Criss-cross
This is an abdominal exercise from Pilates, not traditional yoga.
- Lie on your back, anchor your lower back to the mat. Throughout the exercise,
keep the back of your waist pressed against your mat, to protect your back.
- Put your fingertips behind your head and
lift your head and shoulders off the mat. Your hands are there to protect your neck;
do not use them for pulling your head up.
- Check to see if this hurts your neck. if it does, do just the leg part, with your head
and shoulders on the mat, as Helga, in the front, is demonstrating.
- With your shoulders off the mat, and not bringing your elbows forward, lift one armpit higher,
and bring your opposite knee toward your shoulder.
- Return to center, but do not let your shoulders drop back to the mat.
- Still up, lift your other armpit, and bring in your other knee up, as you
straighten your first leg.
- Continue for as long as you can, criss-crossing knee toward opposite shoulder,
then other knee toward other shoulder.
Check to see that your elbows are staying back. It is about your shoulders, not elbows.
Keep your ears parallel to your shoulders. Maintain a fist-size space between your chin and your chest.
|
