04: Pilates & Yoga Core Activate | 34 Minute Active Recovery Workout for Strength & Flexibility!

Hey everybody, I'm Amy from Bodyfit by Amy. And this is your Pilates and yoga core workout. So this is an active recovery workout where we will strengthen and stretch using Pilates and yoga inspired moves. Everything will be body weight down on the mat today. And of course I'm going to give you lots of options depending on where you are in your fitness journey and how you're feeling today. Are you ready? Let's do it. Start seated on the mat with me. So if you're not already there, go ahead and sit down. Just find a comfortable position. I want you just to take a minute from the seated position and check in with your posture. So we, we're not exactly doing the full check in like we do when we're standing, but I do want you to think about the ears stacking over the shoulders, the shoulders stacking over the rib cage and rib cage over the hips. See what happens when you do that, when you really try to align that rib cage and your pelvis. Don't we sit a little bit taller? Right? You feel those core muscles activating a little bit more. So feeling that, we want those shoulders pulled back, but we don't want to be arching. We want to be aware of that rib flare that a lot of us get sometimes from posture or from going through a pregnancy. Tacking that rib cage down, lifting up on that core and that pelvic floor, and again stacking ribs and pelvis. So feeling that from there, I want you to do a few TA breasts. So we talk a lot about TA breasts in our core training and a lot in prenatal, postnatal, also called diaphragmatic breathing. We're going to do a big inhale. As we inhale, I want you to expand all the way around. So put your hands on your sides, inhale out, belly, sides, back, exhale in and up. So you're thinking of everything coming in and lifting up. Also think about those four points of our pelvic floor, pubic bone, tailbone, sit bones, lifting up with that. So a few on your own and just being very aware of where your breath starts. Sometimes we're breathing through our chest. Our shoulders come up. We want it to come from here. We want the inhale to expand, the exhale come all the way in. A couple more just like that, really focusing on the core. Let's get a few little mobility moves from here. I want you to go big stretch over. We're just going to alternate sides. Take, take your time. One and then the other and breathe right through here. Side to side. And then here, let your chin drop to your chest. Getting a little neck stretch. We don't get enough enough of that, Right? So if you can be doing this throughout your day, your work day, let your neck drop to the side. Not pulling, but just letting it hang. You can do a little gentle stretch here, but again, not pulling. And we're not going to go to the back. We're going to keep it to the sides and to the front. Right through here, through the center, and then other side, getting that stretch here. And then we're going to take it down on our back. So we are staying on our back. Today we will move through some traditional Pilates and yoga core. Let's take it here. I want you to start here, rolling through. And then very carefully on your way down, right? You can even use those hands here. Bring it in. And I want you to hug those knees and gentle roll side to side. So I want this to be true active recovery. We all don't get enough flexibility and mobility, especially through our back, our core, our hips, our hip flexors, our hamstrings, our shoulders, pretty much our entire body. Right? If you can. From here, let's take one knee at a time so you can keep one foot on the ground. Hold for a couple counts, and then switch. If you want to extend it out, you can really elongate through that stretch. It's up to you. And then switch. Just the stretch here to start all the way through. So we'll get some traditional Pilates, some traditional yoga with a focus on the core, but also a focus on the mobility right through here. I know sometimes our active recovery feel more like active recovery, and sometimes they feel more like cardio or more like strength. I like to mix it up here, but we're really gonna get it done today. Breathe and hug both knees in again. And if you can, let the knees drop to one side, if that feels good for you, you can open up those arms, look across to that other side, feel that stretch. And then very carefully roll the knees one at a time to the other side. Right through here. Feel that stretch. I gotta move my microphone. We're here. Reach, look. And here. And then let's just do a few little rolls. Open books. So you can add the arms to it or you can just keep it in the legs. But we're going to open up wide. Take it over knee and then knee at your own pace. Keep your upper body down, your head and neck. But just think rolling and rolling. Classic mobility move. Open book stretch. Take your time. Really try to open wide with the arms, with the shoulders, with the hips. One at a time, one more each side, and then we're gonna get into some core. Other side. Right through here. Go ahead and return to center. So a few TA breaths from here. You can put your hands on your side or your belly. Inhale to expand again through the sides, to the back, through the belly. Exhale, everything in and up. And then we're going to do a little pelvic tilt. So on the breath, we can actually keep those big TA breaths. Exhale, tilt the pelvis, hips to