Injuries = Not Good Times

August 27th, 2009

Nothing much to report from my trip to Tennessee last week – I was exhausted the day after flying/driving, so I didn’t get to check out the Sports Barn in Chattanooga – next time!  I’m heading to Miami over Labor Day weekend to visit my friend Kim (who moved down there to open/run the new Exhale in Miami).  I’m excited about checking out the SCLA in Miami while I’m there, and any other fun gyms/classes I can find  :)

A lot of people ask me how I work out so much without getting seriously injured.  While not immune to injuries (I’ve had minor problems with knees, hip flexors, IT bands and my back in the not so distant past), I think one of the most important things I’ve learned is “if it doesn’t feel good, don’t do it”.  That, and “don’t throw your body around” – if you move slowly and with purpose, you’re more likely to stop a movement before you go too far and get hurt.  I am a believer in modifying movement to fit your body and any lingering issues you may be dealing with.

I’m definitely in the camp that hates taking time off from the gym – I’d rather exercise comfortably at a lower intensity if I’m nursing an injury than not do anything.  I think that is actually one of the reasons I haven’t (knock on wood) suffered from a completely debilitating injury – I’ve conditioned my muscles to be able to work through trouble and heal.  Important to note that I’m talking about relatively minor issues here – no broken bones, tears, sprains – those are injuries that you can’t recover from without rest/taking time off.

Recently, I’ve been dealing with a very tight right hamstring.  The left hamstring has always been noticeably more flexible (in things like the splits, single leg stretching and forward folds) – but the right one was never painful, until about a month ago.  So I’ve had to modify quite a bit of my routine recently – adding in a lot more stretching before/after working out (with the foam roller and myofascial release rolling pin), less Expresso bike (which isn’t that unfortunate, since they’ve sadly been offline for the last 2 weeks and nobody at SCLA seems to know how to get them connected to the internet again – so no tracking workouts or using the Premium routes I’m paying $9.99/month for), no more EasyTone shoes (I walk so much where I think my hamstrings were being over-activated) and not giving into my ego in certain yoga postures (I really miss being able to do sundial pose on the right side)

Photo credit - Barry Stone, About.com

Photo credit - Barry Stone, About.com

I also had a great deep tissue massage (from my friend Guerda Victor at Exhale Spa – she is AMAZING – and I am not typically a fan of female massage therapists because I prefer stronger/man hands and a lot of pressure).  That and all the stretching have been helping, but I’m still not 100%.  I’m still fully functional and it’s definitely getting better, but it’s a slow recovery.  I figure it’s good for me to work on being patient though (it’s never been one of my strong suits).

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The Expresso Bike

August 12th, 2009

I’m really not good at keeping quiet about things I like – which can be a problem when you like something that not a lot of people know about.  After all, who hasn’t experienced frustration when something you’ve liked forever explodes in popularity and then all of a sudden you don’t have as much access to it?

Even knowing that, I still can’t keep quiet about my new favorite machine at the gym – the Expresso bike.  The SCLA has 2 of these, sitting quietly next to the spin bikes by the stairs to the cardio loft.  At peak times in the gym, when every elliptical machine is taken, somehow these bikes remain unused.  Inexplicable.  For anyone who has ever wanted an indoor bike that perfectly simulates an outdoor ride (including steering!!!), you need to find a gym that has one of these ASAP (which you can conveniently do here).

I have never sweat more in my life than I do on this piece of eqiupment – you are working. . .the hills feel like you’re riding up a hill outside, and you can shift gears using the buttons on the handlebars.  My heart rate usually stays between 80-90% of my “max” during my workout.  I think my favorite feature about these is the ability to track your workouts at Expresso.net - all you have to do is sign up for a free account (or you can pay $9.95/month for “Silver” membership – which unlocks additional routes not available to the general populace and keeps track of all your best times compared to other people).  Expresso.net also has messageboards with member tips, comments and fastest times. 

