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  45 Degree Hold

  Mary Myers

  Lie on your back in neutral spine, with your legs extended up toward the ceiling. Align the ankles, knees and hips. Arms rest on the mat alongside the body with the palms facing down. Make certain to maintain Pilates feet. Head may be down.

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  90-Degree Hold

  Mary Myers

  Lie on your back in neutral spine, with your legs extended up toward the ceiling. Align the ankles, knees and hips. Arms rest on the mat alongside the body with the palms facing down.

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  Balancing Push Up

  Mary Myers

  Begin on all fours. Extend your legs behind you one at a time, feet hip-distance apart (push up position). Lengthen through the crown of your head. Balance on your hands (placed under your shoulders) and balls of your feet. Maintain a strong powerhouse. Slowly extend your right arm and lift the left leg until both are hip height. Refrain from shifting your hips from one side to the other. Hold. Lower the extremities and ... Read More

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  Bridge

  Mary Myers

  Lie on your back in neutral spine, with your knees bent and feet on the floor. Place your feet a foot length away from and in line with your hips. Your knees should be in line with your hips. Anchor your palms and shoulder blades into the mat.

  Inhale: Press down through your feet to lengthen your spine and press your hips up. You will come to a bridge position on your shoulders with ... Read More

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  Can Can

  Mary Myers

  Begin in a seated position with the legs bent at the knees and held in toward your chest. Keep your feet together and toes flat on the floor. Place the hands behind you, making sure to keep them slightly wider than the length of your shoulders. Keeping the torso lifted, twist the legs to the right. The knees will roll to the side, angling down toward the ground. Press your hands firmly into the ... Read More

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  Cat

  Mary Myers

  Begin on all fours with the knees under the hips and the wrists under the shoulder. Keep the chest lifted away from mat (like pushing the floor away. Inhale to prepare. Exhale while drawing the mid-section inward. At the same time allow the head and tailbone to drop down toward the floor. Take the stretch further by imagining that you are bringing your head and tailbone together, as if you were going to make ... Read More

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  Cat with Balance

  Mary Myers

  Begin on all fours with the knees under the hips and the wrists under the shoulder. Keep the chest lifted away from mat (like pushing the floor away. Inhale to prepare. Exhale while drawing the mid-section inward. Hold the spine neutral. Inhale while raising the left arm up near the ear. Keep the shoulder down. While the arm is lifted, extend the right leg and lift upward. Keep the hips facing the mat. Exhale. ... Read More

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  Clam

  Mary Myers

  Begin lying on your side with the torso and head lined up along the back edge of the mat. Flex the hips slightly so the feet line up with the front edge of the mat. Support the head on the hand with the arm on the mat and the other hand in front of the chest. Keep the shoulders and the hips stacked on top of each other and the spine straight. Bend the ... Read More

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  Corkscrew

  Mary Myers

  Lie on your back in neutral spine, with your arms by the sides of your body. Exhale and slowly raise your legs and overhead. Keep the arms by the sides of the body and ensure that the shoulders are pulled down towards the back. Inhale when you reach the top point of the movement. Exhale and let the legs create a semicircle together in the air. Repeat this movement. Make certain to keep a ... Read More

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  Criss Cross

  Mary Myers

  Begin lying on your back. Stack your hands under your head, and keep your elbows wide. Inhale and lift the head and shoulders off the mat. Draw the shoulder blades together. Bend the knees in toward the chest and lift both feet off the floor, keeping the lower legs parallel to the floor. Maintain the back flat to the mat (imprinted) throughout the movement. Inhale and extend the right leg straight out, but not ... Read More

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  Double Leg Stretch

  Mary Myers

  Begin in table top. Bring both knees into your chest and grab your ankles. Lift the head and shoulders. Look into your abdomen. Maintain the imprint throughout the movement. Inhale as you reach the arms back toward your ears and extend the legs out long in front at a 45-degree angle. Circle the arms to the side, keeping them in your peripheral vision. Exhale as you bend the knees into your chest and grab ... Read More

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  Double Toe Taps

  Mary Myers

  Begin in table top. Place the arms by the sides of the body with the palms down on the mat. Engage the muscles of the powerhouse and stabilize the pelvis. Ensure the thighs remain perpendicular to the floor and the shins parallel to the floor. Squeeze the legs together. Maintain the imprint throughout the movement. Inhale to prepare. Exhale and move both legs at the hip to lower them down toward the floor so ... Read More

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  Forearm Plank (Hover)

  Mary Myers

  Begin on all fours. Direct your gaze downward. Place your forearms flat on the floor, elbows under the shoulders, and knees under the hips. Keep your arms shoulder-width apart. Pull in and up through your abs, supporting the lower back. Draw the shoulder blades down. While focusing on your powerhouse, inhale and straighten one leg behind you, then the other, pressing the balls of your feet into the mat. Lower your hips until the ... Read More