ribs. Inhale to expand, releasing that pelvic floor. Exhale, pelvic tilt. Can you feel the difference? One of the things I wanted from this workout. We've been working on core all month during this AB solution, and we've talked a lot about the core, especially if you're in the BodyFit Athletic Club and you're going getting all those extra live streams and Q&As where we're talking a lot about core engagement. But a lot of it starts with this little pelvic tilt. It's not super dramatic, but on the exhale, bring the hips towards the ribs. A little pelvic tilt, right? Feel what happens to your core when that happens. Inhale, not moving through. Through the legs, through, through the torso. Exhale and tilt. Now, can you hold that tilt? Let's maintain that tilt. And let's slowly roll up in a bridge so you're here. This is obviously a good stretch, too. We get those hip flexors and then slowly down. Think that you're stacking your vertebra one at a time from the tailbone all the way up. Inhale, exhale. Pelvic tilt. Hold it. Come all the way up. So I just want you to take this bridge at your own pace. Now, one of the things I want you to think about, obviously, is core engagement, but also I want you to think about stretching out those hip flexors. How do we do that? We do that by getting high with the bridge. A lot of us are super tight from here, so if you can't get super high, don't worry. You are not alone. That's most of us, but we really do want to push through that. Try to lift a little higher. Use your glutes and hamstrings to lift. So we get that stretch, Obviously, we get a nice tight contraction through our posterior chain. We get that core engaged. But it is a hip flexor stretch as well, all the way through. And let's do one more. We're gonna hold this one at the top. Take it here and hold. Lifting up through here. Trying to keep it high. Hands by your side or out to your sides, Whatever feels better for you. Lift. Squeeze in the glutes and hamstrings. Tilt that pelvis in. Wrap that core. Stretch those hip flexors. Weight in the heels. Holding for three, two, one. Slowly down. You can bring those knees in right through here. So let's get a little traditional Pilates sequence, focusing on our core. I'm going to give you lots of different options. So pelvic tilt, get that core engagement. Zip up the core. Tack the rib cage down. It's that zip. Think about your hip bones coming towards each other. And we've got that nice, stable foundation, but breathing through that. So we're going to start with our hundred. If anybody's done traditional Pilates, it's here. You're going to lift those shoulders, so maintain that core engagement. If you feel like you can't, you can rest the shoulders down or rest your feet down. And we're going to pump the arms. As we pump the arms, we're going to inhale for five. Four, three, two, one. Exhale. Five, four, three, two, one. Arms are straight, nice and tight. What we're doing is we're getting blood flow through the body. That's why this is often in the beginning of your Pilates sequences. If that feels like too much again, you can go feet down or head or shoulders down or both if you need to modify for any reason. If you can tuck that chin, wrap that core. Pump in here. If you want a little extra core, you can extend those legs out. I really want you to think about bringing those inner thighs together, heels together. If you're starting to feel like you're pushing out, readjust. Bring everything back in. Keep going. Inhale for five. Exhale for five. Let's get one more and relax. Hug those knees in. Little single leg stretch. Another classic Pilates. Hands on the outside of the leg, inside of the calf. You're gonna pull in for two and in for two, getting that stretch through the back. Pilates is strength and stretch, right and here. But you're keeping that core engaged. Again, if you feel like you're pulling your head, neck, and shoulders, drop them down. If you need to keep your feet a little higher, that works, too. You can also pull from one foot on the ground if that is better for you. Breathing through it. Strengthen, stretch. And then if you want, in Pilates, it's called a crisscross. We often call it a Bicycle. So elbow to knee or shoulder to knee. And breathe. Still aiming for the stretch, but adding some rotation in the torso, right? Getting that rotational movement, transverse plane. And here you can point the toes or flex. Whatever feels better for you. You might find one class or one instructor that does one or the other. I think you find what gives you the best form and the best contraction for a lot of this. And breathe. Sh. Let's go. 4, 3, 2, and 1. Hug those knees in. We're gonna get one more from here. Double leg stretch. So watch me here. We're gonna hold underneath, inhale to expand. Exhale, and then wrap it around. Join me here. Inhale, exhale. Keep the exhale going. Wrap it around so hands can be here, hands can be here. I like that little back stretch here. Exhale. Right through here. Take it here. Inhale, exhale. You decide if you need to keep the shoulders down again. You can if you need to keep the feet higher or down from the ground. Breathe. Let's get one more and breathe and relax. So feet on the ground. Just let your knees drop side to side and breathe. Right through here. Feel that core. Feel that stretch again. We're trying to get stretch and strengthen all the way through. Knees one at a time. Right through here just to get a little