Exercise Guides

Give your body the movement it craves!

Welcome to Bodyscape’s Exercise Guides Page! Here, we have created a collection of some exercises written by our team.

Always be sure to check with your healthcare professional before performing exercises if you have any specific injuries in order to ensure safety in exercises.

GYROKINESIS^® Spinal Motions

Written by Pam Johnson, GYROTONIC® Instructor

The GYROTONIC^® Spinal Motions are foundational movements of the GYROTONIC^® method. You can do them anywhere, anytime. Start seated on a sturdy chair or stool with your feet on the floor and legs in a small “V”. Allow your sitting bones to release into the chair while you lengthen up through the crown of your head. Let your hands rest on top of your thighs.

Arch Curl

Lift your chest and gently extend your spine into an arch as if someone’s pulling your sternum from a string. Exhale with a “Ha” breath at the top of the arch. From there inhale briefly (sniff through your nose), and then exhale as you curl your spine into a bowed shape starting from the crown of your head using a “Ho” breath. Continue this Arch and Curl motion 4 to 6 times using your “Ha Ho” breathing.

Spiral

Gently rotate your spine to the right leading with your eyes, then your head, then shoulders, then ribs, then pelvis. Exhale with a “Ha” at the end point. Inhale and reverse the spiral to the left in the same order ending with a “Ha” breath. Continue 6 to 8 times.

Wave

Place your hands on your thighs and widen the legs. Ground your sitting bones and lengthen through the spine. Lift your chest into your arch position, then hinge forward from your hips to about 45 degrees. Then slowly slide your sitting bones underneath you as you roll back up to your starting position. Continue this “waving” motion of the spine 4 to 6 times using a long, slow “Ha” breath as you arch forward, and a “Sniff” inhale as you come back up to center.

Walking Balance

Written by Olivia O’Hare, Pilates Instructor

Take 3 steps starting on your right foot, head straight, arms by your sides.
On the 3rd step shift your weight fully onto your right foot. Lift your left leg up, bending your knee and taking your foot off the ground, briefly stopping the forward motion of your walk. You should be standing on one foot like a flamingo.
After balancing on the right foot, swing your left foot in front, placing your weight on the left and continue to walk for three steps, pausing to balance on your left foot as your right foot pulls away from the floor into a flamingo stance.
Do your best to walk rolling through your foot articulating heel, ball of foot, then toes on each Step.
If you find you are a bit wobbly when you balance, try to engage your abdominal muscles more deeply and fix your gaze on a specific point in front of you. Watch out for looking down or slumping forward as you move. You might also recruit a friend to offer you an arm for support as you build confidence.
To make this more challenging try moving your foot so your shin is perpendicular to the floor and hold the position for a few seconds to a minute at a time. Also you can do it barefoot, on an unstable or uneven surface, turning your head side to side, with your arms overhead, or with your eyes closed (best to make sure you have a buddy to keep you safe if you choose the latter).
This is just one of many exercises that, if practiced regularly, can help to improve your balance and prevent falls.

Core Activation Exercises

Written by Pam Johnson, Pilates instructor

How to activate your transverse abdominis

Lie down with your knees bent, feet on the floor and your pelvis in a neutral position – your tailbone should relax down toward the floor with a small space under your lower back.
Place one hand horizontally on your lower abdomen just below your navel and between the front hip bones of your pelvis
Inhale: Relax the lower abdomen and allow it to rise into your hand.
Exhale: Pull the abdomen away from your hand to widen and flatten the abdominal region. Do not move or tuck your pelvis when you do this. You will feel the TA engage under your hand as you exhale. Keep your neck and shoulders relaxed.
Repeat 8 to 10 times

Diaphragmatic parachute breathing

Inhale: allow belly to relax and rise, and expand the ribcage
Exhale: abdominal wall drops toward spine, waistline narrows, maintain neutral lumbar spine

Knees open and close

Inhale: Open your knees and allow your belly to rise
Exhale: Initiate closing the knees with abdominal activation, TA flattens and widens

Single leg levitation dead bug

Exhale: Abdominals activate, TA flattens and widens.
- Bring 1 leg to tabletop (hips and knees bent with shins parallel to the floor)
Inhale: Place foot back down on the floor
Alternate legs

The 100’s

Feet on floor (knees bent) or Legs in table top (hips and knees bent with shins parallel to the floor
- Arms extended down by sides, reaching finger tips toward heels
Exhale: abdominals activate, TA flattens and widens, and curl your head and shoulders off the floor (Option: You can also leave the upper body lying down)
Hold the position, sniff breath 5x (through the nose), shoosh breath 5x (through the mouth). Pump the arms in small movements downward with each breath (5x with the sniff, 5x with the shoosh)
Repeat 10x

Single leg stretch

Lying down, one knee into your chest, both hands holding the one knee, with the other leg extended away from the body at a distance that allows for maintaining neutral pelvis (Keep your low back into the floor)
You can curl your upper body up the entire time or keep the upper body resting on the mat
Exhale each time your switch knees and hands (With each exhale, abdominals activate, TA flattens and widens)
Alternate sides
Emphasize abdominal activation and stability without shoulder/cervical tension