To help you “slow down to find the work” as the year begins, Mandy from The Practice Yoga & Pilates Studio pulled together 8 restorative, mat-based moves — all designed to be gentle, mindful and surprisingly powerful when you give them your full attention.
1. Foam Roller Heart Opener & Arm Reach
What it supports:
Posture, core stability, upper-back and shoulder mobility; great for anyone who spends long hours driving or at a computer.
How it works:
From an all-fours position, a foam roller is placed between your knees. The knees gently squeeze the roller to wake up the adductors (inner thighs) and deep core. One hand presses into the mat while the other arm reaches up toward the sky, rotating through the upper back (thoracic spine).
That gentle squeeze of the roller helps “turn on” the inner thighs, which in turn supports pelvic and lower-back stability, while the twist opens tight chest and shoulder muscles.
2. Pilates Bridge on the Foam Roller
What it supports:
Glute strength, core stability and balance.
How it works:
Lying on your back, heels are planted wide on the foam roller. As you press into your feet, you drive your knees out away from each other and lift your hips up, thinking about your tailbone reaching toward your calves.
Balancing on the roller adds extra core demand, while the wide knees fire up the glutes and deep stabilizers around the pelvis. It’s a simple-looking move that quietly builds serious lower-body and core strength.
3. Wide-Leg Seated Twist
What it supports:
Hip mobility, tight hamstrings, a hydrated spine and oblique/core engagement.
How it works:
Seated with legs wide and active, you “root down” through your legs, then rotate your torso so the opposite hand reaches toward the opposite foot, allowing the back to gently round into the twist.
This move is like a cousin to Pilates Saw — lengthening hamstrings, inviting more space into the hips and encouraging a supple, twist-friendly spine. The obliques join the party as you rotate, offering gentle core work while you stretch.
4. Standing Criss-Cross Forward Fold
What it supports:
Hamstring length, outer-hip release and a sneaky stretch through the IT band.
How it works:
Standing tall, you cross one leg slightly in front of the other, then fold forward over your legs. The criss-cross position shifts the stretch, tracing up the outer line of the leg and into the IT band while still giving the hamstrings plenty of love.
It’s a simple variation on a classic forward fold that can feel amazing for runners, walkers or anyone with tight outer hips.
5. Pilates Swimmer Prep
What it supports:
Posterior chain strength — the entire back body, especially the upper back, glutes and hips.
How it works:
Lying on your stomach, you extend arms and legs long. One arm (to start, the right) and the opposite leg (for this, the left) lift off the floor. The focus isn’t on how high they go, but on reaching them longer, so the movement hinges at the shoulders and hips rather than collapsing into the low back.
This classic Pilates pattern trains the muscles on the back side of the body to support posture, movement and balance. It’s especially helpful for counteracting all the forward-focused things we do all day.
6. Seated Deer Pose (Half-Pigeon Variation)
What it supports:
Outer-hip release and targets lower-back tightness
How it works:
Seated with feet and knees wide, hands rest behind you to prop the chest open. From there, both knees drop to one side (for example, to the right), and the torso gently rotates in the same direction.
This variation — often called deer pose in yoga — creates a layered stretch through the outer hips and lower back. It’s a cozy alternative to traditional pigeon pose.
7. Supported Fish
What it supports:
Posture, chest opening and relief from a rounded upper back.
How it works:
Lying on your back, you place one yoga block beneath the upper back/heart area and another beneath the back of the head. The blocks lift the heart and skull, allowing the chest to gently arc open. Legs can stretch long or come into a butterfly shape with the soles of the feet together and knees wide.
This heart opener offers a supported way to counter “hunchback” posture from phones, laptops and everyday life. Think of it as a passive front-body stretch with just enough spice to feel like a reset.
8. Legs Up the Wall with Sandbag & Diaphragmatic Breathing
What it supports:
Stress reduction, circulation, reduced leg swelling, pelvic floor and deep core awareness, plus overall nervous-system calm.
How it works:
Scoot your hips close to a wall and extend your legs up, resting your heels on the wall. A sandbag is placed gently on the belly. As you breathe, you watch the bag rise and fall, practicing slow, diaphragmatic (“belly”) breathing.
Adding this intentional breathing practice helps activate the parasympathetic nervous system — the body’s rest-and-digest mode — so “your whole system starts to relax.” Over time, it also teaches a deeper relationship with the core and pelvic floor, reminding your body how to both soften and support from the inside out.
If you like these poses and want to learn more, visit Mandy’s studio or you can follow along for more ideas on Instagram at @thepractice_yogaandpilates. She also posts yoga and Pilates poses daily on her personal Instagram account @mandyfroehlich_
The Practice Yoga & Pilates Studio
1528 NE 96th St B, Liberty