You learn this exercise first as a bend stretch only.  But as you can see in the video, you will do more than that eventually. When you follow these steps and maintain the alignment in no time, you will be ready to move to the next level. Rushing there fast will only delay your progression. So take your time to do the small steps first and let your body find its way.

1. Alignment

• Sit on both sitting bones.
• Maintain the pelvis and shoulders square
• Spine C capital on the starting and finishing position for beginner and intermediate level
• Gaze down.

2. What to do with the supporting leg?

• Keep the ankle flex and pull all the five toes up to keep the strap taught.
• Elongate the top of the thigh muscles in the abs muscles.

3. The movement

Start by opening the lower spine (lumbar spine) in the box behind you while maintaining the spine curl for as long as possible. Yes, I know it’s tough for sure, but the trick is gazing down. The more you insist on maintaining your gaze down, automatically your spine will stay in a C capital. And That’s because of the eye, brain, and spine connection. See the article below it might convince you to do so.

So here are my tips to progress your Tree pilates on the reformer. So which tips will you try in your next class? When you have a moment, read through the fascinating article on the eye and spine connection.

https://www.drbishop.com/blog/unexpected-link-between-posture-and-your-eyes/