[Kathleen Ebbs sits on an exercise mat in a warehouse space, in front of a window].
Kath Ebbs: Hello everyone, my name is Kathleen Ebbs. My pronouns are they/she, and today I'm going to be taking you through a 20-minute yoga-Pilates inspired workout.
We're going to get a little bit sweaty, a little bit stretchy. It's going to be nice.
All you need is a mat or a towel. Have your water handy and, um, your best self.
All right, we're going to get started just in a child's pose. So, bring your knees out to the width of your mat, hands out in front, and just melt into your hips.
It should feel nice in the upper body.
We're going to take 3 deep breaths in, so breathing in for 3, 2, 1 and out for 3, 2, 1.
Just a few more rounds of those breaths.
Really sinking into your mat, into your body. Maybe swaying slightly into those hips. Just relaxing, preparing ourselves for the workout ahead, as well as just taking a moment in your day to get grounded.
Another 2 rounds of breath.
Alright, when you're ready, just rolling up onto all 4s.
So, we're in a kneeling position, flat back. We're going to do a few rounds of cat-cow, just warming up into the body.
So, when you're ready, drop your belly, drop your chest, looking up to the sky, closing your eyes if that feels nice. Sticking with the breath, breathe in. Breathing out, round the upper back, drop the head.
And again, to dropping the belly, looking up into the sky.
Rounding the upper back. We're just gonna run through a few more rounds of cat-cow.
In your own timing, just really warming up into the body before we begin. Rounding.
If you wanna roll through the hips (I personally love to do this at the beginning of a workout), feel free to do. Anything that feels nice and intuitive in your body. If not just sticking to those cat-cows for another 3, 2, 1.
Coming back to neutral spine in that all 4s position, you're gonna extend your right leg back, extending that right leg back and follow it with your left arm holding here. We're just waking up that core, waking up our glutes.
When you're ready, breathe in. Bring elbow to knee, hold it in the middle for one second. Breathe out. Extend that leg.
We're gonna go for another 5, coming in. And out, 4. We're really engaging that core, 3, squeezing that glute. 2, after this one, you're going to leave it out and hold, hold and pulse up for 10.
So, your arms coming up, your legs coming up. We're pulsing for another 5, 4, 3, 2 and 1, drop your left hand, drop your right leg, maybe give a little sway through the hips, a gentle cat-cow, and we're just going to switch to the other side.
So, when you're ready.
The left leg extends out long. Right arm out in front of you.
Holding here, we're gonna bring it in. So right elbow to left knee, draw it in. Hold for one. Breathe out, extend. Another 5, 4, 3, waking up that left glute, switching on that core.
>2, last one before we hold out and pulse. Pulse for 10, 9, 8, 7, 6, 5, 4, 3, 2 and 1.
Drop your right hand. Drop your left foot. Roll through the hips.
All right, when you're ready, we're gonna meet in our first downward facing dog.
So, bringing those, I like to get into a downward dog from going from plank, lifting those hips up and back.
This might be your first down dog of the day. If it is, just pedalling out into those legs, whatever intuitive movement feels good for you. If you just want to be in stillness, that's also nice. If not, pedalling out through those feet.
Nice.
When you're ready, extend your right leg up into the sky into a 3-legged dog. We're gonna roll, bring that knee to our chest, round the upper back. Hold for 3, 2, 1, stepping that leg in between your hand. Your right foot is forward, your left is back.
Drop that left back knee. Come up into the hips, waking up into those hips. If you want to give it a little back bend, be my guest. If this is enough for you just stay here.
For 2, 1 pop those hands back onto the floor, bring your right leg back into that plank position, we're going to hold in plank for 5, 4, 3, 2, 1.
Pop those hips up and back, back into a downward dog we go to the other side, left leg up into a 3-legged dog. Pulling that knee, left knee to your chest. Holding here with a rounded upper back for 3, 2, 1.
Stepping your left foot forward, right leg down, coming up into those hips. Adding a little back bend if that feels good for you.
Coming back up, place those hands either side of your left foot, shoot it back, hold your plank position for 5, 4, 3, 2 and 1.
Hips up and back into a downward facing dog. When you're ready you're gonna lift up onto the balls of your feet, bend those knees, either step or jump to the top of your mat. Meet me there. Forward fold over your legs, come up halfway, lift with a flat back. Fold over your legs.
We're gonna meet standing. Rolling up, arms above your head, bring them down to a prayer position. Just take a moment, we're gonna get nice and spicy now.
Okay, ready, arms up. Folding over your legs, come up into a flat back. Fold over your legs, stepping back into a plank position. We're gonna hold here for 3, 2, 1.
