Day 343-Neck Stretch Lateral Flexion

This exercise is intended to lengthen the muscles of the neck.

To do this exercise you will need a mat.  Start sitting with your knees bent and your ankles crossed.  Inhale into the back of your ribs and exhale as you reach your ear towards the ceiling.  Feel the length in the side of your neck.  Take three breaths here and then repeat on the other side.  

Things to think about
This exercise is about reaching one ear to the ceiling not touching the other ear towards the shoulder.  Imagine lengthening both sides of the neck as you reach the ear to the ceiling

As you stretch your neck be sure that both sides of the pelvis are connected to the ground

Day 342- Mermaid Z-Sit

This exercise is the classic Pilates mermaid.

To do this exercise you will need a mat.  Start by sitting with both knees bent and your toes pointing to one side.  Inhale into the ribs as you reach one hand up to the ceiling and then exhale as you bend your spine to the side.  Repeat three times and the reverse your knees and your feet to do the other side.

Things to think about
Be sure that your are bending only to the side.  The body might try to round the shoulders or push the ribs forward.  misalignment of the spine will decrease the intensity of the stretch.

Remember that your head is part of your spine.  Allow the head to be the end of the curve.

Day 341- Mermaid Tailor Sit

This exercise is an alternative to the classic mermaid.  It allows for symmetry at the hips

To do this exercise you will need a mat.  Start sitting with your knees bent and your ankles crossed.  Reach both arms to the side as you inhale and then exhale as you place one hand on the ground and reach the other hand towards the ceiling.  Then laterally flex your spine into the longest possible side bend.

Things to think about
As you are doing this exercise, imagine that you are sitting between two planes of glass. Make sure that your spine is bending to the side only.  The tendency will be to pop the ribs forward or to round the shoulders

Remember that your spine ends with your skull.  Be sure that your head is part of the curve.

Day 340- Kneeling Side Develop

This exercise is a variation on the classic kneeling side kick

To do this exercise you will need a mat.  Start by kneeling and then lean over to place one hand on the ground.  Allow the opposite leg to float up into the air.  Inhale into the back of the ribs and then exhale as you bend the floating knee and then straighten it higher into the air.  Inhale as you lower it back to hip level and then exhale hip height.  Repeat 8-10 times.

Things to think about
Make sure that your hip is right over your bottom knee and the your shoulder is directly above the wrist.  This will create the longest possible spine.

If this exercise is too much for the wrist you can make a fist with your hand to protect the wrist

Day 339- Kneeling Side Kicks Bicycle

This exercise a variation of kneeling side kick.

To do this exercise you will need a mat.  Start by kneeling and then lean to one arm so that you are standing on one arm and one knee.  Inhale into the back of your ribcage as you allow the leg to float into the air.  Exhale as you press the leg behind you.  Inhale again as you kick the leg forward then bend the knee and press the leg behind you.  Inhale as you kick the leg forward and exhale as you continue for 8-10 repetitions.

Things to think about

This exercise adds movement in the knee joint to the side kicks.  Watch that the thigh doesn't drop towards the ground as you bend the knee.  

If your wrist gets sore, you can always make a fist and place your knuckles in the ground.

Day 338- Kneeling Side Kick Circles

This exercise is a variation of the kneeling side kick.

To do this exercise you will need a mat.  Start kneeling and then lean over to one hand so that you are supported by your knee and your hand.  Inhale as the leg floats into the air, and then exhale as you circle the leg back and down. Inhale as you circle the leg forward and exhale as you repeat 8-10 times.

Things to think about
It will be difficult to keep the hip still as you are circling the leg.  Be sure to line the pelvis up above the thigh this alignment will help free up the hip.

If the bottom wrist is having trouble with this position, you can make a fist to support the arm.

Day 337- Kneeling Sidekicks

This exercise focuses on hip disassociation with a small base of support.

To do this exercise you will need a mat.  Start by kneeling then lean over to one hand so that you have one knee and one hand supporting you.  Inhale into the back of the ribs as you let the leg float into the air.  Exhale as you press your leg back and then inhale as you kick forward and exhale again as you kick back again.  Repeat 8-10 times on each side.

Things to think about
Be sure that you keep the hips and ribs in line during this exercise.  The hips will want to sit back further than they should.  Keep pressing the hip forward as the leg swings.

If this exercise hurts your wrist, it is helpful to make a fist for support.

Day 336- Around the World Planks

This exercise requires a lot of arm strength and increases stability in the spine.

To do this exercise you will need a mat.  Start in the side plank.  Inhale as you pivot the hand and point the fingertips towards the front of the body and then exhale as you open the chest so that you are in a reverse plank.  Inhale again and then exhale as you move to a side plank on the other side.  Repeat five times to each side.

Things to think about
This exercise is quite precarious for the shoulder.  It is imperative that the shoulders are stable and congruent.  Remember to have the collarbones wide and open.  The shoulder blades should be connected to the ribcage.  Use the breath to keep your spine as long as possible.

Keep the ribs and the hips aligned so that the abdominal muscles are available to you