Prime your body for the day. Movements you can do everyday to maintain long, lean and flexible muscles.
Roll Down - back body
Simple & effective. This movement always feels good and helps mobilise your spine and warm the back of the body.
Feet hip-width apart, stand tall and take an inhale. As you exhale drop your chin to your chest and roll down one vertebra at a time. Inhale to hold at the bottom and then exhale to roll back up, restacking your spine one vertebra at a time.
5 repetitions
Chest lift rotation - Transverse abdominals + obliques
Lying on your back, feet hip-width, neutral pelvis and spine. Interlace your hands behind your head, exhale to lift your head and chest up as you reach one arm out long to the outside of the opposite knee, maintaining the neutral position of the pelvis (lower back shouldn't imprint). Inhale to return back to center and then exhale to switch to the other side.
6- 8 repetitions each side.
Bridge/Pelvic Curl
Lie on your back with the knees bent, your feet hip-width, and your arms at your sides. Press into the feet and aim for a broad feeling through the chest and shoulders. Roll your spine off of the floor one vertebra at a time. Be sure not to go so high that you compress the lower spine. You'll know you're at the right height when you have a straight line from your knees to your shoulders. Roll down one vertebra at a time.
Repeat 8 - 12 times
Swimmer - back body strengthening
Be sure to engage your glutes to avoid compressing your lower back
Lie on your stomach with the legs straight and together.
Stretch your arms straight overhead, keeping your shoulder blades settled in your back and your shoulders away from your ears,
Pull your abs in so that you lift your belly button away from the floor and lift your arms, legs, head and chest up off the mat (as pictured below).
Lift your opposite arm and leg and then alternate to create a swimming like motion- breathing in for 5 counts and out for 5 counts
Repeat for 2 or 3 cycles of 5 inhales and 5 exhales
Rest Position/Childs Pose
Sit your bottom back onto your heels whilst reaching your arms long infront. Rest your head down and breathe wide into the back of the ribs.
Hold for 3 - 5 breaths
Come and try a class or private lesson class to take your practice to another level