shoulder mobility. Since we're here, let's do a little arm slide or snow angel. I want you to slide those arms up and take them down. If you need more of a break for your core, you keep the feet down. If you want to add a little extra, just come in tabletop and try to maintain that engagement. We still want shoulder mobility. Slide them up. Try to keep them on the ground. I know that's hard to do. I'm being a little careful because just got my stitches out in that skin surgery on my back on my shoulder, so I'm being extra careful. Let's keep it going here. Feel that stretch. One more slide. Big stretch and relax right through here. Hug those knees and roll over on to your side so you're here. Let's start on your elbow. We're coming into that side plank. So we'll start with more of a Pilates version, and then we're going to take it to more of a yoga version. So you're here. I want you to align that core. Remember, you can move that thumb up or down if you start to feel that shoulder. But let's start on the knee. We're just going to reach over, and then we're going to bring it down. So zip up the core Everything pulled in. And breathe slowly down. Remember, you don't have to be thinking that full ta breath every time. What we want to think about is that good core engagement. So that's often your starting point. And then you're breathing normally, but you're staying engaged. Right, Lift. And here, two more like this. Reach it up. And this last one, let's hold at the top. Right through here. I want you to flex that foot. Lift and lower. If that is too much, you either just hold your side plank or you drop it down. You lift from here. Let's get 4, 3, 2, 1. Bring it up. Slide those knees in. Stretch it over through here. We're going to stay on this side so you're here. I want you to get the stretch, and then we're gonna lift from here. So watch my front leg. My front leg is going to push. My back leg is here. We're usually the opposite, right. If that feels like too much, you just stay up on the knee and open up that hip. Either way, we're going to get that hip opener. You can also take it down to what we just did. Big inhale, big exhale, big and here, slowly down. Do you feel the inner thighs connecting through here? Inhale, exhale all the way through again. If that feels too weird, you come up on the niche, right? So we're getting the obliques. We're opening up in the hips. We got two more all the way through the core. And reach and down. One more. Hold it here for three, two, and one. Slowly down. Take the knees opposite. Oh, sorry. Let's take it here. And what we're gonna get, guys, just transition to that other side. Is that 90? 90. So hands can be here, hands can be behind. You're gonna rotate those knees. We're gonna go through it a couple, couple times, right? You can go here moving at the same time. You can have your hands here to give you a little extra stability. But hip opener, try to turn that torso into it if you want. You can also just go one at a time. That works too. Just getting it all the way through hips. Take your time with it. Whatever you need to do to get that hip mobility for you. 3, 2, 1. Let's take it other side. So we're into that side plank series. So we're going to start here. Lifting up on the knee. We'll get those. We'll flex the foot. We'll take the top leg. Then we'll take it up to the hand. You do. You beat where you are today. I want the core engagement I want the flexibility, mobility. Here we go. Lift up and down. So staying nice, strong, stable base, meaning that core is lifted and engaged the entire time, but we're breathing through it. And on that exhale, we're getting even more of a contraction. Right, right through here. Bring it up. Big stretch over. Yes. And down. Keep going up. Right through here. And hold it at the top. Right here. Flex that foot. We're going to take it up and down, up and down. Little hip action, but also obliques. Remember, you can always take it from the low position as well, if you can. 4, 3, 2, 1. And bring it down. Bring it up right here. Little stretch right through here. All right, team, hold that stretch here, and then we're gonna take it up and through. So remember, I want you to keep those 90, 90 legs. When you lift, I want you to push through here. So both legs squeeze with the inner thighs to connect with the core. If that feels too weird for you, keep that top or that front knee down. Let's do it. Here we go. Exhale. Strong core right here. Slowly down. So not so much pushing from here, but lifting using your core. Right, so we get that big stretch. Remember, if you need to keep that front knee down, you're still getting that hip opener, which we love. Right? Right through here. Two more slowly down. Slowly up. Use your core to come up, and also use your core to come down. One more. Hold it here. Stretch it for 4, 3, 2. And relax it down. Bring it here. Big, big stretch. Yes. Team, take those feet out in front. Get a little stretch through your back. Open up those hips. Yes. And breathe. So keeping our core working from a seated position, I'm going to turn to the side right here. If that's too much pressure on your core or your back, you're going to take everything from a seated position. You can just sit up nice and tall if you can. We're taking it here. Dig those heels into the ground. We're gonna lift, and we're gonna open up wide. Think that you're reaching to the back corner of your mat. Exhale, open it up. So we want