into your navel like there's that suction pulling your lower abs into your lower back and the stack your legs, one on top of the other. Check in to make sure your hip points are stack and then you go up and down. Lengthen this hip away from your armpit to lift your leg up and then from here, you reach your head down and away from your armpit to lower and again, lengthen to lift and then reach from your head to lower, lengthen to lift, now when you lower feel like you're lifting the bottom leg to meet the top leg, almost like side splits on the reformer, lift the bottom leg to meet the top leg, final one, lengthen to lift, lower all the way down and pause. Create length again, five small circles in each direction, so front up and back two and three, make sure that leg goes behind you, you got to use your butt.

Last one, I mean reverse and go back around and two and three and four and five, stack your legs, one on top of the other. Good turn on to your stomach, so sit back in your child's pose and now we're gonna do a series of teasers. So we're gonna start off line down on our backs, you bend your knees and place your feet flat make sure your heels are not too close to you, otherwise it is impossible, so slide your feet forward, route down to the ball of your big toe, small toe and your inner heels. Press the backs of your inner thighs together and then reach your arms forward, on a diagonal and the whole exercise your arms are gonna stay parallel to your five. In other words, you're not gonna use them for momentum to roll up, so in this position inside your armpits towards your hips, pull your hip points into your navel.

Step one chest curl, lift your head and shoulder blades up, keep pulling your hip points back into your navel and then reach your fingertips to the top of the wall in front of you, your spine is in the same shape as you were in for open leg rocker. Now pull your hip points to the back edge of the mat and roll down, keep pulling your hip points into your navel, make sure your arms stay parallel to your sides and again, connect to your back by sliding your armpits down the sides of your body, Pull your hip points into your navel. Step one chest curl and then focus on your hip points going into your navel as your hip points go back, your fingertips go forward and up, press your legs together, try to keep your fingers here and pull your hip points back, Fingers reach up and hip points pull back, you get deep into these lower abdominals lower all the way back down. You have one more, curl your head and shoulder blades up, find the opposition for your hip points back, lift your fingertips up. Good, I'm looking past my fingers checking to make sure arms are still parallel to your thighs.

Pull your hip points into your navel lift up higher, now lift your waist and try to lift your arms up. Now keep pressing your legs together, pull your hip points back, roll down try to keep your arms up, rest your head and shoulder blades all the way down. Alright, so this is a great place to check in with our imbalances and train your imbalances, you're gonna extend your left leg, you can externally rotate it and press the backs of your upper inner thighs together, arms are parallel to your thighs, scoop, curl your head and shoulder blades up, connect your back and your abs and then roll up pressing both sides of your spine into the mat to float up. Good, now can you pull your hip points into your navel, lift your waist up higher and then pull your waist to the back edge of the mat as this leg goes forward and up in opposition, rest your head and again, curl your head and shoulder blades up. I'm thinking about my hip points going back fingers going up, so they stay parallel to my side, Pull your hip points up into your navel, lift your waist more and then pull your waist away from the reach of that left leg, roll all the way back down rest your head.

One more, curl your head and shoulder blades up, pull your hip points back, lift your chest up. Good, and then for me here, lift your arms by lifting your waist, pull your hip points back and try to get the best of your hips down on the mat. Hey, yes, no. (Kira groaning) Okay, other leg, so now it makes your arms are parallel to your thighs. Extend your left leg, I turn it out and press the backs of my upper inner thighs together, this is my other thigh, so connect to your back and to your abs, curl your head and shoulder blades up, now keep pulling your hip points back slow up on a diagonal, keep making your chest up through your arms, good and then pull your hip points back, reach your arms and leg forward to roll all the way down and rest your head and again, first find your chest curl, connect to your side body, pull your head points into your navel then roll up those feels for me, lifting up, feel this round this here instead of flaring, round your spine and then pull your waist back as your arms and let go forward, rest your head , one more, curl your head and shoulder blades up, pull your hip points back, all the way up into your teaser.

Now pull your hip points into your navel, lift your waist up higher and then pull your hip points to the back edge of the mat and roll all the way back down and then rest. (Kira groaning) Hug your knees into your chest for a second rock from side to side. Okay, we're gonna do one more teaser, that's it, I promise, we're gonna do it from here. Feel like your feet are on the foot bar on the reformer, your toes on the foot bar, reach your arms up towards the ceiling as your arms go up, feel your chest bone in your front ribs sink into the floor. Immediately pull your hip points into your navel and your navel to the back edge of the mat and just try to slide your legs forward without strain.

If this creates strain, lift your legs up higher, but bury your ribs into the mat and then bend your knees. You're gonna do two more, feel the weight of these front ribs, sink into the floor if your legs reach forward, and I'm pulling my navel way back here for deal life and then bend, this time you gonna straighten your legs in a roll up to a teaser. Hopefully ready, so press your heels together, keep pressing them together, pull your hip points into your navel, navel to the back end to the mat, squeeze the backs of your inner thighs curl up and then roll up into your teaser, wait and then from here, you're gonna transition into your seal. Bend your knees, spread your arms through your legs and grab your outer ankles, make a vise grip with your legs, so press your arms into your legs and your legs into your arms and then how much can you pull your ribs back and your tailbone forward, from here, just roll back and forth without the clapping. Remember, you roll back by lifting your tailbone up and then pull your chest bone into the floor to come back up and again, lift your ribs up through your legs and then press your tailbone down into the floor.

