Welcome,
Welcome.
I'm so glad you're here for this mindful core strengthening practice.
It's an invitation to move slowly,
Consciously and with awareness of your breath.
Deep core support.
Today we will focus on posture.
Core connection and deep abdominal support.
And moving with Pilate's breath in a mindful,
Controlled way.
If you like.
You can also have a pair of light hand weights nearby for some of the movements later.
But they are absolutely optional.
Let's begin seated.
Pull through the spine without creating tension.
Relax the shoulders and the jaw.
And start by connecting to your natural breath.
You can place your hands softly around the sides of your lower ribs.
Just take a slow breath in through the nose and notice the ribcage expanding sideways into the hand.
As you exhale slowly through the mouth.
Feel the ribs softly narrow again.
Inhaling into the sides of your ribs.
Exhaling slowly through the mouth.
Feel the ribs softly narrow again.
Again,
Slow inhale.
Expanding into the rib.
Not only forward,
But also sideways.
Maybe slightly into the back body.
And slow exhale allowing the ribs to move inward again.
Beautiful.
Now keep this rib breath.
You inhale,
You expand the ribs to the sides and to the back.
Then you exhale through the mouth,
You bring your ribs together again.
And now we add one element.
You can bring your awareness to.
.
.
The lower body toward the lower belly,
The deep abdominal area and the pelvic floor.
And as you exhale,
Next time.
Allow the lower belly to feel gently heavy toward the spine.
So inhaling,
The ribs still expanding.
Exhaling rip Go to get rekin.
And the belly.
Flows heavy toward the spine.
It's not a sucking in strongly,
Just a soft inner support.
Inhaling the rib.
Expanding.
Exhaling,
The belly becoming heavy,
Moving toward the spine.
Beautiful.
With your next exhale You can add a very soft lifting sensation.
Through the pelvic floor.
Almost as if the center of the body gently gathers inward and upward.
Then inhale again.
Expanding the ribs without losing all of that support.
And with the exhale,
Gentle center activations,
Shoulders still relaxed.
Beautiful.
You can keep your neck completely soft.
While the deep center gently wakes up,
Just keep on breathing in this way.
And now with or without the weight.
You continue with this breath again.
Lift your arms.
And feel the core working,
Not the arms.
So with the exhale,
Slowly lifting the arms.
Inhaling,
Release.
It's still one more.
Exhaling,
Lifting from the core.
Inhaling release.
You can bring your hands onto your ribs again.
Keep breathing in this way.
Inhaling the ribs,
Gently expanding.
With the exhale,
Gently twist to one side.
Inhaling back to center.
Exhaling,
Twisting to the other side.
Inhaling,
Center.
Exhaling twist.
Inhaling,
Center.
Exhaling,
Twisting from the core.
Inhaling,
Center.
One more round,
Exhaling twist Inhaling center.
Excelling twist.
Inhaling,
Center.
And release.
Well done.
Now let's move on to our back.
You have your weight.
Take your weights with you.
Come onto your back.
Your legs hip-width apart.
Feet about two feet width from your hips apart.
You can place your arms relaxed next to your body.
Allow your shoulders to relax.
And start a small movement with your hips.
Gently arcing your back.
And tilting your pelvis.
Do that in your own comfortable rhythm just a few times.
And then find your center.
If you want,
You can check your hip bones and the pubic bones.
And when you draw a line it should be parallel to the floor.
So once you've found this neutral position,
You can relax your arms to the mat again.
And then close your eyes and start with your Pilates breath again.
So inhaling to the sides of the ribs,
Expanding.
Exhaling,
Drawing the ribs together and letting your belly become heavy.
Inhaling,
Expanding the ribs.
With the next exhale also gently activating your pelvic floor.
And with your next exhale.
You can without moving the hips.
Just lift your left foot from the mat.
Inhaling,
Place it back onto the mat.
Next,
Exhale.
Lift the right foot.
Try to make this movement with the strength from your core.
Inhaling,
Bring it back onto the mouth.
Exhaling,
Lifting the left foot off the mat.
Inhaling,
Place it back.
Exhaling right relax your shoulders Inhaling,
Place it back onto the mat.
Very good.
If you wish,
You can try to lift your foot a little bit higher and bring your leg into tabletop position.
With the 90 degree ankle at the hips.
90 degrees at the knee.
And then slowly,
Keeping these angles,
Place your foot back onto the mat.
The next exhale,
Lift the right foot into tabletop position.
And inhaling,
Slowly bring your foot back onto the mat.
The slower the movement,
The more you work with your core.
In your comfortable rhythm.
Lifting the left foot.
Either just the foot.
Or into tabletop.
And then slowly bring it back down onto the mat.
Exhaling.
The right foot.
And inhaling,
Slowly bring it back to the mat.
Let's do each leg one more time.
Slowly lifting the left leg.
Working from the core.
And placing back down onto the mat.
Exhaling lifting the right leg.
Inhaling,
Place it back onto the mat.
Now.
Try to keep your hips stable.
And still remember to breathe into your ribcage.
With the next inhale,
You can slowly bring your arms up.
And overhead,
But not too far.
Feel into your belly and feel your core.
Holding again.
Then slowly bring your arms back to the mat.
If you want you can add the weight.
So with the inhale.
Slowly lifting the arms.
Keeping the ribs down.
And then exhale bringing the arms back down.
Inhaling bringing your arms up.
Exhaling slowly,
Bring your arms down,
Feeling your core working.
