Open Leg Rocker

I love this exercise because its fun, challenging, and requires your whole body to work in specific ways, or the exercise just doesn't work.

Your goals with this exercise are to hold your hands up at your ankles with legs straight. Roll back, then roll back up to the same position you started in, about 5-8 times.

When you're first learning this exercise, sit towards the front of your mat, hold your hands under your thighs and keep your knees bent. This is also a good position if you are very tight in the hamstrings and low back. As you advance, start to hold your hands higher and higher, and begin straigtening your legs, until your hands can hold near your ankles, your legs are straight, and you can maintain this position as you execute the exercise.

Once you hold your hands and legs in a place where you can balance sitting just behind the sitz bones, you are ready to start rolling. While holding your balance, look at your pelvis and abdominals. Watch your low abs scoop into your low back, scooping your pelvis along with them. You are basically doing a pelic tilt. Use that movement to send you back, rolling, towards the mat, then roll right back up to your starting position again. Make sure your head doesn't hit the mat behind you.

If your back seems to fall flat against the mat, its likely that you're not really rounding your low spine or doing the initial pelvic tilt as you roll back. If you have a hard time rolling up to balance, its likely that you're thinking too much about rolling FORWARD. Instead, you should think about rolling UP.

Its important to practice the rounding action on the way back, or you could shock your back by just falling back on the ground. Of course, its also important to focus on coming UP (head up, ears up, elbows up, feet up) so you can balance at the top again.

Besides trying to master rolling back and rolling up, there is also the balance at the top. You might find that your feet don't want to stay up high, they want to drop down.

Imagine holding a magic circle between your ankles (better yet, actually hold one between your ankles!) and squeeze it with your inner thighs. When you're balancing in the seated position, use your core (abs and inner thighs) to hold the imaginary circle UP.

The position of your arms also effects the balance of this exercise. You should keep your arms straight, but not locked. Keep a light hold on your legs, so you use your core to hold your legs up, not your arms. Roll your shoulders into your back, away from your ears, to lift your chest up through your arms. You'll find that you're no longer hanging from your legs, you're lifting up towards your legs. Very different! When you roll your shoulders back, you'll notice that your inner elbows also rotate upward slightly. This is a good way for you to see that your shoulders are in the right place. The most challenging time to maintain this shoulder position is when you come back up to balance.

Finally, don't forget your gaze. As you roll back, gaze into your center. When you've rolled back up, look straight ahead at the horizon.

Happy rolling!