that big shoulder mobility, and then big stretch up by your ears. Don't worry too much about your breathing, but we do want a nice, strong contraction at the top. But also as you lean back and as you rotate, we want everything to be here, right? So take it back again. If it feels like too much in your hip flexors or your back, take it here and breathe. One more each side. Big opener. Chest opener mobility. One more. And breathe. And Take those knees out, stretch right through here, round through that back. Can you take those feet out in front and just get a little stretch here? I just want you to take those hands out in front, walk your hands forward, breathe into that and just take a few deep breaths. Listen, it's going to be hard. Most of us are tight in the hamstrings, but do the best you can on your exhale. Sink a little deeper. Slightly less worried about core, more on the exhale for the stretch. So don't think too hard on that and take it here. Let's turn into our mat. Coming onto all fours. So we're here. How about we start with a little child's pose right here? Actually going to turn this way. Child's pose. Hips to the back. Reach those arms forward and then come up onto all fours. Little cat cow. So inhale and exhale. I'm super tight in my low back from a workout earlier this week. We did some pretty heavy duty windmills, right? But also generally, I'm tight through here, so I'm going to try to work a little harder in that lower, that lower lumbar spine. So I want you to do what's best for you. If you need more at the top, if you need more at the bottom, at your own pace and breathe if you can. This time we're gonna do a little knee hover and then cat cow from the knee hover. Can you do it? Keep those knees just a couple inches off the ground. Feel your core, your core lift. You can only use your cord to do it because you don't have those knees right round the back. If that's too much, take one or both knees down. But if you can, breathe two more. Last one. Stretch it back. Child's pose. Yes, team. Ha. This time, reach one arm under in that child's pose and sit deep back into that. You can really lay your shoulder into it. I can't do it on this side because it's stretching from where my skin had the surgery, but I'm going to do it more on the other side. So cross that arm under and take it up through here. Other side. Reach it here. Lean in to that and let's go ahead and take it if you can. We're going to come right up to a down dog, so if this is not right for you, I want you to stay in that cat, cow and child's pose. But if you can, we're going to take it to that down dog. So we're here. Don't worry about perfect form. I Don't have it. You don't have to have it. I just want you to think about lifting the hips to the ceiling, lengthening through the back, lengthening through the hamstrings, through the glutes, trying to push those heels down. Let's get a little petal right through here. If that's not right for you, you take it to that child's pose. And then very slowly, I want you to come forward into a plank. Just like that. Let's take it one more time. Let's go down dog hold or pedal this time. You can go into the plank or down on the knees. Or can you cross one foot in into the pigeon? Little stretch in a pigeon. If you need a couple seconds to get there, go for it. Open up that hip. Then using your core, can you lift and back up to down dog? So I want you to lift from the ground first, petal back to all fours or to plank if you want to cross that leg into pigeon. Feel that release in the back right here to here. Watch me here. Here's what I mean by lift from the core first here, and then take it back. So join me here. If you need to walk your hands or your feet a little bit. Totally fine. One more time. Let's take it forward into this pigeon. Hold your pigeon here. If you can take those arms down, really get that good hip stretch right through here. Whatever you need to do to adjust if that's not right for you. Again, child's pose works if you can bring your hands all the way up. Get that core right. Oh, feel that release. Gentle. Look side to side. Now just what I just did. Can you try it? Here's what I want. If you're able, lift with the core down in the pigeon. So not so much arms, but core. Yes. You're going to push through the toes and the hands. But I really want you to think about the lift here. If that is not right for you, you can just bring it up forward into a little stretch. Or you can just hang out in that pigeon. That feels good to you, but inhale, exhale. Lift slowly down to pigeon. Relax in the shoulders, lean into the hip. Inhale, exhale, core. Hold for a count or two back down in the pigeon. We'll get two more this side, Right? Inhale, exhale, Lift using your core. Hold that leg in three, two, one. Take it down. Nice. Good stretch. We all need this, right? One more. Inhale, exhale, lift. Hold. And back down in the vision. If you want to rest, rest your hands. Either way. If you're not going all the way down. Just rest those hands, feeling that stretch. Breathe. Whatever you need to do to switch that pigeon. If you want to come all the way up, if you want to come on your knees, if you want to come to that plank. But let's switch your pigeon. Take it down. Right through here. Same thing. We've got four. Inhale, exhale, lift with the core, then bring it down and lean into that stretch. So I want both that strong core contraction coming up, and then when you get into