How To Ask the Wizard of Oz for Luscious Abs & Stronger Inverts

I’ve got the answer.  The secret to sexy, powerful abs that WILL give you a beautiful, flowing, seamless invert is something called the Full Hurricane.  This awesome and deeply sensual movement shares its roots with every inherently feminine dancing style, whether its Belly Dancing, African Dance, or Exotic Stripping.  It is undeniably erotic, engaging, and has plenty of playful variations (which I’ll talk about in a minute).

“Todo, I’ve a feeling we’re not in Kansas anymore” – Dorothy from the Wizard of Oz

Before you can learn the Full Hurricane, you’ve got to start developing your abdominal and chest muscle control.  Put on some hot yoga pants and a sexy tank top, find a full length mirror, and practice the exercises below.  You’ll have an irresistible Full Hurricane & be well on your way to a fluid, strong invert in no time.

Pelvic Isolations & Circles

First, we need to mark out the four pelvic points.  Stand with your feet shoulder width apart, knees slightly bent, and your tush relaxed. We’ll call this the neutral position.   Avoid squeezing your ass.  Watch out for flying monkeys! Squeezing your ass doesn’t make it look pretty.  It actually accentuates the cellulite that every woman hates, so don’t do it when you dance.

Lets start with the Four Pelvic Isolations…

Dorothy: Lions?
Scarecrow: And tigers?
Tin Woodsman: And bears.
Dorothy: Oh my!                – from the Wizard of Oz

• Point 1 (forward): Put your hands on your hips and tuck your pelvis under.  This means you contract your abs strongly and pretend you are scooping ice cream with your pelvis.
• Point 3 (back): Now, relax back to neutral, and then stick your tush out.  Keep your knees bent to protect your lower back. (PS, I’m not crazy.  I know point 2 comes after point 1, but it’ll all make sense to you in a minute)
• Point 2 (right hip): Again, relax back to neutral, and then straighten your right knee while bending the left knee.  You should feel your right side abdominals contracting.  This will lift the right hip higher than the left hip. (still not crazy, just remember that )
• Point 4 (left hip): One last time, relax back to neutral.  Straighten your left knee while bending your right knee.  Again, feel the strong contraction in your left side abominals.  Now your left hip is higher than your right hip.
• Create a circle: Simply connect the points in order. Point 1, tuck the pelvis.  Point 2, right hip up. Point 3, the booty lifts back.  Point 4, left hip up.
• Throw on some slow dancing tunes like Orestes by A Perfect Circle , #1 Crush by Garbage , Think Twice by Groove Armada and Slept So Long off the Queen of the Dead soundtrack.  This is not the time for “Somewhere over the Rainbow”.
  
• Practice moving from one point to the next: Make the movement as smooth as possible. It’ll feel like your hips are rolling like a quarter or a hula hoop when it lands on the floor.  Remember to avoid those flying monkeys and keep your ass relaxed.

A Mini Hurricane

In that last step, you’ve already started a mini-Hurricane.  As you practice your pelvic circles let your chest undulate with your hips. When the right hip lifts up, let the left shoulder drop.  When the left hip lifts up, let the right shoulder drop.  Add in your hands, by placing them on your body and letting them roam over your curves.  Sliding across your hips or maybe tugging on your hair a little.  You’ll feel your spine become fluid, liquid, playful. I know you can feel it now!

Just to make sure you don’t get too one sided, practice the four points in the opposite order.  Point 4, left hip up. Point 3, the booty lifts back.  Point 2, right hip up.  Point 1, tuck the pelvis.  When you’ve got the hang of it, smooth out your circle. Now, practice circling one direction a few times, and then going back in the opposite way. Back and forth, around and around.  You’ve got it!

“It’s a twister! It’s a twister!” -Zeke from The Wizard of Oz

Now, lets take your Hurricane and make it irresistible!  Starting in neutral position, lift your right heel off the ground, balancing on the ball of the right foot, and shift 2/3 of your weight toward the left foot.  You may have to bend your knees a little bit deeper to keep a stable center.  This requires strong core muscles too, so don’t cheat!  Now, practice your four points again, and whenever you are ready, start your mini-Hurricane.

Practice this on the other side.  Starting from neutral position, lift your left heel off the ground, balancing on the ball of the left foot, and shift 2/3 of your weight toward the right foot.  Then add in the mini-Hurricane.

The Full Hurricane

Okay, here’s the last part.  Once you are comfortable balancing your mini-Hurricane while on the ball of one foot, I want you to try shifting your weight slowly from one side to the other, while also switching your feet.  So, start on the ball of the right foot, drop that heel to the floor but keep doing the mini-Hurricane, and then come onto the ball of the left foot.

Take it slow. Slow is sexy, so there’s no need to rush. Listen to some kick ass tunes and keep your body undulating in The Full Hurricane movement. As The Wicked Witch of the West said “I’m melting!  I’m melting!”

“Pay no attention to that man behind the curtain” -Wizard of Oz

Okay, I know that felt awesome, but you also want to invert right?  So, here’s how this helps!  Controlled inverting requires that you are capable of executing an abdominal contraction strong enough to curl your hips and knees upward toward your shoulders.  The Hurricane develops your core strength and the muscle memory to make inverting easier.

The cool thing, is that once your body starts to get the hang of contracting your abs strongly, you can set it on autopilot.  Your muscles actually have a memory for movements that you repeat over and over again. Muscle memory is why it’s easier to find the light switches in your house as compared to someone else’s house.  Your hands remember the movement from the countless times you’ve flipped on the switch.

The Hurricane and repeated pelvic tucks give your abs tons of practice by simulating an invert without ever leaving the floor.  And without over taxing the muscle so you can practice it every day.  Plus, the Hurricane feels phenomenal and just looks HOT!

Oh, Auntie Em – there’s no place like home! -Dorothy from The Wizard of Oz