Hi, everyone! This week’s post is going to be all about acro yoga. I tried my first class a couple of weeks ago and I’ve been coming every week since then! Check out my Instagram to see a couple of poses from my first ever class. If you’re interested in trying acro yoga, have no idea what it is, or love it and want to know my thoughts on it, keep reading.
What is acro yoga? Acro yoga (often called acro by its practitioners) combines yoga and acrobatics. There are a bunch of different flows and postures, and all of them involve lifting another person in the air. There’s a base, a flyer, and a spotter. The base is the person doing the lifting, the flyer is the person who gets lifted, and the spotter makes sure everyone is safe at all times. Some flows and postures can be especially dangerous, so it’s important to always have a spotter. If you want to see a couple of the flows I did as a first-timer, check out my Instagram! Why did you take this class? One of the fitness centers where I teach barre has partnerships with several local studios. Through this partnership, I can take classes at all of those studios free. Breathing Room is one such studio, in downtown New Haven, where I had already taken a couple of classes. I initially signed up for their acro class by mistake! I thought I was signing up for the aerial silk class (which is another class I’ll be trying and writing about soon!). Still, I decided to stay when I arrived and realized this was acro rather than aerial silk. I did competitive gymnastics growing up and love anything that allows me to flip or fly. I had no idea what to expect in this first class, but I ended up learning a bunch of new tricks! This was an open class where all experience levels were welcome. There’s also an intermediate class that you need instructor permission to attend. If you’re local, check out Breathing Room! They offer many different kinds of classes. You’re sure to find one you’ll enjoy. What happened? The class is listed as a 1-hour class (most people were there well over 1 hour). I stayed for about 2 hours - there wasn’t really a firm end time since there was no class after ours. We started with some stretching and sun salutations. Then, the instructor grabbed a couple of volunteers to demonstrate some poses. After that, we broke out into groups and began trying out poses. We rotated groups every few minutes so that we had a chance to work with everyone there. Each person spent time in all three roles (base, flyer, spotter) but I spent most of the class flying. We started with a pose called bird, then worked on some flows using that pose. Once we started working on the star pose, things got really interesting!
There are lots of cool things you can do from the star position. If you’re a flyer, all of them require a lot of trust in your base and spotter! I got to work on flowing from star to side star, then rolling through to bird. I worked on a couple of other flows as well.
This class was an excellent workout. Whether you’re the base or flyer, you’ll definitely work up a sweat. It’s tougher than it seems; not everyone in the class was even able to get up to star and hold it. So, if you do it in your first class, pat yourself on the back! Not only was it a good workout, but it was incredibly fun. When the instructor would demo a move, I’d think to myself “there’s no way I’m going to be able to do that”. But you’d be surprised what you can do when you have a good base! I noticed that with certain bases, movements were a lot more challenging than with others. That’s why it was great to get to work with just about everyone in the class; to figure out who I work well with. Any tips for a beginner? Try all three roles. It’s important to try being a base, flyer, and spotter. Even if you go in thinking there’s a role you’ll prefer, try them all out. I really liked flying, which seemed like an obvious choice since I’m pretty light and like being up in the air. But being a base helped me understand how to better distribute my weight while flying.
I’ve really loved incorporating heated vinyasa yoga into my routine each week. It’s a great way to complement a long day at work. I never really cared for traditional yoga, but add heat to the room and I’m there. I’m also trying to make sure I get in at least one good sauna session per week! Check out my workouts from last week below: Monday 75 minute heated vinyasa class Tuesday Taught 55-minute barre class Wednesday 55 minute barre class Thursday Taught 50-minute barre class 30 minutes of lifting Sauna and steam room session Friday Rest day Saturday Taught 55-minute barre class 55 minute CrossFit class Sunday Home barre workout Do you prefer hot yoga or regular temperature? Would you like me to talk about my experience with Bikram yoga? What are your thoughts on saunas after a workout? I’d love to hear from you. Let me know!
Other posts you might like:
How I Became a Barre Instructor Les Mills Barre Review How I Passed the ACE Group Fitness Instructor Exam
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As you may have read in my last post, I'm trying out Les Mills On Demand using their free 10-day trial. This is my first experience with Les Mills group fitness classes; but after trying some of the programs at home, I'd really like to do one in-person! Check out my review of Bodyattack #99 here. That post also has more information about who/what Les Mills is, as well as how you can try Les Mills programs at home for free. This time, I decided to give Les Mills Barre a try. I didn't know what to expect at first. I had no idea that Les Mills even had a barre program until I browsed the On Demand catalog. When I think of Les Mills, I think of high energy workouts that are more aerobic/cardio-based. To be honest, my expectations for the barre program weren't high - I really just don't think of Les Mills when I think of barre. But I have to admit that I was VERY pleasantly surprised! I tried the Les Mills Barre #02 release. First, Les Mills Barre doesn't use a barre or any other support mechanism. While I actually loved this aspect of the class, it's something to note if you're looking for a typical barre experience. Anyone who’s familiar with barre knows that the class uses a ballet barre for support while performing some of the exercises. This class is an exception, which I think is great because it forces you to use your stabilizing muscles to stay balanced. However, they probably should've named this a ballet fitness class rather than barre since there's no barre or barre alternative involved. The class was perfectly choreographed, as is the case with all the Les Mills programs I've tried. It was 30 minutes long, the same as all Les Mills Barre workouts. And the entire session had an excellent flow - each move and series had a flawless transition into the next. What I appreciated most about this class was that the instructors were clearly former dancers. There were three of them, and they had excellent technique and used ballet terminology throughout the workout. As a former dancer myself, it was so refreshing to hear French ballet terminology beyond just plié and relevé! One of the things I love most about barre is that you don't have to be a dancer to do it. But I feel like we sometimes take too much of the traditional ballet base out of the class! I loved that Les Mills Barre used a lot more ballet moves than other barre classes I've seen and actually taught us the French names for them.
