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Pilates - The Saw

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  • Dori Markakos

     
     

    Dori is an experienced fitness professional whose love of fitness began in grade school with her love of dance and ballet. She’s danced classical ballet since she was 5. As her interest in fitness grew, she began experimenting with all varieties of group fitness and weight lifting. Dori went the practical route to college and received her Bachelor’s Degree in Business with a specialization in Marketing from the University of Virginia’s School of Commerce, but not before receiving her fitness instructor certification in her spare time. After college, Dori went to work for Environmental Design & Construction, LLC (EDC) where she is presently the Controller. In this position, Dori serves as the company’s chief business officer. But, Dori’s heart is in the field of fitness. Dori maintains her certifications and puts them to work as a personal trainer, spinning and Pilates (mat and reformer) instructor. As part of her career development, Dori also received specialty training in pre and post natal fitness, with a specialization in pre/post natal Pilates. Dori currently works with clients as Pilates instructor, while keeping up with her own workouts. She’s run multiple marathons and is an accomplished triathlete having run numerous triathlons as well having completed the Ironman Triathlon. Dori resides in Arlington, Virginia with her husband Peter and daughter Mia.

  • Pilates - The Saw

    Certified Pilates instructor, Dori Markakos will take you through a complete beginners Pilates workout. This video is designed for someone just starting out in Pilates and wants to learn the basic postures, alignments and positions, all the while getting a great work out that will tone and lengthen their entire body.

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  • Transcripts

    Dorrie Markakos(ph): Hi, I am Dorrie, your Personal Pilates Instructor and I am showing you some of the most basic and popular and Pilates exercises and right now I am going to show you how to do this all. So, go ahead and sit comfortably on your mat and go ahead and separate your feet to width of the mat.

    Inhale and exhale sitting up nice and tall. Opening up your chest and I want you to go ahead look straight ahead to keep your spine in a neutral alignment. So, go ahead and seek your feet, I dont want your feet flexed or poised, I just want them engaged -- meaning they are just kind of hanging out there, but they are not stressed in anyway.

    So just go ahead and sit up nice and tall, head looking straight and have arms open towards the side, feel your tips nice and long, Inhale and exhale, do drop the shoulders and rotate those hips under and keep your pelvis engaged. So what that means is, I dont want you to be sinking into your rib cage and your chest and your back, I want you to sit up nice and tall, chest open and shoulders drop.

    So with nice long fingertips, take a big deep breathe in and exhale. Drop your shoulders, go ahead and take a torso twist to the left, you are going to take that right hand and as if you were sighing off the left pinky toes, you can look back towards the back left fingers, so you get a nice stretch in the right shoulder and the left hip.

    The most important part of this exercise is to keep your spine in neutral, so thats why you were looking back towards the back hand. Inhale and exhale, sit up nice and tall and lets go ahead and come right back to the center.

    Inhale and exhale, release your chest again. Drop your shoulders, torso twist to the right. Left hand sighs off the right pinky toe and you may go ahead and look back towards the back right fingertips and hold it again keeping your pelvis nice and engaged, abs pulled in, so now you are feeling the stretch in your left shoulder and your right hip. Inhale and exhale, sitting up nice and tall, right back to the center. Take deep breathe in and exhale, release your shoulders, open up your chest, torso twist to the left. Right hand sighs off left pinky again, go ahead and look back towards the back left finger tips, you should really feel a good stretch on that right shoulder and make sure that left glute and hip is connected to the mat. Good inhale and exhale, sit up nice and tall, last time to the right. Take a deep breath in and exhale, torso twist to the right, left hand sighs off the left pinky toe looking back towards the back right finger tips, make sure the chest is open. If you would like to take a little bit of a deeper stretch, you can do that by reaching for little bit, pass the toe. Sit up nice and tall, come right back to the center, release your hands and take it out and lets go ahead and move on.

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