Health and Physical Education Commons^™

Happy Baby, Mary Myers

Critical Instances

Begin in supine position. Inhale and draw knees into chest. Open the knees and bring them towards the armpits. Stack each ankle directly over the knee, so that the shins are perpendicular to the floor. Flex the feet and hold the outer edges of the feet. Exhale and draw the knees towards the floor. Gently roll side to side.

Updog, Mary Myers

Critical Instances

Begin in a prone position with the chin resting on the floor and stretch the legs away from the hips. Bring the hands down closer to the waist, spread your fingers, and press the palms into the floor. Inhale and press the tops of the feet down as you begin to lift the chest and shoulders off the floor. Straighten the arms and lift the crown of the head toward the sky. Lift the hips and legs off the floor. Continue to focus your breath. Roll the front of the shoulder open by squeezing the shoulders blades together, and keep …

Sphinx, Mary Myers

Critical Instances

Lie prone (on your belly), legs side by side. Firm your tailbone toward your pubis and lengthen it toward your heels. Then, rotate your thighs inwardly by rolling your outer thighs toward the floor. This helps broaden and lengthen your lower back and sacrum (the downward-facing triangular bone at the back of your pelvis) to protect it in a back bend. Reach actively through your toes to the wall behind you. As you move into the pose, be sure to continue lengthening your tail toward your heels to protect your lower back. While your legs are active, your tongue, eyes …

Cobra, Mary Myers

Critical Instances

Begin in Crocodile. Point your fingers forward and press the upper portion of the arms into your sides. Move your shoulder blades toward your hips and you’re your pelvis under to lengthen the spine. Press your hips into the floor and keep your legs active and pressing toward your toes. Inhale and lift the chest forward and up. Feel your ribcage move away from your hips. Reach the crown of your head up. As you inhale, feel the spine lengthen; and, as you exhale feel your shoulders sink down away from your ears. The tops of the feet should be …

Warrior I, Mary Myers

Critical Instances

Begin in Mountain pose with feet together and hands on your hips, in prayer position or extended overhead. Step left foot back about 4–5 feet apart. Turn your left foot in about 45 degrees; your right heel should align with the arch of your left foot. Slowly bend the right knee until the thigh is parallel to the floor; keep the right knee either behind or directly over your ankle; be very strong and active in your left leg as you bend your right leg. Tuck your tailbone as you rotate your pelvis back. Inhale (bring hands to prayer position …

Warrior Ii, Mary Myers

Critical Instances

Begin in Mountain pose with feet together and hands on your hips or in prayer position. Step left foot back about 4–5 feet apart. Turn your left foot in about 45 degrees; your right heel should align with the arch of your left foot. Slowly bend the right knee until the thigh is parallel to the floor; keep the right knee either behind or directly over your ankle; be very strong and active in your left leg as you bend your right leg. Tuck your tailbone as you rotate your pelvis back. Inhale and raise arms shoulder level so that …

Warrior Iii, Mary Myers

Critical Instances

Begin in Mountain pose with feet together. Inhale and raise your arms overhead. Transfer the weight of your body onto your left leg and then step your right foot straight behind you so the toes are barely touching the floor. Remain balanced for a couple of breaths. Stay mindful of keeping your hips squared and level. Inhale and length the spine. Exhale as you slowly begin to fold forward from your left hip, lifting your right leg off the ground and lowering your torso until both are parallel to the ground. With each breath in, continue to expand and lengthen …

Hero, Mary Myers

Critical Instances

Kneel on the floor with your thighs perpendicular to the floor, and touch your inner knees together. Angle your big toes slightly in toward each other and press the top of each foot evenly on the floor. Exhale and sit back halfway, with your torso leaning slightly forward. Wedge your thumbs into the backs of your knees and draw the skin and flesh of the calf muscles toward the heels. Then sit down between your feet. If your buttocks don't comfortably rest on the floor, raise them on a block or thick book placed between the feet. Make sure both …

Pigeon, Mary Myers

Critical Instances

Begin in down dog. Slide your right knee forward to the back of your right wrist; at the same time angle your right shin under your torso and bring your right foot to the front of your left knee. The outside of your right shin will now rest on the floor. Slowly slide your left leg back, straightening the knee and descending the front of the thigh to the floor. Lower the outside of your right buttock to the floor. Position the right heel just in front of the left hip. The right knee can angle slightly to the right, …

Reverse Warrior, Mary Myers

Critical Instances

Begin in Mountain pose with feet together and hands on your hips, in prayer position or extended overhead. Step right foot back about 4–5 feet apart. Turn your right foot in about 45 degrees; your left heel should align with the arch of your right foot. Slowly bend the left knee until the thigh is parallel to the floor; keep the knee either behind or directly over your ankle; be very strong and active in your right leg as you bend your front leg. Tuck your tailbone as you rotate your pelvis back. Inhale while bringing the left hand overhead …

Tree, Mary Myers

Critical Instances

Begin in Mountain pose, find a point somewhere in front of you to focus. Soften your gaze and remain fixed on that area. Breathe deeply and feel your body come into alignment. Slowly and smoothly, shift your body weight onto the left leg and begin to pull your right knee up toward your chest. Find the balance on your left foot from front to back. Be sure not to let the right side of your hip drop down. Press the left hip back; it should almost feel as if you are overcompensating. Keep your pelvis square while you bring the …

