Day 243- Child's Pose

This exercise is intended to be recuperative.  It is about allowing the breath to find its way to your low back, and to allow the change in the tissues to remain with each breath.

To do this exercise you will need a mat.  Start by kneeling on the floor and then allow your body to sit back on your heels and then to fold over your thighs.  Reach your hands out in front of your body and then breath.  Allow the breath to spread the myofascial tissues of your back.  Try 5-10 breaths in this position.

Things to think about

Release! Release! Release!  With each exhale allow your body to melt into the floor.  Feel the liquid nature of the fascia, as your bones are gently moving away from each other.

It is fun to try to breath into different parts of your back.  Is one part tighter than other?  Can you release it? 

Day 242- Scarecrow with Arms, Elbows, Upper Body and then Legs

This exercise is an advanced version of the scarecrow that can strengthen all of the myofascial connections of back of the body.

To do this exercise you will need a mat.  Start by lying on your belly with your legs lengthened long beneath you.  Place your elbows to the side of the body directly in line with your shoulders and allow your forearms to be placed at a right angle to the elbows.  Inhale as you press your elbows into the ground to lift your forearms and then exhale as you maintain the angles of your forearms and lift your elbows.  Inhale again as you reach the head away from the tail and lift your head, neck, and shoulders while also reaching the bottoms of your legs away from you.  Exhale as you maintain spine extension and allow the feet to float into the air.  And finally inhale as you release to the floor.

Things to think about

This exercise is about endurance and functional strength of the postural muscles of the spine.  As you extend the spine imagine making a long arc with your body.  Imagine lifting two ends of a jump rope rather than folding a piece of paper in half

After doing this exercise find your way to sitting and enjoy your long and beautiful posture.

Day 241- Scarecrow with Arms, Elbows and Upper Body

This exercise adds the upper body to the arm and shoulder work of the previous exercise.

To do this exercise you will need a mat.  Start by lying on your belly with your legs lengthened long beneath you.  Place your elbows to the side of the body directly in line with your shoulders, and allow your forearms to be placed at a right angle to the elbows.  Inhale as you press your elbows into the ground to lift your forearms and then exhale as you maintain the angles of your forearms and lift your elbows.  Inhale again as you reach the head away from the tail and lift your head, neck, and shoulders.  Finally exhale as you allow your head, neck, and shoulders to descend to the floor followed by your elbows and your hands.  Repeat 5-8 times.

Things to think about

This exercise will improve your posture.  It’s a fabulous exercise to do once an hour if you spend time at a computer. 

You could also think about doing this exercise in your desk chair.  It is about finding the length of the body in spine extension, which can be done sitting too.

 

Day 240- Scarecrow with Arms and Elbows

This exercise continues to strengthen the back of the shoulder for postural benefit of the thoracic spine.

To do this exercise you will need a mat.  Start by lying on your belly with your legs lengthened long beneath you.  Place your elbows to the side of the body directly in line with your shoulders, and allow your forearms to be placed at a right angle to the elbows.  Inhale as you press your elbows into the ground to lift your forearms and then exhale as you maintain the angles of your forearms as you lift the elbows.  Inhale place the elbows back to the ground and then exhale as you allow the hands and forearms to release to the floor.  Repeat 6-8 times

Things to think about

Your going to look at the pictures for this exercise and you might say to yourself, “That doesn’t look so hard.”  At least that’s what I said to myself when I was learning this exercise.  You will be surprised by the challenged to the front of your shoulders.

This is a great exercise to do in a different relationship to gravity.  Try it while sitting at you desk.

Day 239- Scarecrow with Just Arms

This exercise is intended to isolate the external rotation of the shoulder in a prone position

To do this exercise you will need a mat.  Start by lying on your belly with your legs lengthened long beneath you.  Place your elbows to the side of the body directly in line with your shoulders and allow your forearms to be placed at a right angle to the elbows.  Inhale to prepare and exhale as you press the elbows into the ground to lift the forearms.  Inhale as you release the forearms to the ground and then repeat 8-15 times.

Things to think about

This exercise strengthens the rotator cuff.  It is important to maintain a safe organization of the head, neck, and shoulders to make this movement as efficient as possible. 

The wrists will try to do the movement of the forearms for you.  Be sure that the wrists are lengthened and inline with the forearms.

Day 238- Scarecrow- Extension all Together from E Position

The Arm Position

This exercise is a postural exercise that strengthens the muscles of the spine and the back of the shoulder.

To do this exercise you will need a mat.  Start by lying on your belly with your legs lengthened long beneath you.  Place your elbows to the side of the body directly in line with your shoulders and allow your forearms to be placed at a right angle to the elbows.  Inhale to prepare and then exhale as you reach your toes away from your pelvis and press your pubic bone into the ground. Inhale again as you lift your arms, head, neck, and shoulders away from the ground and then exhale as you release them back to the ground.  Repeat 6-8 times.

Things to think about

As with any spine extension exercise, maintaining axial length is imperative to preserving the low spine.  Before your lift your head, neck, and shoulders allow yourself to reach the crown of your head from the wall across the room.  Once you have found a balanced tension in your body then you are ready to find spine extension.

Be sure that the forearms stay above the elbows in a gentle arc.

