Understanding the fundamentals will teach you the proper body connections in order to perform the exercises correctly.
Imprinting
Teaches you to articulate the spinal vertebrae bone by bone.
Set-Up: Lie on your back, knees bend, feet flat on the floor.
Execute Exercise: Inhale expand your ribs, pause, slowly exhale as you imprint (melt) your spine in the mat.
Clock Work / Neutral Spine
Clockwork helps you find your neutral spine and increases mobility in the spine.
Neutral spine is the natural position of the spine (good posture). Most people today have either a tilted forward pelvis (anterior pelvic tilt) or tucked pelvis (posterior pelvic tilt).
Set-Up: Lie on your back, knees bend, feet flat on the floor.
Execute Exercise: Imagine your pelvis as a clock ,12 above the navel and 6 at your pubic bone. Exhale curl your pelvis toward your nose towards 12 a clock. Inhale imprint the the spine reaching the tailbone down towards 6 a clock.
ISO Abs
Teaches you how to stabilize your core, in order to "scoop". If you have ever taken a Pilates class before you have probably heard the instructor several times saying "Scoop" your abs.
The movement strengthens the stabilizers of the spine, and decompresses the spine.
Set-Up: Lie on your back, knees bend, feet flat on the mat hip distance apart. Make a diamond shape with your hand and place it in your abdomen with your fingers reaching toward your public bone.
Execute Exercise: Exhale, deepen and draw in and up the lowest part of your diamond and continue to go up all the way to the top of the diamond. While maintaining the pelvis stable and still. Inhale breathe into the ribs.
Neck Curls
Teaches you to lift your head while maintaining the shoulders open and the tip of the shoulder blades on the mat. Helps to creates awareness of the connection of the neck and the powerhouse muscles.
Set-Up: Lie on your back, knees bend, feet flat on the mat hip distance apart. Hands behind your neck for support, your thumbs should wrap the bottom of your skull.
Execute Exercise: Inhale, curl your head and chest up. look towards your abdominal, Make sure your upper abdominal is engaged and mid-thoracic is stretching. Exhale, slowly lower your head back down.
Rib Cage Arms
Helps you find your thoracic (upper) spine alignment.
Set-Up: Lie on your back, knees bend, feet flat on the mat hip distance apart. Arms long by your side, palms down.
Execute: Inhale reach arms towards the ceiling, exhale reach arms overhead just as far as abs and ribs can stay connected, inhale bring arms straight, exhale lower them down to the mat.
After a day at work or a long flight this movements will make your spine fill amazing!