Matwork Exercises

Front 1

SHELL STRETCH:

Seated on heels, legs slightly apart. Spine flexed forward over legs. Relax arms reached out in front or beside torso on mat.

Back 1

INHALE: keep abdominals engaged and expand back of rib cage. Keeping head and shoulders relaxed.
EXHALE: allow spinal extensor muscles to release with exhale.

Front 2

HUNDRED

Supine, imprint (neutral when stronger). Legs in tabletop. Arms at side, palms down.

Back 2

INHALE: stay
EXHALE: maintain imprint, flex thoracic spine, reach arms off mat level with shoulders, extend legs on diagonal.
INHALE: for 5 counts while doing vertical pulses with arms.
EXHALE: for 5 counts continuing vertical pulses with arms.
INHALE: maintain flexion, return knees to tabletop, continue to reach arms.
EXHALE: return upper body to mat, legs in air.

Front 3

HALF ROLL BACK

Start: seated, knees bent, legs adducted or hip distance, spine flexed over knees, feet flat on mat, arms reaching parallel to floor, top of head toward fingers.

Back 3

INHALE: to stay
EXHALE: roll back as far as lumbar flexion can be maintained, with feet remaining on mat, .
INHALE: Roll forward to start position.

Front 4

ROLL UP

Start: Supine, neutral, legs long on mat, add or ab, parallel, feet dorsiflexed, arms reaching overhead, hands facing ceiling.

Back 4

INHALE: reach arms toward ceiling
EXHALE: Flex spine off mat roll through imprint til pelvis is vertical. Top of head pointing toward fingers.
INHALE: stay, maintain spinal flexion and start roll down.
EXHALE: Roll back down through imprint..allow pelvis to return to neutral and head return to mat.

Front 5

ONE LEG CIRCLE

Start: Supine, neutral. One leg lengthened on mat, other leg reaching toward ceiling, hip at 90*. toes pointed. Arms at side, palms down.

Back 5

INHALE: Circle leg across midline
EXHALE: Circle leg away from midline, toward torso and pause briefly.

Front 6

SPINE TWIST

Seated upright, neutral, legs long adducted, dorsiflexed, arms reaching out to sides, palms down.

Back 6

INHALE: to prepare
EXHALE: Rotate fully on first breath, lengthen and increase rotation for 2 more exhales.
INHALE: Lengthen and return to center.

Front 7

ROLLING LIKE A BALL

Seated, balancing on sit bones, spine flexed creating C curve, hips/knees flexed, feet off mat, legs adducted,feet off mat toes pointed, hands on shins or under knees.
eye focus to knees.

Back 7

INHALE: Maintain form, roll backward not further than upper thoracic area.
EXHALE: Maintain form, use abs to deepen flexion and return to start.

Front 8

SINGLE LEG STRETCH

Supine, upper body flexed off mat, imprint, tabletop, hands resting on outside of legs.

Back 8

INHALE: to prepare
EXHALE: extend one leg out on diagonal, simultaneously moving outside hand to ankle of extended leg, inside hand to knee of flexed leg.
INHALE: begin to switch legs/hands.
EXHALE: extend other leg/hand.

Front 9

OBLIQUES

Supine, imprint, upper body flexed off mat, legs in tabletop, hands behind head.

Back 9

INHALE: to prepare
EXHALE: extend one leg, low as imprint can be maintained, simultaneously, rotate upper body toward flexed knee.
INHALE: Maintain flexion as spine returns to center.
EXHALE: extend other leg/rotate upper body to other side.

Front 10

SLOW DOUBLE LEG STRETCH
(Intermediate)

Supine, imprint, legs bent in air, create diamond shape with legs, toes point together, hands pressed against outside of knee.

Back 10

INHALE: stay
EXHALE: flex thoracic spine
INHALE: maintain flexion, extend legs on diagonal, maintain imprint, adducted/parallel, simultaneously reach arms by side, level with shoulders, palms down.
EXHALE: reach arms overhead, simultaneously laterally rotating legs out and flexing feet.
INHALE: circle arms out and around to hips while rotate legs back to parallel and pointing feet.
EXHALE: lower upper body to mat, return to start position.

Front 11

DOUBLE LEG STRETCH

Supine, imprint. Upper body flexed off mat. Legs in tabletop. Hands reaching toward ankles, facing body.

Back 11

INHALE: to prepare
EXHALE: maintain upper body flexion, reach arms overhead. Passing through slightly flexed elbow, extend arms and legs on a diagonal.
INHALE: return legs back to tabletop and circle arms out and around, reaching toward ankles.

(lifting off sombraro)

Front 12

SCISSORS

Supine, imprint. Upper body flexed off mat. Legs together, extended up toward ceiling. Toes pointed. Hands reaching toward ankle.

Back 12

INHALE: to prepare
EXHALE: reach one leg toward torso, other leg toward floor, reach further for second count.
INHALE: start to switch legs, pass each other in mid-air.
EXHALE: for 2 counts. Reach opposite leg toward torso and other leg to floor. Reach further on second count.
INHALE: bring legs together and reach toward ceiling.
EXHALE: return upper body to mat
INHALE: return legs to tabletop
EXHALE: one at a time return legs to the mat.