If you complete a course and then choose to ride that same course again, the system will have a “ghost” rider of your previous best time on that course, so you know how to pace to keep up with yourself.  Each course also has a “pacer” – a biker in a yellow jersey who can goad more competitive riders into going faster.  My second favorite feature is the ability to race your friends – if you sit down at the bike at the same time as a friend and choose the same course, you can see each other and “race” – who can finish faster?  The one time I have raced a friend, I got the workout of my life and my best time ever on one of my favorite courses, “Wicked Workout”.

Which brings us to my favorite courses - two of them are the black diamond courses – Wicked Workout and Oh Mama (both take around 30 minutes to complete).  The “Extreme” courses I like best are Vindicator (took me about 45 minutes) and Savage Revenge (75 minutes and my legs were shaking when I got off the bike).  I am more a fan of biking hilly courses with high resistance and lower (but not standstill) RPM’s.  When you are choosing a course, it will show you the mileage and the layout – so you can choose hillier courses, or flatter ones if that’s what you prefer.

Now, the seat on this bike is not the most comfortable – which is why I couldn’t be on it for more than 20 minutes when I first started using it.  Maybe that’s why it’s not more popular.  But if you are looking for a cardio workout on a machine that is also fun while getting your heart rate up, this is the best piece of equipment in the gym.  I’ll race you there! 

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Random Musings

August 9th, 2009

Interesting week this past week, as my favorite teacher was away for most of it. I actually had to (gasp!) branch out and take classes from new instructors. I find that most of the teachers at SCLA are very good – and I can appreciate that it has to be really hard to step in for an extremely popular teacher – but I don’t get why some of them feel the need to force energy in a class.

I went to a class I sometimes attend that had a sub this week – very nice girl – but I should’ve known when she announced at least three times before class that she was “not Teacher X and we should all feel free to leave if that’s what we were expecting – she wouldn’t be offended” that it probably wasn’t going to be the best experience. I don’t mind teachers that try to talk/engage with the class – I usually am pretty vocal back because I feel bad when nobody answers and I can’t imagine being up in front of 30 people and feeling ignored. However, this girl would not shut up. I’m not kidding. Whether it was asking “is everybody ready” before a drill, not being satisfied with the 3-4 people who answered, and asking again (this happened at least 3 different times in the class) – or assigning “row captains” to cheer and motivate (???!!!) other riders – I almost felt like I was back in kindergarten. The thing is – the class was actually a really good workout – but she was so annoying that for the last 10 minutes I tuned her out and did my own thing (a friend of mine thought the same thing and left early).

What I also found weird was that 45 minutes into class, she said “just want to let everyone know, it’s 6:30 – so feel free to leave if there are other classes you want to go to”. Who does that?!!! I have to think this is a self confidence issue – which hopefully she gets over because she has the potential to be a solid teacher if she would just stop trying to force her brand of energy/interaction onto people. And no, I’m not naming names. My philosophy has always been that if I don’t like a class, I don’t need to complain to anyone – nobody’s forcing me to go to it and there are plenty of other classes I can take.

In other news – took an AMAZING spin class on Wednesday at lunch at SCLA with Kelly C – who IMO is one of the best spinning instructors in the city – and whose class I wish I could go to more often. She also teaches at Equinox. Great music, great energy and a workout so intense that I had to wring out my top halfway through the class because I was sweating so much.

I also went to Life in Synergy on Friday night for “Bollywood Dance Party” – again, LiS delivers a fabulously fun event on a Friday night (they did this a few weeks ago with “Thriller”). We learned the dance to Jai-Ho this Friday – which actually has much simpler choreography than Thriller (a lot of the Jai-Ho stuff repeats itself). I think they’re planning more of these Friday night dance party type events – definitely worth attending (with or without pre-gaming at Vinny T’s downstairs) if you’re looking for a fun class. LiS has no memberships – strictly pay per class ($15 for 1, or you can buy a 10-pack for $120) – and an amazing schedule.  Their two Zumba teachers (Lauren and Katie, both of whom led Friday’s event) are really good.  Eventually I am going to make it to that Cheer Fit class that I’ve been dying to try (taught by a former Patriots cheerleader)!