Hips up and back into a downward facing dog. When you're ready, extend, that right leg into the sky, 3-legged dog.
Bring your knee to your nose, hold here for 3, 2, 1.
Step that foot in between your hands, come up crescent lunge, we got it. Ohh my balance.
All in the core, alright, crescent lunge. Bring your hands to your prayer position. We're going to drop the left knee to the floor in that lunge for 10, 9, 8, 7, 6, 5, 4, 3, 2, 1, hold down. Hold for 10, 9, 8, 7, 6, 5, 4, 3, 2, 1.
Straighten your back leg. Lean forward over your front leg, all the weight is coming into your right glute. We're just gonna step that left leg in, tap and back.
Like a knee drive, yeah? Tap and back for 10, 9, 8, 7, 6, 5, 4, 3, 2 and 1.
Come back into that lunge position, we go again one more time yeah?
We're going down for 10, drop that back knee. So static lunge for 8, making sure you're staying upright, really engaging that core here.
You should be feeling it in the right glute. Another 4, 3, 2, remember we're gonna hold down in 1. Hold, hold, hold.
If you wanna add little pulses here, be my guest. if not, just hold the lunge for another 7, 6, 5,
4, 3, 2 and 1.
Leaning over that front leg, straighten your left. We knee drive in, get as low as you can here. Last time, 8, 7, remember flat back, switch on that core, stay balanced, use all those stabilising muscles in your ankle, in your glute to keep you here for another 4, 3, 2 and 1.
Come up for a second.
I'm gonna face you but you can stay facing the front. We're just gonna elevate the left leg, you're gonna give me 20 elevated squats, we go down yeah?
We're just burning out that right glute that was just working. Woo! Alright, quarter of the way through.
Five more till we get to 10… 2, 1. Last 10, give me 10, 9, make sure you're elevating that left heel, we want majority of our weight in your right glute, we're burning it out.
Give me 5, 4, 3, we're gonna go down and pulse in 2, 1. Stay down, pulse for 10, 9, 8, 7, 6, 5, 4, 3, 2, 1 and straight. Give your right glute a little shake.
We're gonna flow through a quick little vinyasa before we head on to the other side. So breathe in, arms up into the sky, rolling down, come up flat back, fold over your legs, step or jump into that plank position.
We hold here for 5, 4, 3, 2, 1.
Hips up and back into that downward dog.
Take a moment here to prepare yourself.
I'm just gonna take off my top because I am getting warm!
Alright, stay breathing.
Alright when you're ready, bring your left leg up into that 3-legged dog. Bend your knee, knee to chest, to nose if possible. Hold for 3, 2, 1.
Step that left foot in between your hands, come up crescent lunge, we hold here, you know where we're going there is no surprises.
Alright give me that static lunge for 10, so now it's your right knee, coming down just about to touch the floor.
Elevate, switch on that core. Stay upright for another 5, 4, 3, 2 and 1.
Hold down for 10, 9, 8, 7, your right will be burning a little bit as well cause we just worked it for another 4, 3, 2, 1.
Straighten that right leg, learn over your front left foot, weight in the left. We knee drive for 10, 9, 8, 7, 6, 5, 4, 3, 2 and 1.
Come up, we go again. Static lunge, give me 10, 9, 8, 7, 6, 5, remember we're holding down. If you wanna add a pulse in this round be my guest. If not, hold in 2 1.
Hold or pulse for 10, 9, 8, 7, 6, 5, 4, 3, 2 and 1. Straighten that back leg, lean over the left, come in for 10, 9, 8, 7, 6, 5, 4, 3, 2, 1.
Moment to rest, stay facing the front. We elevate the right heel this time, we come down for 20, 19, that's it getting into that left glute, we're burning it out. 15.
Halfway mark in 4, 3, 2, 1. Give me another 10 here, full range, 9, 8, 7, 6, in 5 more reps, we're gonna hold down and pulse for 10. In 3, 2, 1, hold down and pulse for 10, 9, 8, 7, 6, 5, 4, 3, 2, 1 and come up, shake it out.
Meet me at the top of your mat.
Arms to the sky, deep breath. Folding back down over our legs, come up flat back, hold. Meet me in a plank position. We're gonna hang out here for a little bit yeah?
So hold your plank. I like to teach quite a high plank, I like to round my upper back, come forward. We're engaging everything, your glutes, your quads, of course your core.
But I think a lot of the time we think it's just coming from the core and arms. Engage those legs, squeeze, squeeze, squeeze, squeeze, squeeze.
