Position yourself lying on your side with the hips stacked one on top of the other, pelvis in neutral or slightly tucked to bring length to the lumber spine/lower back.
Ground your forearm, wrist and elbow to create an upper body foundation. Lift the arm (humerus bone) upward to stack into the shoulder. Lift your waist up and away from the mat and Chi Ball. Gently squeeze your lower abdominal band.
Moving the top leg only, flex your foot (toes toward nose) and kick forward - within the range that you are able to maintain balance and stability in the pelvis. Point you toes and draw the leg behind you, just past the midline. Repeat.
As you repeat this movement, observe your body organisation. Are you able to maintain the lift of the arm up into the shoulder, the lift of your waist - rather than sinking into the shoulder and hips? Are you able to keep the core engaged to support balance, pelvic support and length in the lumber spine? Are you breathing or holding your breath?
Tune into your body and adjust as you need. This may mean reducing the range of movement in the kick...
Onto leg lifts - maintaining the upper body lift and support, as you exhale, with foot flexed forward (dorsi-flex) or relaxed, lift the leg upward. At the same time gently press your grounded leg and forearm. If you flex the foot and lengthen the heel out of your leg, this will create length through the backline of the body. Of course, if your hamstring muscles are always engaged/exciteable (!), allowing the foot to relax is the better way to go. For this movement, let's not point the toe. Repeat.
Now, lower and hover the top leg parallel to the mat. For leg circles, this time point the toe, and lengthen the leg out of the hip. In small movements, roll the femur bone through the hip socket. The rest of your body remains stabilised - lifted through the waist, with a gentle squeeze through the lower abdominal band and a little lift from the pelvic floor. And remember, keep breathing!
Remove the Chi ball and lay flat on the mat. Enjoy the feeling of the release through the side of the body. Now for the other side.
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