Yoga-Laties at The Bamboomoves Retreat

The Bamboomoves Labour Day Retreat had made adjustments to the schedule to put my ever popular Yoga-laties class on the schedule. This class is my personal creation. It is an hour of fast paced Yoga, with some pilates, Indian Wrestler exercises, and various other yummy routines designed to strengthen the whole body with emphasis on core and glutes. This class is unlike any other yoga-laties class, and the suggestions of the students have enlightened me to change the name to "Zoga-laties" TM, since no sub teacher has instructed the class the same (Thanks guys). It really is an amazing experience. Thank you to all the brave folks who pack the Bamboomoves studio each Wednesday 6:45pm and Saturday 4pm, only to have me conduct the "torture" class as they call it, which they keep coming back for. More than anything, you all make that class the amazing experience that it is! When we were at the retreat, EVERY Bronx member took the class, and special thanks to the people from the other studios who could have went on the nature walk, or attending the Chi Gong, and instead opted for the "torture" class!!! So glad you all had fun! See you tonight! Wednesday at 6:45 for Yoga-laties at the Bamboomoves BX location. Also, Denise is giving a lovely Gentle Yoga class @ 5:30 if you want to stretch out a bit before class!

Picture: The Yoga-laties class at the Bamboomoves retreat taken by the amazing Jody Concepcion (Jody with a y)

Yoga-laties @ Bamboomoves

While the morning Saturday Bamboomoves Level 2 yoga class was a nice challenge, as as the Level 1, it was a treat to see the owner of the studio, Michael, participate in the highly talked about Yoga-laties. In typical fashion we did our Hindi Push ups, we did our plank poses, power yoga flow, and core yoga. The playlist was another nice up beat fusion of great music. We usually have Shakira on our play list, and the song was "La Tortura", which ironically means torture. One of the participants quickly pointed this out and said that she thinks of me, every times she hears this song. What a delight! When we got to our round of leg lifts, I could see an expression on Michael's face like "more????" and I think many of the female participants got a kick out of seeing him moan throughout the class. While in the middle of our never ending leg lifts, I took the opportunity to announce that after this class Michael will be giving me a raise, which made everyone bust out in laughter. While the timing of this statement was funny, you never know, anything is possible. All in all, every participant gave their one hundred percent which is the most important thing, being mindful to nurture themselves and take breaks when needed. We all were sweating, some were dripping!

Cherry Pickers

Since Yoga-laties began at Bamboo, which I personally would prefer to call it "Zoga-laties" as it is a mix of yoga/pilates/Indian wrestler/mayhem/sweaty bliss all created from an inspired play list, the energy of the group, MY MIND, and the moment that exists within that sweaty 75 minute class. Each class is a challenge and sometimes I add new things, change the order/sequence, have new play lists, share inspiring stories, and crack random jokes. The substance of the class remains the same, while the tiny details can change.

Tonight, after nearly an hour of sweaty bliss, one devoted student called me (in the most indearing/loving way) "crazy" to which I agreed, I am. I am crazy about inspiring people to better health and wellness. If you are committed to taking class I am committed to your experience. Since she had also pointed out that "Pappa Don't Preach" was not played on our Madonna night class, I made sure to put the song on the playlist tonight, and share how this was another song I chose to perform as a little girl, at a slightly inappropriate age for my loving local, conservative Indian association. Looking back, it was great, "I" didn't think anything was inappropriate, but due to my age, and the lyrical content, many in the audience disagreed.

We had The Black Eyed Peas "My Humps" to inspire our butt section, Pearl Jam "Even Flow" to inspire some flowing sit ups, Aerosmith "The Other Side" to inspire to alternating side planks and "Don't Wanna Miss a Thing" to lead us into Savasana. I love when people sing along, that is always fun! One thing that remains consistent in class is "Cherry Pickers". For some reason, while I changed the order of our sequence, people got excited that the Cherry Pickers would not be on tonight's menu of mayhem. No such luck Boogie Down Bronx. If the play list goes on, so do we. We picked, and picked, and picked while some students assumed that others had spilled the beans and indirectly reminded me, I was actually saving it till the end. Come on folks, "Cherry Pickers" is a staple in our class thus far....expect it every time. While we are not literally picking Cherries, it is a wonderful feeling! Tonight, it was the Cherry on Top, literally!

Yoga-laties @ Bamboomoves

The Yoga-laties class surprises me each week! So far our record head count has been 24!!! Boogie Down Bronx brings the heat! This class is highly intense yoga with a rapid flow vinyasa, hindi push ups (as the Indian Wrestlers do), Pilate's inspired core exercises, and more. The music play lists adds to the motivation of the sweaty class. I am truly inspired by this lovely group of people. When I had taught this class in BK, they thought it was too intense, and in BX, they welcome the challenge, with no reservations to let me know if class was hard or not hard enough. I LOVE IT!!! I myself find the class challenging, especially after teaching the 3 yoga classes earlier in the day, so the musical play list is what keeps me going. It is a lot of fun, a great sweat, and people are already seeing results. Whenever working a muscle group, it is good to give your body a break to recoup. So Wednesday and Saturday nights leave everyone feeling extra yummy the next two days, and ready for class again! These people encourage each other to push through sets, laugh, and recognize the changes in their bodies. Good job Bamboo Yogis!!!! If you think you or someone you know would want a good sweat, a toned core, a challenge and fun....come to Yoga-laties at Bamboomoves every Wednesday at 6:45pm and Saturday at 4pm. I acknowledge that the class is a challenge, so if you want to do a bit and sit in child's pose, I am cool with that. Yoga is after all a practice. When we spend hours in front of the T.V, getting hypnotized and absorbing negative energies, why not head to a class and absorb some positive energy and inspiration.

Just as a heads up, I will be absent on April 14th & 17th, so in replacement there will be Yoga on those two days.

Yogalaties Every Wednesday Night!

So after a lovely petition was put together by the members of Bamboomoves, the Yogalaties class now has a weekly time slot (Wednesday nights, 6:45pm), along with our every other Saturday class at 4pm. Our first Wednesday night, we had nearly 20 people!!! Every Wednesday night, we will begin with a half hour of yoga, followed by pilates inspired core related exercises.. I like to add in some additional abdominal exercises to really get the harmonizing moans and groans out, in order to guarantee that every participant leaves class feeling like they really worked their core, and of course, remembering all the hard work the next day. The class is tons of fun, and a great way to get "beach body" ready for summer! Come and join every Wednesday night @ 6:45pm.