(Broken record alert!)  My primary yoga teacher, Marc McDonald, opened up his new studio Om Warrior this week.  SUCH an amazing space.  Marc is one of the best teachers in the city – if you’ve never taken his class you should head over to 133 Pearl Street sooner rather than later – the space has a very zen and comfortable feel to it.  I took 6 classes there this week and haven’t had that much fun doing yoga in a long time.

This week will involve squeezing classes in when I can with the Sox back at home (going Tuesday and Wednesday nights – so gotta rearrange the gym sched).  At the end of next week, I’ll be visiting the Reebok HQ to be a guinea pig for a new class they’re developing – which I likely won’t be able to talk about (assuming I’ll have to sign an NDA).  I live for doing stuff like that though – always fun to give honest feedback about fitness.

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I heart Jukari (and Reebok!!!)

July 31st, 2009

I was lucky enough to have the opportunity to take Jukari at the Reebok Headquarters in Canton for the second time on Wednesday night (the first time I went was when they were developing the class and seeking feedback from instructor-types and workout fiends like myself).

Promotional image of woman with Jukari flyset

Promotional image of woman with Jukari flyset

SUCH an amazing workout – you can do a lot of exercises on the flyset (which is a contraption that hangs from the ceiling into which you can secure a 4lb weighted bar (to make a trapeze) or one loop on each side of the bottom for suspension training). Jukari combines suspension training with core/strength training and gives it a Cirque du Soleil twist. Some of the moves will really make you feel like you’re flying.

For those people who may not think it is a “serious” workout – I seriously got my sweat on doing this – some of the pull-up and bicep variations were extremely difficult – definitely felt it in the shoulders the next day. And the seemingly endless sequence of squats was killing me after my thighs had been toasted in a lunchtime spin class. Our instructor was Jeff, who incidentally brought Cardio Striptease and Pole Dancing to Crunch Fitness back in the day.  Needless to say, he was awesome!

The only unfortunate thing about this is that neither of the city’s “premier” gyms (SCLA or Equinox) have ceilings that can accommodate the flyset fixtures (which require the ceilings to be able to support 2,000 lbs of weight). . .so it’s TBD where Bostonians are going to be able to go to get their Jukari fix.  It is in Equinox gyms in several major cities (New York and LA for sure), so if an Equinox near you has it, you should definitely check it out.

Another awesome part about attending this class at the Reebok HQ? The Reebok concept store!!! Got a few new pairs of sneakers (I heart EasyTone sneakers for non-gym use!) and a Reebok black running skirt (we’ll see how it compares to Lulu – who apparently is sold out of all black running skirts in my size – very sad). And of course, more Reebok socks (I love their workout socks – I actually think they’re better than Thorlos – the Reebok socks hold up much better through the laundry).

I would be remiss to not mention the following – for any readers who may be in Miami – Exhale Miami opens tomorrow – being run by my good friend Kim Welby (she is a phenomenal teacher and person).

And my favorite yoga teacher Marc’s new studio Om Warrior opens on Monday (8/3) at 133 Pearl Street in the Financial District (the space formerly occupied by Yoga Power’s Boston location). You can get more information by visiting http://www.omwarrior.com (site not live yet), becoming a fan of Om Warrior on Facebook, or following @omwarrior on Twitter.

Happy exercising! :)

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My new favorite workout gear

July 26th, 2009

So as someone who is at the gym as much as I am, I have a ton of workout clothes. . .what I’m into varies based on what activities I’m doing most.  For Zumba, I like Ion Actif scoop tank tops with a Lululemon sports bra – I really like the way the Ion fabric wicks moisture and doesn’t leave me feeling like I jumped into a swimming pool fully clothed after I get my sweat on.  For Core Fusion, I usually do Ion/Lulu or just a Lulu tank (from my vast collection before all their tops became constricting, low cut and uncomfortable – I miss the Spark tank!)  For weight training, I have shorts or Be Good pants that I’ll pair with tank tops (gotta be able to check out the guns in the mirror!)  And for yoga, it’s always Lululemon.