One more like this, squeeze, roll back and then press your ribs down. Now we'll clap three times in the front, three in the back. The clap comes from you pressing your arms out against your legs, so open close three, two, one, roll back with your tailbone up, clap three, two, one, roll up and clap three, two, one, roll back lift your tailbone up, clap three, two, one, roll up and clap three, two, one, rollback, keep your hips up three, two, one roll up. Last one will come to standing, I'm horrible with that, So excuse me, roll back, got four, three, two, one come up, cross your feet come all the way up to standing and then legs go and pilate stance. Today we're just gonna walk into our long stretch position, so turn around and face the back of your mat, your feet go into your pilate stance.

Look down make sure you have equal pressure between the ball of your big toe the small toe and then reach your inner heels down. Keep pulling your hip points up into your navel, so much that it drops your tailbone down towards your heels, arms go up towards the ceiling. This is gonna be like doing the roll up, so the first thing you did was lift your arms up towards the ceiling, so reach in front of you and then round forward by bending at the bottom of your chest bone, feels like you're diving your head through your arms and continue rounding down until your hands are on the floor. Make sure your hips are over your arches, I'm pushing into the floor to lift my ribs if you need to bend your knees, bend your knees and lift your ribs, from here we're just gonna walk forward into a long stretch for counts. Walk for four, Keep reaching your tailbone towards your heels and pulling your navel to the front edge of the mat.

Once you're here, drag your armpits down the sides of your body, Pull your hip points into your navel, push through your hands and through your toes, now dive your nose into your ribs to lift your ribs up, walk back for four for three for two and one. If you need to bend your knees, bend your knees, press down through your inner heels. Now drop your tailbone toward your heels, Pull your hip points towards the wall behind you and roll all the way up to a standing position. Reconnect with your feet, the three corners, reconnect with your powerhouse, slide your armpits down the sides of your body, your arms go forward, your ribs pull into your back and then dive your head through your arm, so I'm lifting my ribs up, Keep waiting the balls of your feet round forward. Plant your hands like you're doing the push down on the one the chair, I'm pushing the pedal down, lifting my waist up, tailbone towards my heels, keep reaching your tailbone towards your heels and walk forward for four counts.

From here side, your armpits down the sides of your body, pull your hip points into your navel, so your tailbone reaches for your heels, dive your nose into your ribs, lift your front ribs into your back ribs, walk back for ,four, three, two one, keep more weight in the balls of your feet. Now press the backs of your upper inner thighs together, pull your hip points towards the wall behind you, drop your tailbone and roll all the way up to a standing position. You have one, more, lift your waist, reach your arms forward, waist back, chin into your chest, feel like you're peeling off the mat, You'll round forward, your nose goes into your navel, press your hand into the floor. Take a second to push down into the floor, so that your ribs don't collapse, lift your front ribs into your back ribs, keep that lift and walk your hands forward for four, three, two, one. Slide your armpits seven sides of your body, hip points into your navel.

Now can you lift your footprint into your back rib more and dive your nose into your ribs, walk your hands back for four, three, two, one, pause to reconnect to your feet, lift your hip points up into your navel and roll up while pressing the backs of your upper inner thighs together, come all the way up to standing. From here, lift your waist, open your arms out to the side, press them down, from here we're gonna finish the chest expansion, You can make your hands like paddles, you're gonna place your thumbs underneath your hips, so you can press your thumbs forward and open your chest, I'm gonna turn this way, as you do what I want you to channel the double leg picks when you did this one. So you're gonna press your thumbs into your thighs, in order to open your chest, you wanna feel like your chest is lifting up and forward on a diagonal while your tailbone drops down. Inhale, press your arms back, hold your breath, look over your right shoulder, look over your left shoulder look center and then lower your arms. Inhale, pull your hip points into your navel, navel up, hold your breath, look over your left shoulder, look over your right shoulder, look center, exhale and lower.

Two more inhale as your arms go back, lift your hip points up into your navel, now can you reach your fingers to the back edge of the mat, lift your chest to the top of the wall in front of you and then look over one shoulder, look over the other shoulder, center and then lower final one. Pull your hip points up into your navel Lift your chest to the top of the wall in front of you fingers to the back of your mat, look over one shoulder, look over the other shoulder center and lower. Just let your arms hang by your side, let your shoulders relax, feel that connection to your feet. The ball of your big toe, the small toe in the center of your heels. Pull your hip points up into your navel, feel your tailbone just drop, like your hips are heavy and then pull your navel to the back of your neck, so lands at the base of your skull, take a big inhale in filling your ribs up like an Accordion.

Exhale, squeeze all the air out, lengthen from your tailbone to the crown of your head. Two more inhale, pull your hip points into your navel, exhale, empty your lungs, keep pressing your head up towards the ceiling. One more, take a big inhale and pulling your hip points into your navel and an exhale, pull your navel up to the base of your skull. You are done, thank you guys for coming, hopefully I'll see you next week at the same time Wednesday at 8:30am. Pacific time 1130 my time. Next week's focus is gonna be on "Spinal Mobility".

So working on flexion and extension and articulation in particular, So I hope to see you then, thank you very much, enjoy the rest of your day. Bye