Day 237- Double Leg Pull with Head Up

This exercise is the classic Double Leg Pull of The Pilates Repertoire.  It strengthens the entire fascial line of the back of the body.

To do this exercise you will need a mat.  Start by lying on your belly with your legs lengthened long beneath you.  Clasp your hands on top of your sacrum.  Inhale as you straighten your arms and extend your spine to lift your head, neck, and shoulders into the air.  Then exhale as you reach your head away from the tail to release the spine to the floor, at the same time bend both knees to reach your heels to the ceiling.  Repeat 6-8 times.

Things to think about

Imagine that there is a taught band between your heels and your hands.  When your heels reach away from your body that band straightens the arms and lifts the head, neck, and shoulders.  Then when the head, neck, and shoulders lower to the ground, the heels arc back to the ceiling.

It is important in this exercise to allow for length throughout the front of the body.  Imagine that the front of your spine is a bow made of the smoothest wood, or the shiny new rocker on a chair.  The length in the front of the body creates the efficient movement in the back of the body.

Day 236- Double Leg Pull with Head Down

This exercise is progress the single leg pull.  It requires increased length in the front of the hip, and great stability in the pelvis.

To do this exercise you will need a mat.  Start by lying on your belly with your legs lengthened long beneath you.  Inhale as you reach your toes away from you, and then exhale as you bend both knees and arc your heels towards the ceiling.  Inhale as you reach your legs away from you and then exhale again as you bend both knees.  Repeat 6-8 times.

Things to think about

Bending both legs increases the chance that your pubic bone will move away from the floor, which will cause you to use the muscles of your low back instead of your hamstrings.  Be sure that as you press your pubic bone into the ground that you are also lengthening the muscular and fascial connections of the front of the hip.

If your hamstrings cramp as you do this exercise stretch the quads and then try the exercise again.

Day 235- Single Leg Pull with Head Up

This exercise is the classic Pilates Single Leg Pull Exercise.  It strengthens the hamstrings in both knee flexion and hip extension.

To do this exercise you will need a mat.  Start by lying on your belly with your legs lengthened beneath you.  Place your elbows underneath your shoulders with your hands clasped together in the center. Inhale to prepare and exhale as you lift your belly and slide your shoulder blades down your back.  Maintain this position as you inhale and then exhale as you bend one knee and bring your heel towards your pelvis.  Inhale as you lengthen it away from you and exhale as you bend the other side.  Repeat 6-8 times on each side.

Things to think about

This position will provide some support for the head neck and shoulders, but it is important also to lift the muscles and fascial tissue of the front of the spine to support each vertebra.

As you bend the knee be sure that the pubic bone is connecting evenly to the ground.  If you feel your pelvis rolling from side to side, take some time to lengthen the front of the hips.  And then be sure that you maintain that length as you bend the knee.

Day 234- Single Leg Pull with Head Down

This exercise is a preparation for the classic Pilates Single Leg Pull exercise.

To do this exercise you will need a mat.  Start by lying on your belly with your legs long beneath you.  Use your hands to make a pillow for your forehead.  Inhale as you reach your through your big toe, which puts gentle tension and support through the hip flexor.  Then exhale as you bend your leg and reach your heel towards the ceiling.  Inhale to release your leg to the floor and exhale as you reach the other leg to the ceiling.

Things to think about

The length of the front of the pelvis is key in this exercise.  Be sure that the pubic bone stays connected to the ground as you bend each leg.

Because this exercise alternates the use of the legs, it is important to use the deep lower abdominals to support the pelvis. 

Day 233- AH Arms with Upper Body, External Rotation at Shoulders and Port De Bra

This exercise is intended to build endurance in the postural muscles of the arms and upper back.

To do this exercise you will need a mat.  Start by lying on your belly with your arms by your side and your legs lengthened long beneath you.  Inhale to prepare and then exhale as you slide your shoulder blades down your back and lift your arms.  Inhale as you externally rotate your arms and lift your head, neck, and shoulders.  Finally exhale to lengthen the spine even more and move your hands to your side and then above your head.  Inhale to release and then repeat 8-10 times.

Things to think about

The pinky finger…Really I’m serious.  The pinky finger will allow your shoulder blades to find the most efficient movement in the port de bra.

You may have noticed that this version has two full breaths.  These should be slow and deliberate breaths, and it should take the entire breath to be complete each movement.

Day 232- AH Arms with Upper Body and External Rotation at Shoulders

This exercise prepares the arm for movement with spine extension by engaging the rotator cuff to keep the arm bone in the socket.

To do this exercise you will need a mat.  Start by lying on your belly with your hands by your sides and your legs lengthened beneath you.  Inhale to prepare and then exhale as you slide your shoulder blades down your back, widen your collarbones to lift your arms.  Then as you inhale begin externally rotating your upper arms and lifting your head, neck, and shoulders away from the floor.  Exhale as you melt to the floor and then repeat this exercise 8-10 times.

Things to think about

This exercise is very shoulder girdle focused.  You want to feel it in the back of your shoulder sockets and underneath your shoulder blades.  If you are feeling your upper shoulders closer to your neck try to do some chest stretches before doing it again. 

This exercise is intended to build strength in your upper back.  If you are feeling too much work in your low back, then be sure to lengthen the front of the pelvis and lift your belly button away from the floor.