So with the aforementioned issues with the evolution of Lululemon’s tank tops, I don’t shop in there nearly as much as I used to (another big pet peeve about them is that they tweak their fits/designs ever so slightly all the time – so you could buy a top from one shipment in a color you love, decide you love the top and go back to get it in more colors – and it fits completely differently – MADDENING for people who like to be in and out of a store without having to try stuff on).  But I love the girls who work there and they have a lot of fun events at their store, so I get all their newsletters and Facebook updates.  A few weeks ago, I noticed a new product – a “running skirt”.  As an aside – I love skirts.  LOVE them.  Could live in them.  I don’t like wearing shorts in the summer – only skirts.  Not to sound egotistical, but I also have really nice legs.  So “skirts + me” work well together.

I was still a little skeptical, but when I saw one of the Lululemon girls at Zumba wearing said skirt, I knew I needed to go at least try one on.  So I did – and let me tell you, this is the best athletic invention since wicking fabric (this is only a slight exaggeration).  The Lululemon “Speed” skirt is one of the most comfortable pieces of athletic wear I have ever worked out in.  It’s a fitted spandex-y skirt that stretches really nicely (the way it fits, you might not guess this).  It’s got a moisture wicking band on the top, and cute little spandex shorts underneath that are shorter than the skirt and have a special seam that keeps them in place.  It’s shorter on me than it might be on others – I have a very short torso and long legs.  I have no problem with short though.  Not only is it super comfortable, it looks adorable.  Got a lot of compliments at the gym from friends in class.  Naturally, I purchased the 3 skirts they had in stock in my size, in 3 different colors.  I’m hoping they don’t tweak it too much, because I need to have more of these.

Just what I need, a renewed love of a Lululemon product and a reason to spend more money on gym stuff!

Big week on tap – Marc McDonald’s last class at the SCLA is tomorrow at noon (end of an era) – he departs to open his new studio at a location TBA where I will surely be spending a lot of time.  Jukari class at the Reebok HQ on Wednesday (for the second time – I was lucky enough to be a Jukari guinea pig a few months ago, I’m very excited to try it again!!!)  And I am going to need to figure out what yoga classes I’m going to take this week since my primary yoga teacher (Marc) is not going to be teaching anything (new studio won’t open for another couple of weeks).

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Long time, no post!

July 17th, 2009

OK, it’s been awhile. . .due to the urging of friends and some outstanding classes I’ve been to lately, I’m going to try and post at least once a week from here on out.

A lot of changes on the Boston fitness scene in the last few months: Equinox opened up their Franklin Street location (I tried it out with a week-long pass – it’s a beautiful club), one of my favorite teachers (George Dossas) left the SCLA to be “exclusive” to Equinox, one of his replacements (Christine Holmes) is one of my new favorite teachers (more on this later – she teaches Tuesday night at SCLA and has been filling in on Saturday mornings), I paid $25 to work out at BSC on July 4 because SCLA was not open (doh!), and I took one of the most fun classes of my life last Friday night at Life in Synergy.

So when Michael Jackson passed away, everyone seemed to remember that he actually made really good music.  We heard it more on the radio, it was all over the internet, and it was all the rage in exercise classes.  The most creative use of MJ was Life in Synergy’s special “event” last Friday night.  Promoted via Facebook, it was advertised as “learn the dance from the Thriller video”.  But it was much more fun than that.  The class sold out – 40 people – and LiS divided us into 2 groups (1 for each of their studios).  We learned the dance for an hour and a half (SO fun) and then had a dance-off.  I was there with some of my friends from Exhale, and all of us had a blast (the post-workout sangrias at Vinny T’s definitely enhanced the evening).  Who would have thought that an MJ-themed dance class at 7pm on a Friday night (and on a Friday where we actually had nice weather for the first time in awhile) would be packed to capacity?!  Thanks to LiS for a great time!  If you haven’t been over there, it’s at 867 Boylston Street – no memberships, strictly pay per class (and they have some great classes).  Check it out at http://www.lifeinsynergy.com. 