Chair, Mary Myers

Critical Instances

Begin in Mountain pose with the feet together and parallel. Inhale and raise your hands overhead. Feel your ribcage expand. Press your palms together, although you may also keep your hands shoulder-width apart if you feel that is more comfortable for you. Draw your shoulders down, keeping your chest lifted. Continue to stretch your tailbone down. On the next exhalation, bend your hips and knees. Try to keep your hips aligned behind your heels and your knees back behind your toes. Stretch your tailbone down and feel the extension out of the low spine. You can look up at your …

Monkey, Mary Myers

Critical Instances

Begin in Forward fold and press your palms or fingertips into the floor beside your feet. Inhale and straighten your elbows and arch your torso away from your thighs, finding as much length between your pubic bone and navel as possible. With your palms (or fingertips) push down and back against the floor, and lift the top of your sternum up (away from the floor) and forward. To help arch the back, bend your knees slightly and work toward elongating the legs. Exhale. Inhale and look forward, being careful to not compress the back of your neck.

Balancing Push Up, Mary Myers

Critical Instances

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 repeat with the opposite arm and leg.

Half Roll Back, Mary Myers

Critical Instances

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. Inhale. Exhale and scoop the abdominals in more as you come forward rounding over your knees. Inhale and straighten up the spine, one vertebra at a …

Frog, Mary Myers

Critical Instances

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 extend your legs at the knee, returning to the original position. Keep the heels together throughout the exercise. Inhale as you lower, and exhale as you …

Hundreds, Mary Myers

Critical Instances

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 up and down, approximately 6 inches off the mat, inhaling for 5 counts and exhaling for 5 counts. Repeat 10 times.

Side-Lying Front And Back Kicks, Mary Myers

Critical Instances

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. The bottom leg can be parallel or turned out with the bottom foot flexed and the toes tucked under. Maintain this position throughout the movement.

Lift the top …

Shell, Mary Myers

Critical Instances

Begin in table top. Shift hips towards heels and draw head to mat. Extend arms overhead.

Rolling Like A Ball, Mary Myers

Critical Instances

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 to roll up. Keep your curve! Stay zipped! Keep your eyes on your abdomen!

Saw, Mary Myers

Critical Instances

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 to the right and bending forward, reaching toward the foot on that side with the opposite hand. Reach with the fingers toward the outside edge of …

Single Leg Circle (Supine), Mary Myers

Critical Instances

Begin in a supine position with the arms at the sides of the body. Keep the back flat (imprinted) throughout the movement. Lift the right leg up toward the ceiling while maintaining a level hip (hip bones should be level with each other). Anchor the lower leg to the mat. Inhale and circle the leg in the air to the side, then down, (exhale) other side and up. Inhale first half of each leg circle, exhale second half of each leg circle. Breathe in and cross the leg over the body to the opposite shoulder. Breathe out and circle the …

Pyramid, Mary Myers

Critical Instances

Begin in Mountain. Step the left foot back about 3/12 to 4 feet. Turn the foot out 45 to 60 degrees. Align the left heel with the front heel and press the soles of your feet firmly to the floor. Firm the thighs. Exhale and rotate your torso to the right, squaring the front of your pelvis as much as possible with the front edge of your mat. As your left hip point turns forward, press the head of the left femur back to ground the back heel. Press the outer thighs inward as if squeezing a block between your …

Sage Tree, Mary Myers

Critical Instances

Begin in Downward Facing Dog. Step both feet together so your big toes are touching. Move your right hand over to the left so it’s at the center of your mat. Roll over to your right side and plant your right heel down so you are balancing on the outside edge of your right foot. You want your left foot to be stacked on top of your left foot with both feet flexed. Bend your left knee and use your left hand to pull your left heel as high up on your inner thigh as much as possible. Plant the …

Cat & Cow, Mary Myers

Critical Instances

Begin on your hands and knees in an all fours position (Table Top). Hands should be in alignment with shoulders and knees hip-width apart. As you inhale, let the spine curve downward, dropping the abdomen slowly and slightly elevating the head.

As you exhale, move into the cat pose by reversing the bend. Tilt the pelvis up, draw the spine up and pull the chest and stomach in to form an arch. Flow smoothly from the cat and cow postures.

Revolved Triangle, Mary Myers

Critical Instances

Begin in mountain pose with the feet together and parallel. Step the left leg back far enough so that your feet are a challenging distance apart for balance, but be sure to keep your left foot firmly on the ground. Face the right foot forward and turn out the left foot approximately 10 to 15 degrees. Make sure your hips are square and you face the direction of your right foot. Press your left hip forward as you pull your right hip back. Inhale and lengthen out of the low spine and extend your left arm forward with your right …

45 Degree Hold, Mary Myers

Critical Instances

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.

90-Degree Hold, Mary Myers

Critical Instances

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.

Bridge, Mary Myers

Critical Instances

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 your knees, hips and shoulders in one line. Your abs and hamstrings should be well engaged.

Can Can, Mary Myers

Critical Instances

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 floor behind you. Avoid allowing the lower back to sink down or tuck under. Twist to the left, continuing to lift tall in the upper body. …