Hi! I am Dory, your personal Pilates instructor. I am showing you some of the most basic and popular Pilates exercises. Right now, I am going to show you the bed knee lift. Its a great exercise for the back of the leg and the glutes. So, let's go ahead and get started. So, go ahead and push yourself up onto the mat, so you are right in the middle of the mat, your knees are comfortably, hip width apart, hands are just below your shoulders, take a big, deep breath in, and as you exhale, open up your chest, open up your shoulders and tuck your tailbone under. What I mean is, I dont want your tail sticking out, I want your abs pulled in, basically doing a pelvic tilt, nice and comfortable. Inhale and then as you exhale, open up your chest and then lower yourself one more level right onto your forearm.

So, I dont want you gripping the floor and pushing yourself against it, I want your hands and fingers nice and long. Take a big, deep breath in, as you exhale, extend the right leg, flex the foot and bend at the knee. So, all you are going to do right here is force that right heel straight up to the ceiling and bring it right back it to the start.

So, its a really small move. Its an inhale and exhale. Breathing nice and easy on this one is the most important part. It doesnt really matter if you in or exhale on which part of the move, this is a very small move, as long as your abs are pulled in. Good, give me two more and lower, last one, and bring it right back to center. So, now you are going to readjust yourself, adjust those knees, make sure those abs are pulled in, gain your balance right here right in center of your mat, finger tips are nice and long, left leg extends your balance from the right leg, flex the foot and bend at the knee. Inhale and exhale, force that heel up and come down. Push up and down. Now, towards right into the glutes.

So, its a really small exercise, but its really effective. Heres five more, lift and lower, lift and lower, lift and lower, it could be three more, right into the glute, and the outer part of the thigh, last two, good, last one, push it up and slowly bring it back in, place both hands right flat on the mat. Take it back for a childs pose stretch to stretch, to stretch out, inhale and exhale, unroll your spine one vertebrate at a time, sitting up nice and tall. Let's go ahead and move on.