Anyhow, I am going to make a more concerted effort to post.  One of my friends calls me “the fitness bible”, and I should be putting my gym whorish ways to good use!  :)   Until next time. . .

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As they would say on Jeopardy, “Potpourri” (Mind/Body style!). . .plus, my favorite yoga class!

March 1st, 2009

It’s been a busy week for me, as I had a lot to squeeze in before an 8-day trip away from Boston.

When I travel, I always get to know the layout of the land gym-wise of where I’m going.  I’ll be in Palm Springs for a work conference through Wednesday (hotel has a gym and yoga studio that I can use and I know it’s acceptable since we had our conference at the same place last year – so I’m good for yoga/core fusion).  Wednesday, I fly to Texas for some quality time with family there.  I’m pretty familiar with the gym scene in San Antonio, as I am down there 1-2x per year.  Per usual, I printed out some class schedules at local gyms and I’m excited to try Zumba, Texas style!

I find that yoga is always such a crapshoot on the road – I’m usually better off doing my own practice (you know you’re going to be on your own when you call the hotel to ask what styles of yoga their instructors teach, and they say, “oh, its just regular yoga” – thanks for clarifying that, guys!)

I had a great week yoga-wise this week – getting to 5 classes, plus one private yoga class with my primary (and favorite) teacher, Marc McDonald.  I’ve been practicing yoga for 7+ years, and have been taking class with Marc for almost the last 4 (though only working one-on-one with him once a week for about the last year).  His class at the Sports Club/LA on Wednesday nights at 6:30pm, a Level 2/3 ashtanga-based vinyasa class, is my favorite yoga class in the city (and I think one of the most challenging classes I’ve taken on a regular basis anywhere) – it’s the 3rd of my “can’t miss” classes (his “Advance Your Asana”, a workshop-style yoga class on Tuesday nights at SCLA, is rapidly approaching this same “can’t miss” status).

He’s had such a positive effect on not just my yoga practice, but my outlook on life.  There are some people in this world who are just inspiring in how they live their lives – Marc is one of those people.  I feel truly privileged to have been able to learn from him these past 4 years.  Posturally, working with him has helped me have that “a-ha” moment about some of the more challenging postures – single legged crow, handstand, *really* floating my feet forward and floating back into low pushup, bound half moon, transitioning from crow to 8-crooked limbs. . .the list goes on and on.  He teaches a challenging vinyasa class that allows students to work on the postures that NOBODY else teaches.  He’s helped keep yoga interesting and fun for me over the years (his class has been a respite during those times when I’ve been frustrated by monotony in yoga since it has become so mainstream).  His sequencing is original, and really stresses that the transitions from asana to asana are actually asanas themselves.  I feel much stronger and have so much more control of my movement since I’ve been working with him. 

He preaches non-attachment to outcome, humility, practicing in the moment and not taking yourself too seriously (as evidenced by his jokes during class).  I think it also says something that everyone I’ve ever brought to his yoga class (from yoga beginners to experienced practitioners to people who don’t generally enjoy yoga) has loved it, and have commented not just on what a great workout his class is, but on the positive energy he exudes. 

As one of his biggest fans (and there are quite a few of us who take his classes all over the city) – he’s at Sports Club/LA teaching yoga on Mondays at noon, Tuesdays at 6pm, Wednesdays at 6:30 and Thursdays at 12:30; Equinox Back Bay on Monday at 7:30pm and Friday at 12:30pm and Yoga Power Studio (www.yogapowerstudio.com, on Pearl Street in the Financial District) on Thursdays at 5:30pm and Friday at 5:30pm (Yoga Power is heated – not bikram style heated, but warmer than a class you would take in the gym).  If you like yoga (or even if you haven’t had great experiences with it), you would be doing yourself a favor by hitting up one of his classes (or workshops) at some point.

