Hi! I am Dory, your personal Pilates instructor. Im showing you some of those basic and popular Pilates exercises. Right now, I am going to show you one of the most fundamental, they are push ups.

Now, push ups done in Pilates are much like push ups done, in other sports. However, we are just going to do them a little more slower and a little more controlled. So, go ahead and sit yourself back towards the mat just a little bit. Now, I am going to show you a modification here, if you like to do a full push up, you are welcome to do so. Go ahead and walk those hands forward just that they are just below your shoulders, your knees are comfortably on the mat, your toes are just tucked under nice and easy, look straight down at the mat to keep your spine in neutral, what I dont want to do is let your hip set forward, or for you to tuck your tail up behind you. I want you to have a nice flat back, abs pulled in, shoulders open, take a big, deep breathe in, inhale and exhale, take it down for about three counts, nice and easy just about till your nose touches, and then slowly push up. Inhale and exhale, slowly take it down, down, down and then up, up, up. Abs stay pulled in, inhale and exhale, slowly take it down and then push it up, and one more like this. Inhale, exhale, take it down, exhale, push up.

Now if you like to take it to a full push up, just tuck those toes under, extend those legs, again, hips stay tucked under, inhale, exhale, take it down, down, down, and slowly push up. Three more like this, down, down, down, inhale, exhale, push up, you got two more, almost done, inhale and exhale, lift. Last one, keep those abs pulled in, and push up, tuck those knees under, take it back for a child pose stretch, good job, and hold it, unroll your vertebrate one at a time, so you are sitting up nice and tall, let's go ahead and move on.