that stretch, I really want you to release the tension. So contract and release. Hands up if you can. Inhale, exhale, contract. Don't hold your breath. And release down into pigeon. Shift your weight. Feel the hips opening. I know. Inhale, exhale and take it down again. If you just want to hang out in pigeon or hang out in child's pose, cat, cow, whatever is good for you. Plank. Inhale, exhale, hold that core, hold that core. Drop it down and release into the stretch. One more exhale, lift. Hold the core. And down. Take your arms down. Yes. Team, we are so close. Close. I know. Feel that stretch. If you are able, we're going to take it all the way down in your tummy. Otherwise you're going to come on all fours into bird dog. Just alternating. But if you can take it all the way down. Little modified cobra here. A little baby cobra, Right? Feeling that tight back. Walk those hands out and just swimming. Opposite arm, opposite leg. We're actually going to take it really slowly, slow. We want more mobility. We're less concerned about strengthening that back. This is going to strengthen that back, but I really want the mobility. So we're less concerned about making it super tight and lifted and more taking it here. Hold both up. Squeeze through, Bring your arms out, legs out to the side. Skydiving. Squeeze through. If you're in your bird dog, just take it one side and then the other. Bring those hands and those feet together. Squeeze through, lift, and then drop it down. Walk those hands up. Baby cobra, if you are able, hands by your side, Come up in that up dog or that full cobra, whatever is better for you. Gently look side to side. Now this is up to you. You can hang out down, you can hang out in Bird dog, you can take it here. But if you're able, we're gonna do that down dog to up dog sequence. We're finishing it out with this. This is it. So use your core to lift. Watch me one time. Down dog. You can hold, you can pedal, whatever feels good for you into the plank. Slowly down and slowly up. Look side to side. So join me when you're ready. Whatever version of that works for you. Use your core to come up. Feel that stretch, flexibility, mobility. Use your core to come forward and slowly down and use your core to come up again. Again. If it's better for you to go up dog to child's pose, that's an option, too. And then back to center. Or child's pose to cat, cow. One more time. And then this is it, team. Bring it up. Look side to side. Oh, man, I'm tight. I can feel it. Use your core. Lift up to down, dog paddle. And then slowly down to that high plank. Slowly down to up dog or baby cobra or whatever is good for you. Let's come into that baby cobra. You can just do a little kick of the feet. That's a little Pilates thing to stretch it through here. Take it all the way down if you are able. One foot in, and if you're able, grab it in the back. I want you to open up the shoulder and I want you to do a little press and release. So press the foot into your hand, then release. Hold. Feel that stretch. Get a little deeper. Press the foot into your hand while you're lifting, pulling it in three, two, one. And then release. If you can't actually get your hands, your hand back there, I just want you to bring it in and out. Feel that stretch. Let's do the same thing. Other side. Those of you that have tight knees, tight hip flexors is a great way to do it. We just talked in the athletic club about different types of stretching, PNF stretching, usually with a partner, but there's ways to do it on your own. Like this. Press the foot into the hand and then release and hold. Getting a little deeper. You can also do it with a band. And one more press and release. And here, very gently, let's roll onto your back again. Take your. Let your knees drop to one side. You can either hold that stretch or take it to your open book. Whatever suits you. Right now open it up one and then the other. Or just hold. And if you're holding it, switch to that other side right now, right here. And hug those knees into your chest. Little gentle roll side to side. I love this. We do this a lot in Pilates just to kind of release in the back. If you need to do one knee at a time, that works, too. I'm hoping that you feel relaxed, that you feel stretched, that you feel like you got some good mobility to your hip. Feel more open. Do your shoulders feel better. What about those hip flexors, those hamstrings? Speaking of hamstrings, extend those legs up if you can. Little flex and point. That's not right for you. You can take it on the ground and flex and point. Gently pulling in. And I'm also hoping that you felt your core. We did a lot of core work, direct and indirect. Wow. We got that flexibility, mobility. Take those knees out to the side. Slowly extend your legs, open up those arms and just take a few minutes to connect with your breath. To feel your body sink into the mat. Relaxed but energized. Strong with less tension. And very carefully roll to the side. Come up slowly to a seated position or stay on the mat. Totally up to you if you want to hang out there longer. Thank you so much for showing up with me today. Check out all the links in the description. Don't forget to leave me a comment. Let me know what you thought. Subscribe. Subscribe to the YouTube channel and check us out in the Body Fit Athletic Club. Let's get one big, deep breath in and out. You did it. That was your pilates and yoga core workout. Great job, everybody.