People who are reading this who know me also know that Marc is a good friend of mine – someone I respect and admire immensely.  One of the reasons I held off on writing this was because I wanted to be able to present my opinions without coming off as biased (while at the same time not downplaying how phenomenal of a teacher and person he is).  I hope I succeeded in doing justice to one of my favorite people and (in my humble, objective opinion) the best yoga teacher in Boston (which was my opinion before we were friends).

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Trying New Things. . .

February 23rd, 2009

I’m someone who loves trying new classes – though I think it is more fun to try something new with a group of people who are also new (i.e. I started doing Core Fusion® when Exhale first opened in Boston, so none of the other students knew what they were doing either; same with Zumba® and Budokon®). It’s really hard to try a class when you’re the only new person and EVERYONE else is experienced.

So this Sunday, I jumped at the chance to attend a demonstration of Capoeira at the Sports Club/LA. Capoeira is a brazilian martial art, and something I’ve been wanting to try for like 4 years (not exaggerating here). You might say that I couldn’t have wanted to try it that badly if it’s been on the list for 4+ years. . .but the problem is that there aren’t a lot of classes in the Boston area and the ones that do exist don’t work due to scheduling and/or location (Cambridge is a pain in the ass to get to/from, I’m sorry, but it’s true).

The class was EVERYTHING I thought it would be. They had all the mandigueiros (Capoeira “players”) demonstrate how the roda is played. The roda is a circle of mandigueiros, and they take turns competing/playing in the center of the roda while everyone else plays music/claps/sings. The way these people move is absolutely incredible – the amount of control it takes to float, kick, dodge – and they make it look so easy!

Once the demonstration ended, they taught all of the non-mandigueiros (translation: Capoeira novices) some basic moves (base, ginga, half moon kick, dodge), and we were able to pair up with some of the mandigueiros to practice them. Then we learned how to aú (cartweel), which is one way two players can enter the roda.

It was SUCH a fun workout (sweat inducing, and tough on the legs), and the mandigueiros had such a great sense of community. It actually reminded me a lot of the way the Budokon community was at the SCLA before all that drama went down.

I really hope they add a Capoeira class at SCLA, but even if they don’t, I might have to make the trek to Cambridge or Brookline fit into my schedule – this is a discipline that would definitely be worth doing that for.

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Fitness Masochism

January 28th, 2009

So this week, I came to the realization that I am a fitness masochist. I don’t know why it took me so long to figure this out – the more (good) pain a class causes me, the happier I am. I’ve been working out at a high intensity level for just about 7 years now, so these days it takes a lot for me to really feel a workout the day after. Generally, my body recovers pretty quickly

This realization ties in quite nicely to the 2nd of my “can’t miss” classes. It’s always nice to find like-minded individuals in this crazy world. And every Saturday at 11:30 AM, a large group of fitness masochists show up at Exhale for the Advanced Core Fusion® class with Denise Crowe.

There are hard classes, and then there is this class. We all joke around that Denise tries her best to kill us during our hour, but it’s kind of not a joke. For that reason, this is the class I look forward to the most all week (and I know a lot of my classmates feel the same way). It is so nice, in a society (both inside and outside the fitness world) where coddling is the norm (at least in my humble opinion), to be pushed up to and past perceived limitations. It’s also nice that this class is limited to students who have taken at least ten (10) Core Fusion® classes – since Core Fusion® (CF) is a class that flows best when everyone knows what they’re doing.