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  Frog

  Mary Myers

  Begin lying on your back with legs extended up towards the ceiling. Align the ankles over the knees and hips. Engage your abdomen towards your spine and maintain the imprint. Draw the heels together and point the toes. Inhale and bend your legs at the knees while bringing your knees close to your torso. Strive to bring the soles of the feet together when in the knees are near the shoulders. Exhale as your ... Read More

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  Half Roll Back

  Mary Myers

  Begin in a seated position with your legs bent at the knees so that the feet are flat. Hold onto the back of the thighs. Inhale to prepare, and exhale as you start to draw the lower abdominal region in and curl your tail bone under. Continue to roll backwards as you feel your tailbone roll under you and roll down onto your lower back. Hold the position when you are half way down. ... Read More

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  Half Roll Down

  Mary Myers

  Begin in a seated position with your legs bent at the knees so that the feet are flat. Hold onto the back of the thighs. Inhale to prepare, and exhale as you start to draw the lower abdominal region in and curl your tail bone under. Continue to roll backwards as you feel your tailbone roll under you and roll down onto your lower back. Hold the position when you are half way down. ... Read More

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  Hot Potato

  Mary Myers

  Lie on your back in neutral spine, with your arms by the sides of your body. Exhale and slowly raise your legs and overhead. Keep the arms by the sides of the body and ensure that the shoulders are pulled down towards the back. Inhale when you reach the top point of the movement. Exhale and let the legs create a semicircle together in the air. Repeat this movement. Make certain to keep a ... Read More

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  Hundreds

  Mary Myers

  Begin in table top. Inhale to prepare. Extend the legs to the ceiling. Maintain the legs perpendicular to the floor. Lower your legs only as far as you can control, keeping the back flat (imprinted). Maintain the imprint throughout the exercise. Inhale and lift the head and shoulders off the mat until the bottom of your shoulder blades are pressing into the mat. Head looks into the abdomen. With the arms straight, pump them ... Read More

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  Imprent

  Mary Myers

  Begin a supine position with the back, pelvis, and spine in a neutral position. Bend the legs at the knees. Place the feet hip-distance apart on the mat. Bring th arms to the sides of the body, palms down. Inhale. Exhale and contract the abdominals and imprint the spine by gently rolling the pelvis and lowering the back toward the mat. Avoid pressing the lower back all the way into the mat or tilting ... Read More

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  Mermaid

  Mary Myers

  Begin in a seated position. Sit on your left hip with your legs folded to the right side. Place the palm of your left hand on the floor beside your left hip and let your right arm form a gentle arc out to the side, palm up. Exhale and lengthen up out of your hips and through the crown of your head. Inhale as you raise your right arm overhead alongside your right ear, ... Read More

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  Neutral Spine

  Mary Myers

  Begin lying on your back with knees bent, feet hip-distance apart and flat on the floor. Place the arms along the sides of the body with the palms down. The back, pelvis and spine should be in a neutral position.

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  Rocker

  Mary Myers

  Begin in a seated position. Exhale and bend your knees to your chest. Bring your hands as close to your hips as possible, hugging your arms to your sides. Bend your elbows and begin to recline the torso back with the spine straight. Feel the balance starting in the hip joint. Keep your spine long and lifted. Engage your abdominals and thigh muscles and lift your left off the floor. Balance here between your ... Read More

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  Rolling Like a Ball

  Mary Myers

  Sit tall on your sit bones. Form a bracelet grip with one hand around the other wrist, and hug your lower shins to your body. Look down to your navel, and maintain your back in an even C-curve. Concentrate on an even C-curve rather than maximally bending your back. Scoop your abdomen in and up. Squeeze your gluteals and roll your shoulder blades away from your ears. Breathe in to roll back. Breathe out ... Read More

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  Saw

  Mary Myers

  Begin in a seated position with the legs extended straight on the mat and spread more than hip-width apart, knees pointed to the ceiling and feet flexed. Inhale and sit tall on your sits bones with your back against an imaginary wall. Extend the arms out to the sides and parallel to the floor at shoulder height. Palms face the floor. Lift the chest and bring the shoulders back and down. Exhale while twisting ... Read More

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  Scissor

  Mary Myers

  Begin in table top. Inhale and lengthen both legs long to the ceiling and in Pilates Point (heels together and toes pointed). Engage the powerhouse. Maintain the back flat to the mat (imprinted) throughout the movement. Inhale and lift the head and shoulders off the mat. Inhale and reach both arms to move the right leg closer to the chest. Exhale and alternate the position of the legs, lowering one and raising the other, ... Read More