Come up nice and high, especially if you're someone that wants to work on things like handstands and stuff like that. Plank position, a high plank position, is your best friend.
We're gonna hold here for a little bit more. Stay with your breath, don't lose your breath throughout the workout.
Alright we got another 10, 9, 8, 7, 6, 5, 4, we're gonna go for shoulder taps in 3, 2, 1.
So, hand to opposite shoulder yeah? Opposite hand, opposite shoulder. We're just tapping. Try and keep your hips as stable as possible, squeeze that core, use that core to keep you stable so you're not flinging around like this. You're staying nice and neutral in your plank, you're just tapping those shoulders.
Give me another 10, 9, 8, 7, 6, 5, 4, 3, 2, 1. Hold your plank, hold, hold, hold, hold for 10, 9, 8, 7, 6, 5, 4, 3, 2, 1.
Last little bit before we break: 10 mountain climbers. Give me 10, 9, 8, 7, 6, 5, 4, 3, 2 and 1.
Hips up and back into that downward dog, 2 deep breaths.
Alright, we're gonna burn out those obliques. When you're ready, come down onto your right forearm into a side plank, right forearm side plank. I'm gonna face you.
We're gonna hold here, we gonna go for 30 hip dips yeah? So just dipping those hips down and up. Give me 10.
These are my favourite exercise. I find them so difficult, but if you want to increase the strength in your core, I recommend doing these.
Alright that's 10, 20 more.
5, 4, 3, 2, 1. Last 10, 9, 8, 7, 6, 5, 4, 3, 2, 1. We hold for 10, 9, 8, 7, 6, 5, 4, 3, 2 and 1.
Relax. Alright we're just gonna switch over to the other side. Coming onto your left forearm.
Here we go again for another 30. Give me 10, 9, 8, 7, 6, 5, 4, 3, 2, 1.
20 more, 9, 8, 7, 6, 5, 4, 3, 2, 1.
Last 10, 9, 8, 7, 6, 5, 4, 3, 2, 1. And hold for 10, 9, 8, 7, 6, 5, 4, 3, 2, 1.
Relax. Take a breath, alright.
When you're ready, meet me down on the mat, we're getting into our last 3 minutes of class!
Alright we're just going to get into our core. We get to lie down for this, semi.
Okay, come down into a low boat position. So, knees parallel, if you wanna straighten your legs, be my guest. If not, here is fine.
We're going to go from high boat to low boat yeah?
Give me 10, 9, 8, 7, 6, 5, 4, 3, 2, 1.
Hold low boat for 10, 9, 8, 7, 6, 5, 4, 3, 2, 1.
Knees in, relax.
Alright, we're gonna end on some hip bridge exercises getting into those glutes, and then we'll cool down and call it a day.
Alright legs on the floor in this V position. Place your hands so they can just graze your ankles, that's probably a good place to start. We're just going to roll through our back, lifting those hips up into a glute bridge, rolling back down yeah?
We're gonna go full range for 10, 9, 8, 7, 6, 5, 4, 3, 2, 1.
Hold and pulse. So you're going a quarter of the way down, squeezing your butt at the top. Give me 10, 9, 8, 7, 6, 5, 4, 3, 2, 1.
Hold at the top, we pulse those knees in and out for 10, 9, 8, 7, 6, 5, 4, 3, 2, 1.
Hold for 5, 4, 3, 2, 1. Bring it down. We're gonna do that one more time yeah?
Alright full range hip bridges now, give me 10, 9, 8, really making sure you're really thinking about squeezing your glutes at the top, it's all about that mind, muscle connection.
Give me another 4, 3, 2, 1, we go for pulses, so quarter of the way, squeeze your tush at the top.
Give me 10, 9, 8, 7, 6, 5, 4, 3, 2, 1. Hold at the top, knees go in and out for 10, 9, 8, 7, 6, 5, 4, 3, 2, 1.
Hold it up for 5, for 4, for 3, 2, 1, and lower. Bring those knees into your chest, rocking side to side. Taking a deep breath in and out.
When you're ready just bring your right knee into your chest, roll that ankle. Bring your right knee over to the left and then twist your body to the right, just getting into that spinal stretch.
And when you're ready just switch it to the other side. So left knee into chest, roll that ankle, left knee over to the right, twist your body to the left.
And come back to the centre, squeeze both knees into your chest, roll up to the top of your mat.
Well done everyone! I hope you enjoyed this Pilates/yoga inspired workout. Take some time to cool down.
This is also a great workout if you feel like you have a little bit of extra energy, you can just simply repeat it for that little bit of extra burn.
If not, I hope you enjoyed, and I'll see you another time on the mat.