There was an arms section with light weights like you’ll find in most barre classes. I didn't think it was challenging, but the arms were active throughout the entire class. So, I was fine with the intensity of the weighted portion.
The overall class was challenging enough that anyone could benefit from it. Not having a barre there made it even more challenging, but the instructors offered plenty of modifications for people at different fitness levels. I enjoyed attempting to pirouette gracefully in my basement! Although the choreography was excellent, the presenters in the On Demand version of Les Mills Barre #02 really made the class. If you've done other Les Mills programs, you're probably used to a lot of yelling and (almost scarily) high-energy instructors. I consider barre to be a mind-body format just as much as yoga or Pilates, and this particular workout had the same calm nature. The instructor's voice was so soothing! All three of the presenters had impeccable form, which really encouraged me to challenge myself with each movement. I do wonder how this translates to a live class with different instructors since the feel of the class can easily change with someone else leading. The choreography, though, was some of the best I've seen in a barre class. I loved the glute work on the floor and plan to use some of it in my upcoming barre classes! Musically, the song selection was great and matched the pace of the class perfectly. I really dislike the covers that Les Mills uses (they're nowhere near as good as the original songs). I understand they have to use them for copyright reasons, though :) Check out my workouts from last week below: Monday 75 minute heated vinyasa class 40 minute powerlifting workout (check Instagram for some movements!) Tuesday Taught 55 minute barre class Wednesday 2 hour acro yoga class (review of this will be up next week!) Thursday Taught 50 minute barre class Sauna & steam room session Friday 55 minute HIIT class Saturday Taught 55 minute barre class Sunday Rest day Have you tried Les Mills Barre in person or On Demand? How did you like it? What cool new workouts/classes are you trying this summer? Let me know your thoughts, and enjoy the rest of your week! 
Hello! This has been a super busy week, but I'm excited to say that I landed an additional barre class at a new gym!
As you'll see from my weekly workout summary, this week was very class heavy! I normally teach two barre classes a week but ended up teaching four this week. I was subbing on Wednesday and my audition at the new gym was on Thursday! (Pro tip: The best way to get people to sub for you when you need a day off is to sub for others when you're available. I recently needed 3 subs while I was on a cruise and I’ll need a sub in June for my mom's wedding. So, I’ll be sure to return the favor. Plus, who doesn't love extra money?) The fitness center where I currently teach is your typical CrossFit gym: no machines - just barbells, kettlebells, dumbbells, and rowers. They only offer classes and there’s very little open gym time. While the classes are great, I’d love the option to do my own thing sometimes. I wanted to pick up another class at a more traditional gym so that I’d have access to a facility with the hours and equipment I need to get my weightlifting routine back to full throttle. And I found the perfect place! This new gym is beautiful and has both free weights and machines. It also has a sauna and steam room! Not to mention, the group fitness classes sound pretty awesome. They offer incentives for getting high numbers in your classes, which I love! I'll be teaching at this gym on Thursdays, which brings my weekly teaching schedule to 3 classes per week (when I’m not subbing). Although I taught 4 classes this past week, I think 3 is more than enough for me right now. (Pro tip: Dying to work out at that gorgeous gym but don't want to pay that monthly membership fee? Consider getting a part-time job there. Even if you aren't an instructor or trainer, just working at the front desk will more than likely get you a free membership. Free classes/memberships are one of my favorite perks of being a barre instructor!) So, my audition at this gym went so well that I was offered the position on the spot! While this audition went great, my first ever group fitness audition (at the fitness center where I currently teach) wasn’t so great. Although I ended up getting the job, my nerves got the best of me. I was required to do a couple of weeks of shadowing other instructors before I could teach my second demo class and be added to the schedule. I picked up some useful tips along the way, though. I hope they help you nail your audition!
I probably won’t be auditioning again for a while. But these are all tips that can be applied to teaching regular classes when those pre-class nerves start kicking in. Check out my workouts from this week: MONDAY Weight training at Planet Fitness (legs/glutes) TUESDAY Taught 55-minute barre class WEDNESDAY Taught 55-minute barre class THURSDAY Taught 50-minute barre class (audition) FRIDAY Rest day SATURDAY Taught 55-minute barre class SUNDAY Barre workout at home My goal for next week is to get in a lot more weight training than I did this week. Since leaving Planet Fitness a few weeks ago, I haven't been lifting nearly as much as I want to. That should change now that I'll be teaching at this awesome new gym! Did you hit your workout goals this week? Do you have any auditions coming up, or any other tips I forgot? Let me know in the comments! You may also like the following posts: How I Became a Barre Instructor How I Passed the ACE Group Fitness Instructor Exam Les Mills Bodyattack Review |
AuthorDominique Cheylise, 25 year-old engineer and group fitness instructor. Archives
September 2020
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