Front 13

SHOULDER BRIDGE
(Intermediate)

Supine, neutral. Knees flexed, feet on mat slightly closer to seat. Legs parallel and hip distance. Arms by sides, palms down.

Back 13

INHALE: stay
EXHALE: lift pelvis off mat, creating bridge position from shoulders to knee.
INHALE: flex hip and point toe, extend knee to reach toes to ceiling.
EXHALE: flex foot and lower leg as far as neutral can be maintained.
INHALE: point foot and raise leg
....
EXHALE: bend knee and lower foot to mat toe ball heel.
INHALE: stay
EXHALE: lower back down to mat maintaining neutral.

Front 14

ROLL OVER
(Intermediate)

Supine, imprint. Legs on diagonal. Arms by side, palms down.

Back 14

EXHALE: to prepare
INHALE: hinge legs toward torso.
EXHALE: flex spine off mat reaching legs overhead til parallel with mat. Upper thoracic should remain on mat try and touch toes to mat.
INHALE: Lift legs to back to parallel to mat and open slightly wider than shoulder distance apart.
EXHALE: slowly roll spine back down onto mat returning to imprint reach legs back out on diagonal and adduct legs.

Front 15

HEEL SQUEEZE PRONE

Lay face down on mat(prone), neutral, hands under forehead, palms down. Knees bent to 90*, slightly wider than hip-distance apart. Flex feet, heels together.

Back 15

INHALE: to prepare
EXHALE: squeeze heels together maintaining neutral. (3 counts)
INHALE: slowly release tension between heels, but keep them together.

Front 16

ONE LEG KICK

Lay prone, upper body off mat supported by forearms, neutral. (1 line from tail to crown) Legs add or ab. toes pointed. ASIS off mat, pubic bone on mat.

Back 16

INHALE: to prepare
EXHALE: flex knee twice with controlled pulses. (first pulse with pointed foot, second with flexed.
INHALE: point and lower knee to mat.
(point, flex, point)

Front 17

BREAST STROKE

Lay prone, neutral. Add or ab, toes pointed. Arms bent at side, hands by shoulders, palms down.

Back 17

INHALE: to prepare
EXHALE: reach arms forward, shoulder distance apart, palms down.
INHALE: circle arms out to sides, around to hips, palms facing body. Simultaneously, extend thoracic and cervical spine of mat, keeping bottom rib in contact with mat.
EXHALE: flex elbows and reach arms forward and upper body returns to mat. (head still in hover)

Front 18

SAW

Seated upright, neutral. Legs long, abducted slightly wider than shoulder distance. Feet flexed. Arms reaching out to sides, palms forward.

Back 18

INHALE: rotate spine to the right, keeping pelvis still. Reaching arms to corners.
EXHALE: slowly flex spine from head reaching front arm toward baby toe...as back arm medially rotates reaching to back corner.
INHALE: roll up from tail, reestablish vertical.
EXHALE: rotate back to front. Return palms to facing forward.

Front 19

OPEN LEG ROCKER

Seated position, balanced on sit bones. Lumbar slightly flexed, thoracic lengthened. Legs extended in air in V position, just wider than shoulder distance, toes pointed. Hands holding ankles, eyes focused toward feet.

Back 19

INHALE: deepen flexion and create C-curve. Maintain shape and roll backward, no farther than thoracic area.
EXHALE: maintaining C-curve roll forward, returning to start.

Front 20

NECK PULL

Supine, neutral. Legs extended long on mat, add or ab, feet flexed. Hands behind head.

Back 20

INHALE: slight nod of chin and flex through thoracic spine, elbows wide.
EXHALE: continue to roll off mat through imprint until weight on top of sit bones and torso flexed over legs.
INHALE: from tail to head lengthen spine back into neutral.
EXHALE: from tail roll through imprint back down onto mat. Once thoracic reaches mat, return to neutral.

Front 21

OBLIQUES ROLL BACK

Seated tall, as close to neutral as possible. Legs add or ab. Knees bent, feet flat on mat. Arms reached in front parallel to mat.

Back 21

INHALE: to prepare
EXHALE: flex lumbar spine, roll down without resting lumbar on mat. Simultaneously, rotate upper torso and sweep arm down and reach back.
INHALE: return to center.
EXHALE: flex, roll, and rotate to other side
INHALE: return to center

Front 22

JACK KNIFE

Supine, imprint. Legs together, extended on a diagonal, toes pointed. (low as imprint can be maintained) Arms by side, palms down.

Back 22

INHALE: hinge legs toward torson, flexing spine off mat from tail to upper thoracic, reach legs over head until parallel to mat.
EXHALE: reach legs toward ceiling, weight on upper thoracic.
INHALE: stay and reach.
EXHALE: maintain hip extension as much as possible while rolling spine down to mat, returning to imprint, legs back to a diagonal.