Dori Markakos: Hi! I'm Dori. This is intermediate pilates. Right now I'm going to show you how to do the breast stroke exercise. A great exercise for your rear delts, your legs and your low back. So just sit yourself toward the back end of the mat. Walk your hands forward and lay yourself down along length of the mat, reach those finger tips forward, toes tucked under. Take a deep breathe in and as you exhale release your shoulders, rotate those hips under, and of course engage those abs. So what I want you to do is just sit up nice and tall just a little bit from here, lifting your chest above the mat, looking straight down at the mat.
Make sure those toes are tucked under, I don't want them flexed or so pointed that your legs don't bend, so I just kind of want them engaged and comfortable but not too pointed that you get a cramp in your leg. So again lift your chest up, lift both arms, you are going to inhale and exhale. Bring both palms towards the sides of your hips; let those thumbs run along the sides of your body, as you slowly lower you body up on to the mat. Inhale and exhale, lift the upper body, you squeeze those delts, let those thumbs run along the sides of your body as lower back down to mat. Inhale, exhale lift fairly pause and hold it, thumbs run along the sides of your body as you lower.
Inhale, exhale lift and up. Thumbs run along the side of your body as you lower just four more inhale, exhale, up, keep those abs engaged and pelvis connected and inhale, exhale up. Last two, inhale, exhale up. Last one thumbs run along the side of your body, fingertips nice and long and up and hold it for a little challenge now, go ahead and lift your lower body up off the mat. Make sure the quads are lifted inhale, exhale, let those thumbs run along the side of your body, nice long fingertips inhale exhale and slowly lower.
Great job, take those toes underneath. Brings palms right underneath your chest take it back to a child's pose stretch and hold the stretch here for couple of seconds and exhale, go ahead and sit up let's take it up let's move on to push ups.
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