Elephant Pilates Reformer Exercise

Video Transcript

"Hi! My name is April Plank with Yoga Etc. Studios on behalf of Expert Village. In this clip, we will be working on the elephant on the Pilates Reformer. So I am going to start by having Helen hinge back so her hips are going to look nice and high and her shoulders are going to relax. So you can see there is a straight line all the way from the ribs running down to the hips. So she is making sure she stays engaged so the ribs stay drawing in, the belly button stays drawing. So what you don't want to see is a big arch in the back and an over extension. So go ahead and bring her back up to neutral. So what you don't want to see is a big arch in the back and over extension. So go ahead and bring back up to neutral. On the inhale, she will hinge back bringing the feet just about 5 or 6 inches back. So moving the carriage back. On the exhale, she is going to resist the springs. They are going to want to pull her in quickly. She is going to slowly come in pulling that low belly in. Inhale she presses out and this is a really get low belly exercise, so abdominal engagement. Good! Inhaling and pressing out so those low belly muscles are contracting, those transverse muscles are firing to resist from the carriage coming in quickly. So she is doing a lot of work to slow down this motion. Nice. Her form looks wonderful, her shoulders look relaxed away from the ears, she's got that nice long line and I'll have her do one more inhaling out and exhaling in. That was great and that was the elephant on the Pilates Reformer."