Inhaling,
Bringing your arms up,
Your shoulders relaxed.
Keeping the ribs down.
Exhaling slowly with the strength from your core,
Bringing your arms back down.
Let's do two more.
Inhaling slowly in your own comfortable rhythm.
Bringing your arms up.
Keeping the ribs down.
Exhaling,
Slowly bringing your arms back.
Then just one more round.
Inhaling.
Bring your arms up and slightly overhead.
Exhaling,
Slowly move your arms back down.
Well done.
Now relax your arms again.
Check your hip.
Concentrate,
Connect with your breath.
And then from here,
Slowly bring your left leg up into tabletop position.
If you wish,
You can bring both legs up or just one.
And slowly straighten this leg.
And bend the knee again.
Try to keep it in the 90 degrees angle at the hips.
Slowly.
Straightening the leg.
And bend it at the knee.
One more time,
Straightening the leg.
And then bending the knee again.
Let's change legs and bring the other leg up.
And also here,
Slowly straightening the leg,
Stretching through the whole leg and bending at the knee.
Always keep your core working.
Remember to breathe into your ribs.
And bring it back down one more time.
Inhaling.
And bending the knee.
Slowly bring your leg.
Back onto your mat.
And then from here we do The next movement with the arms again.
You can let your palms face each other.
The ceiling,
Then slowly lift the arms from the floor just a little bit,
Activating your core.
Then with the inhale,
Bring your arms up over the side.
Let's start with shoulders height.
Then move the arms up to the ceiling.
Then exhaling,
Bringing your arms back down.
Let's reverse.
Inhaling bringing the arms up.
Exhaling,
Arms to the side.
And down over the side.
Let's reverse again.
Inhaling over the sides.
Feel your core working.
Arms up.
And down.
And reverse and if you wish again add.
Bringing the arms up.
Open.
And down over the side.
Let's do two more rounds.
Inhaling,
Bring your arms up over the side.
Up to the ceiling.
I'm down.
Then reverse,
Bring your arms up Open.
And down over the side.
Very good.
Now from here,
Bring your feet a little bit closer to your hips.
Your legs still hip-width apart.
Your arms just next to your body,
Palms facing down.
Breathing into the side of your ribs and bringing your ribcage,
Your ribs together with the exhale.
With your next exhale,
Slowly start pushing into your feet.
Draw your knees forward,
So slowly,
Slowly lifting your hips and your back from the floor.
Your core active.
Inhaling on top.
Then with the exhale,
Slowly lowering down.
Inhaling,
While you are on the mat,
Your shoulders relaxed.
Then with the exhale,
Slowly push into your feet.
Your core activated.
Gently drawing your pelvic floor in.
Inhaling.
.
.
With the exhale,
Slowly lowering your back and your hips.
Down onto the mat.
Relax your shoulders.
If you wish and if it helps you to keep your shoulders relaxed,
You can just hold your weight.
Exhaling slowly.
Move your hips up.
Proactive.
Inhaling,
And with the exhale slowly lowering your back onto the mat.
Just one more like this with your next exhale.
Slowly push into your feet.
Lifting your hips and your back from the mat.
Inhaling,
Keep your core active.
With the exhale,
Slowly come down.
Wonderful.
If you have your weights,
Just place your weights next to you and then Let your legs glide out onto your mat.
Bring your arms overhead and gently stretch your whole body.
Take a deep breath here,
Stretch.
Lengthen and then release.
Let's do that one more time.
Inhaling,
Stretch and lengthen your whole body.
And then exhaling,
Release.
From here,
Let's come onto all fours.
Find your way!
Onto all fours.
Use a blanket.
Under your knees if you wish.
Then place your hands just below your shoulders.
Your knees under your hips.
Gently pushing your fingers into the mat.
And here again,
It's the same breath.
So inhaling into the sides of your ribs and the back of your ribs.
Exhale,
Slowly bringing the ribs together and drawing your belly in and also drawing the pelvic floor up.
Inhaling into your ribs.
Exhaling.
You can just stay here and just breathe.
Or you can add a gentle cat and cow movement.
So with the exhale,
Gently pushing into your knees and your hands rounding your back,
Drawing your lower belly in.
Inhaling,
Lengthening your back.
Exhaling round.
Inhaling lengthen.
Exhaling round.
Feeling your core muscles do the work.
In Healing Lengthen Two more,
Exhaling round,
Drawing your lower belly in.
Inhaling lengthen.
Exhaling,
Round last one.
Inhaling lengthen.
Well done.
From here.
Can come into a comfortable seat again.
We end where we started.
So,
With or without your weight?
You can bring your arms up.
Inhale into the sides of your ribs.
And then with the exhale,
Activate your core and twist to one side.
Inhaling,
Center.
Exhaling,
Twist to the other side.
Inhaling center.
Exhaling twist.
Inhaling center.
Excelling twist.
Inhaling center.
Last round.
Exhaling twist.
Inhaling,
Center.
Exhaling twist.
Inhaling back to center.
And then from here.
.
.
Let go of the control.
Of the breath.
Allow it to flow naturally.
So no more effort,
No technique,
Just breathing.
Maybe at a gentle stretch,
Reaching the arms overhead Soft movements,
If that feels good.
You can close your eyes for a moment,
Noticing how the body feels now compared to the beginning.
Thank you so much for practicing together today.
Take your time transitioning back into your day or evening.
See you soon again.
Thank you.
