Forty-five unhurried minutes for hips, spine and shoulders — the class members thank you for on Thursday.
Full Reset
- Strength & conditioning
- All levels
- 45 min
- Works for 6–25
- 1 instructor
- Effort 1/5
- Studio floor
- mobility
- recovery
- stretching
- studio
- low-impact
Kit: One mat per member, plus a cushion, folded towel or yoga block each for propping. Two spares of everything for whoever forgets.
Arrive & Unwind
Setup: Mats in a circle, heads toward the middle, one prop beside each mat. Lights softer if the studio allows. You keep one mat in the circle for demos.
How it works: Members lie on their backs, knees bent, feet flat. Ninety seconds of just breathing — in through the nose for four, out for six, hands resting on the ribs to feel them swing. Then gentle wake-ups: knees rock side to side ×8, one knee hugged to the chest each side for three breaths, full-body reach — arms overhead, toes pointed, then everything floppy. Set the class contract out loud: nothing tonight is forced, edges are found and breathed at, never pushed through.
What to say
- “Longer out than in — the long exhale is the off switch.”
- “Rocking knees stay lazy; let the floor do the work.”
- “Say it early and often: discomfort that eases as you breathe is the zone, pain is past it.”
Easier
Cushion under the head throughout; knee hugs behind the thigh instead of over the shin.
Harder
Extend the breathing to four rounds of four-in, eight-out.
Hips Around the Clock
Setup: Seated on the mats, both knees bent and dropped to one side — the 90/90 shape. Props under the hip of anyone tilting badly.
How it works: Work the hips like a clock face. 90/90 sit: three slow breaths, then lean the chest over the front shin for three more. Knees sweep together across the middle to the other side — five slow sweeps, then settle and repeat the holds. From all-fours: eight hip circles each way, big and slow, like stirring a pot. Finish with a supported deep squat — heels on the rolled mat edge or holding hands in pairs facing each other — three long breaths at whatever depth tonight offers.
Common mistakes
- Rushing the sweeps — the slow middle part is the mobility; the end positions are just punctuation.
- Letting tall members skip the prop out of pride; prop early, progress later.
What to say
- “Sit tall first, fold second — a long spine finds more hip than a slumped reach.”
- “Knee sweeps: let the feet stay heavy and drag; the knees lead the dance.”
- “In the squat, depth is today's news, not your worth — the prop is smart, not soft.”
- “Breathe into whatever you feel; if it eases, stay; if it sharpens, back out one inch.”
Easier
90/90 with hands planted behind for support; hip circles standing with hands on a wall; squat holding a partner or the ballet barre.
Harder
90/90 fold with forearms toward the floor; unsupported squat with a three-breath hold and heels down.
Spine — Wave by Wave
Setup: All-fours on the mats, wrists under shoulders, knees under hips. Cushions under the knees of anyone who wants them.
How it works: Cat-cow ×8, moving strictly with the breath — inhale to arch, exhale to round. Thread-the-needle: one arm slides under the body, shoulder and ear rest down, three breaths each side, twice. Child's pose with hands walked to the left for three breaths, centre, then right. Then lying twists: on the back, knees dropped to one side, arms wide, five breaths each side. Finish with one slow segmental roll-up to sitting — peel the spine off the floor bone by bone.
Common mistakes
- Cueing the neck to crank in twists — the neck follows lazily or stays neutral; the mid-back is the target.
What to say
- “Move at breathing speed — the breath is the metronome, not the playlist.”
- “Thread-the-needle: the reaching arm stays heavy; the twist comes from the mid-back, not the neck.”
- “In the twist, both shoulders sink toward the floor and whatever the knees do is fine.”
- “Roll up like a zip closing — one bone at a time, head last.”
Easier
Cat-cow seated on a chair-height block or in a chair-shaped hover; twists with a cushion between the knees.
Harder
Add three slow spinal waves from child's pose to upward-arch and back.
Shoulders & The Front Line
Setup: Kneeling or standing at the mats, one prop each. Wall space shared — half the group starts at the wall, half on mats, swap halfway.
How it works: Wall crew: chest-opener stretch — forearm along the wall at shoulder height, step the near foot forward and turn away until the front of the shoulder speaks, four breaths each side, then wall slides ×8. Mat crew: hip-flexor kneel with a tall reach and a gentle side-bend, four breaths each side, then prone swimmers — lying face down, arms trace a slow snow-angel ×6. Swap crews at five minutes.
Rounds: Both stations each
What to say
- “Wall stretch: turn away until it speaks, not until it shouts.”
- “Kneeling reach: squeeze the back-leg glute and the stretch finds the hip flexor by itself.”
- “Swimmers: hands hover low and slow — height is not the goal, the smooth journey is.”
- “Desk shoulders live at the front — this block is the undo button, tell them so.”
Easier
Chest opener with the hand instead of the forearm, less turn; swimmers with hands resting on the floor throughout.
Harder
Four slow prone swimmers with a two-second hover at the top of each.
The Quiet Finish
Setup: Lights lower if possible. Everyone on their back, cushion under the head or knees as they prefer, jumpers on — still bodies cool fast.
How it works: Legs long or knees bent, arms resting. Three minutes of guided slowing: breathe in for four, out for six; with each exhale name a body part to soften — jaw, shoulders, hands, belly, legs. One minute of silence. Then wiggle fingers and toes, roll to one side, pause, and press up to sitting in your own time. Close in the circle: one line about what tonight actually was — maintenance, the training that lets all the other training keep happening.
What to say
- “Your voice goes slower and lower here — you are the tempo.”
- “The rolling-to-the-side exit is the kind exit; nobody sits bolt upright.”
- “Send them out slower than they came in — that is the product.”
Ask the class: Which of tonight's shapes does your body want a daily two-minute version of?
Music: Quiet, lyric-free, under 90bpm — or nothing at all. Silence with slow breathing is a feature, not a gap.
ClassPlans programming team
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