Every week I stroll in to take this class with my community of friends at Exhale (the real place in Boston where everybody knows your name) – most of us know each other, which is fun because we’re all comfortable enough to be expressive through the pain (a fly on the wall would hear a lot of groaning, begging, and the occasional outburst of what I affectionately refer to as, “CF Tourettes”). And when I say pain, I mean agonistic pain that can be brought on from the brutal arm work (the alleged “warm up”), seemingly endless thigh work, advanced glute variations and more vigorous curl variations than one would be subjected to in an Open CF class.

The funny thing is, when I talk to people who take the Open CF classes, they always wonder, “it’s already hard, how the heck do they make it harder?!!” I think that question can really only be answered by experiencing the Advanced CF class for oneself. All I can say is that if I’m still sore on Tuesday from a class I took Saturday (which routinely happens), they definitely find a way to make it harder

I’d also be remiss not to go into more detail about what an amazing teacher Denise is. One of the most thorough and knowledgeable teachers I’ve ever had the privilege to learn from, she is all business about kicking the snot out of us but really nice (and funny) at the same time (she says she’s never killed anyone during a class, but some of us have our doubts!) ;) She also NEVER loses count of the reps, which is great in a class like CF. We are extremely lucky at Exhale Boston to have someone of her experience and stature running the show. She is just so good at not just helping people understand the various positions in CF, but helping them get the most out of each position that they possibly can.

So I’m in Chicago for work for the next few days (the one place on earth with worse weather than Boston right now). . .I’ll be hitting up Exhale Chicago for sure (CF creator Elisabeth Halfpapp is teaching there tonight), and barring any horrific weather will be in my spot for CF on Saturday at 11:30 at Exhale Boston! :)

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Busy Week. . .

January 23rd, 2009

Still getting the hang of this “blogging” thing. . .its been a crazy week and half for me (work is nuts, which is good – except when it comes to me blogging).  No matter how busy work is, I always make time for myself at the gym.  I was lucky enough to do a 3 hour twisting workshop with one of Boston’s best teachers, Barbara Benagh last Sunday.  My first experience with Barbara’s class was a 3 hour hip opening workshop at Exhale in December.  After the 3 hours, I felt like I had new hips.  Since then, I’ve made it out to her studio in Brookline (www.theyogastudio.org) twice – once for the 3/4 class on Tuesday afternoon (the week between Christmas and New Years, probably the one Tuesday a year I could do a yoga class at 2pm) and once for this twisting workshop.  I have to say, in 7 years of yoga, I have never worked with a teacher who is as intuitive about alignment and people’s indvidual bodies as Barbara is.  The way she teaches allows students to see postures they’ve been doing for years in a new and different way.  I feel like I’ve learned so much from her in just 3 classes, and I’m going to be making her Sunday 2/3 class a part of my regular schedule.  And you know a class is good if I’m schlepping out to Brookline when I have as many options locally as I do!  :)

This weekend, I’m going to be attending the Wine Expo on Saturday (after the gym, of course!), and then detoxing on Sunday at my friend Kim’s “Restorative Yoga Detox” class on Sunday at Exhale (from 1-3).  Kim (www.kimberlywelby.com) is one of my favorite Core Fusion teachers at Exhale, and she teaches this Restorative workshop monthly (in addition to her 2 restorative classes on the schedule, Monday at 4:15pm and Saturday at 11:30am – neither of which I’m able to attend).  This workshop is the most relaxing 2 hours of my life.  I’m not kidding.  At the end of 2 hours, I don’t really want to leave (unfortunately, my half-joking suggestion of extending it to 4 hours was kiboshed).  It’s pretty much an extended restorative yin yoga class.  There are lots of props, and she guides us into different postures which we hold for 5-7 minutes on each side.  Because of the props, everything is supported – so you’re able to relax while getting an amazing stretch.  If you are a fan of working out hard, you NEED this class.  It’s a great way to nourish your body (and joints) after pushing them to the max.  If you don’t work out as much, you should still come to this class – everybody needs more relaxation in their life.

Enjoy your weekend everyone, and stay tuned for more!  :)

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