The ability to roll your lower body over your upper one is definitely a matter of understanding your spine curves, patience and persistence.
This is a shape in space that you can find in several Pilates exercises as well as other disciplines like Yoga, Parkour or Marcial Arts. The dynamics are slightly different, but essentially, if you want to lift your hips above your shoulders, the Roll Over exercise is a good assessment of the skill. It's goal is to stretch the lower back and hamstrings; develop spinal articulation and improve control of the abdominal muscles.
Inversion exercises are not suitable for those with vertigo, glaucoma, and osteoporosis. Those with low back pain, and especially neck pain should avoid this exercise. Here I share some ways to get more a lift than a fold feeling.
It’s interesting that The Roll Over is the third exercise in the Mat repertoire, since actually for people that begins to grasp what is the powerhouse and work from the center might seem quite early in the pedagogical road. It can take weeks, months or sometimes years to lift up and over, but I believe that knowing a starting point and overcoming small victories, a few reps of prep moves and keep improving the flexibility and strength in the spine is a life work. It supports us every day, so let's try to give it some love and attention to it too.