Thankful for Movement: A Total Gym Restorative Pilates Flow
Maria Sollon, MS, CSCS, PES
The holidays arrive in a rush, full of plans, obligations and endless obligations. In the chaos, it’s easy to lose touch with your body, your breath, and the simple act of moving with intention. Taking a moment to pause isn’t indulgent ~ it’s necessary.
Movement is a gift, a gift that our bodies allow us to experience every day. Pilates is one way to honor this gift. It’s not about perfection or pushing harder. it’s about awareness, alignment and presence. Movement with focus reminds us of what our body is capable of and how much it supports us.
This awareness becomes even more tangible in a gentle, restorative Pilates session at Total Gym. It’s an opportunity to slow down, reconnect with both mind and muscle, and build strength from within. At the same time, it creates space for reflection on gratitude in motion.
Gratitude in motion
Gratitude often focuses outward, on the people, moments, or accomplishments we recognize each day. But how often do you thank yourself for the simple pleasure of movement?
Gratitude is not just a thought. It’s something you can feel through movement. When you move with focus and purposeful breathing, you notice the details that matter: how your core supports you, how your muscles align, and how your body responds when effort meets ease.
Once you are grounded in breath and awareness, Pilates provides the perfect framework to explore this connection. The practice emphasizes control, precision and alignment. It invites you to notice how your body moves, responds and supports you. It draws attention to what works rather than what is missing by teaching the art of being fully present both mentally and physically.
So take a moment to stop, thank yourself for your ability to move, and notice how your body moves through a gentle, restorative Pilates flow at your Total Gym.
A Thankful Flow: Restorative Pilates Flow on the Total Gym
This short, restorative flow centers the body, calms the mind with gratitude, and promotes strength, mobility, and flexibility. It is ideal for an invigorating morning routine or for a gentle evening reset.
Set up: Mid level, Toe Bar
Instructions: Perform each movement slowly and carefully, focusing on breathing, alignment and controlled movement. This flow is not about counting reps or sets. It’s about feeling every movement, listening to your body and moving with intention.
Be sure to watch the video for a clear demonstration of each exercise in your Total Gym.
- Footwork and breath (Connecting mind with movement)
Perform three variations:
- At the same time, turned legs
- Single leg kicks (right/left)
- Run
- Parallel and turned (heels together) Stop
- Lie supine on the glide board with your feet on the toe bar parallel or feet turned out.
- Extend legs straight, lower heels, press up to toes, then bend legs to repeat.
- Focus on resisting movement in both directions while maintaining proper alignment.
- Kicks with one leg up and down
- Place one foot on the toe bar (leg bent) and extend the opposite leg over it to start.
- Extend the leg on the toe bar to open the slide board while bending the opposite leg toward your chest, then close the slide board as the threads of the leg pass under the toe bar.
- Alternate this up-and-down motion on both sides.
- Run
- Place the balls of the feet parallel to the Toe Bar with the legs extended.
- Bend one knee while extending the opposite leg and drop the heel under the bar.
- Repeat this movement alternating the bending legs.
- Keep the core engaged and coordinate the movement with intentional breathing.
- Roll Down & Spine Twist (Mobility)
- Sit high on the Glideboard with your feet placed on the Toe Bar rails.
- Roll the pelvis and slowly hinge the spine down and up until you are sitting.
- Let the glideboard move with your spine to improve articulation.
- Add gentle chest twist pulses on each side to facilitate spinal mobility.
- Explore these two movements in a seamless, spinal flow.
- Lateral Leg Raise (Strength and Stability)
- From a side position, place the top foot on the toe bar in a facing position. the lower leg extends straight across the bar.
- Press the glide board up the rails to work the outer thigh. on the return, lift the lower leg to engage the inner thigh.
- Alternate these movements slowly and with control.
- Focus on smooth, precise execution to strengthen the hips and develop core stability.
- Repeat on both sides.
- Mermaid / Side Stretch (Restorative Stretch)
- Sit on one side of the glide board with your feet in a Z-sit (90/90) position and place one or both hands on the toe bar.
- Tap on the line to open the slide panel.
- If using one arm, reach the opposite arm above your head in a side bend.
- If using both hands, lengthen the spine as the glide board opens, then extend the spine as the glide board closes.
- Go ahead and add your own variations.
- Focus on opening the lateral body, stretching the obliques and releasing the shoulders.
- Repeat on both sides.
- Runners Lunge (Restorative Stretch)
- Place one foot on the bottom base, kneel the opposite knee on the slide board to support your foot and hands on the toe bar.
- Use the toe bar to open up the skidboard and deepen the ride.
- Stretch your hip flexors and quads while maintaining a long, lifted torso.
- Breathe deeply to release tension through the hips and lower back.
- Continue by adding spinal rotation and side bends for variation.
- Repeat on both sides.
Gratitude transforms movement. When you approach exercise with appreciation, every movement becomes an opportunity to honor your body. This mindset fuels strength, eases the mind, and turns effort into pleasure.
This Thanksgiving, I encourage you to move with awareness and honor the gift of what your body can do.
With love and gratitude,
Mary
@GROOVYSWEAT
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