OUR BARRELS - Mama's Back – GREAT FOR PREGNANCY

Mama's Back shape has been designed to melt with the curve of your spine when extended. While pregnancy tends to make your body hunch forward, Mama's Back helps you lift, open and reach back, as a counter weight stretch.

Once the upper back is lifted, taking some weight off your neck and shoulders, the neck will feel longer and able to realign with your spine, creating extra space and great relief if suffering from any tension.  Same stretch apply on your sides, as you lie on one side of your body, to open and stretch the opposite side.

Providing support while having your hips off the floor and up on your Mama's Back will take the belly weight off your lower abdomen and pelvic floor, giving you space and lightness. Like a hanging position but with support. Adding pelvic floor exercises while lifted will strengthen this area very safely. 

While lying on Mama's Back, either on your back or on your side, your body will be able to give you a good feedback on its alignment and therefore allow you to correct your position naturally and hence deepen the stretches.

The curves of the medium and small Mama's Back are designed to help you lift your hips off the floor and rest on top on your Mama's Back. By creating space in your lower back and hips, it will take the belly weight off the pelvic floor area as well. One of the best resting position to breathe and release tensions.

Find the good position for your body on your Mama's Back,, your spine is lengthened and your neck is nice and long. Inhale reach your arms up and back by your ears, keeping your ribs in; exhale lower the arms down by your sides. repeat 5-10 times

Inhale reach your arms up and back, exhale start opening them by your sides drawing a big circle out and down by your hips. Keep your shoulders down away from your ears, and focus on opening the chest and shoulders, working a deeper range of motion every time. Repeat 5-10 times and reverse direction

Lie on your right side, hip on the leap of your large MMB or on the floor if medium or small MMB, support your neck with your hand or a cushion, so your upper body is lying over MMB, shoulder over shoulder, hip over hip. 

Inhale, reach your left arm up and over your ear, exhale lower down by your side. 5-10 reps. 

You can also draw circles, and reverse, 5 times each. 

Make sure to keep your back stays long  and not arched throughout the entire exercise.

Sit on the floor and rest your shoulders on top of your MMB. Knees bent and hip width apart, place both hands behind your head, elbows stay wide open. 

Inhale, lift your hips up in the air as you push your head into your hands, allowing the chest to lift and open as well;  exhale, slowly lower your hips down and return your head to starting position. 

Repeat 5-10 times, stretching the front of your hips, strengthening your glutes, inner thighs and pelvic floor.

Lying on your back, place your Mama's Back under your lower back so your hips are resting on top of it. Your knees are bent and feet flat, make sure your neck is fine and you can breathe and talk with comfort. If not, move your MMb slightly forward towards your heels. 

Just breathe deeply in this position and it will take your belly weight off your lower abdomen and lower back, you are like "hanging" with support. It will also free your hips flexors if they are tight and open up your lower back.

After the previous stretching exercise, bring one knee to the chest, slightly open and extend the other leg forward towards the floor. Breathe in and out and change leg. It will intensify the stretches you have done just before. 

Now pull one knee at a time into your chest, knees open but heels together. 

1) Gently extend your legs forward towards a high diagonal, squeezing heels, inner thighs and glutes, then return knees open to the chest. 5-10 times.

2) Next, keep your legs out at a high diagonal, and move your legs into small circles, then bigger if OK in your lower back, keep your hips stable. Do 5 in each direction then bend the knees back in.

3) Extend your legs out and start making a scissor movement, right leg up towards the ceiling, and left one lowers, then change. Be mindful of your lower back and hips stability. less is more, so don't go too far down if your pelvis tilts forward. 

Repeat 5-10 reps.

4) Extend your legs out, slightly rotating your hips so heels are touching but toes are reaching away; squeeze your inner thighs and glutes, and start gently clapping your heels, by opening and closing your legs; it's a small movement so you can move fast. If you want more challenge, work the legs down and up as you clap your heels. 5-10 times, then return knees to chest.

5) Make a big bicycle movement, stretching the front of the hip, do 5 and reverse direction.

Final: Both knees to your chest, gently roll your pelvis side to side, or forward and back; whatever feels nice in your back and hips. Then slowly push your MMb away from you, rolling your spine down one bone at a time and resting your legs, with the back of your legs on top of your MMb. 

Stay and breathe for at least 2 mn, time to let your lower back realign onto the mat. the feeling will be delicious!