Pilates Long Stretch on the Roller - part of the women's fitness video series by GeoBeats.

Hi, I am Charlotte and this is Alice, and we are here at Streamline Pilates studio in Brooklyn Heights, New York. We are going to teach you how to use the foam roller to do an exercise that is traditionally done on the reformer in pilates. This exercise is called Long Stretch.

You are going to start off on your hands and knees with our shins resting gently on the roller. Your palms are about shoulder distance apart. You feel your arms reaching up into your shoulders. I want you to feel that chest lifting up into your body and hugging the muscles up your arms so that you are not pouting down into the wrist too hard.

Navel back towards your spine, your stomach is scooped. Pressing your hands into the mat. Lift your knees up and straighten your legs out to roll the roll back just a little bit. Coming into a nice plank position, you are going to inhale, roll back a little bit, and exhale. As if there were pony so we could pull off the top of your head to roll you forward.

Your knees are not bending, your arms are not bending. You are just hinging through your shoulders and supporting yourself with this core support. Navel back towards your spine. Do about 6 or 8. This is really hard exercise.

The closer the roll is to your knees, the easier it would be. The further the roll is out towards your feet, the very much harder it will be. Inhale back, and last one, exhale. And bend your knees and take a rest to get ready for the next exercise.