The Vinyasa power flow, Kundalini meditation, restorative yin; each of these styles hold true to classic yoga practices. Many studios, however, are beginning to blend classic practices with other methods of fitness. From yoga sculpt to trigger point therapy, yogis are beginning to draw in fitness junkies with the allure of combining multiple workout styles into one class. Here we’ll delve into a couple classes being offered in LA’s hottest studios and what you can expect when you roll your mat out.
Yoga Sculpt
We know that moving our bodies through yoga poses takes plenty of strength, however, these classes bring an additional layer of strengthening: enter hand weights. Most yoga sculpt classes begin with building heat with a vigorous yoga flow. This allows you to become acquainted with the poses, focusing on form and alignment.
- As the body heats up and lengthens out, familiarity builds. Step one, check.
- Next, you’ll grab a pair of dumbbells—typically anywhere from three to five pounds.
- You will return to the yoga poses you were just moving through, but this time you’ll stay in each posture a bit longer and add on strength moves.
- Think holding chair pose while doing bicep curls or raising and lowering your horse pose in sequence with overhead presses.
Sculpt classes are allowing participants to mellow out during with a yoga flow and hammer out any aggression with some sculpting. The result: sweaty and satisfied.
Yoga Barre
A traditional barre class is inspired by classic ballet movements and positions. You elongate and tone with high repetitions and a variety of props. The fusion of a yoga barre class intermixes the two styles of fitness throughout the class. Instead of creating a flow by moving through yoga poses, you’ll find yourself in a series of exercises focusing on the same body part. After several consecutive exercises working the same area, you’ll be stretching it all out with neutralizing yoga poses.
Picture being at the ballet barre and performing squats through the full range and half range of motion followed immediately by pulses in your deepest bend; lengthen it all out in standing pigeon pose for sweet relief. Core work follows suit with high repetitions and minimal rest, but instead of traditional crunches, resistance from the barre or a ball are used to engage the deepest layer of your abdominals.
Side note: strengthening these muscles just so happen to help with your yogi handstands and inversions. Win-win.
Trigger Point Therapy
The importance of tissue mobility is hotter than ever. We are realizing you can’t optimize your practice if you’re holding onto all sorts of tension. TPT yoga classes spend about half of the class flowing and half the time mobilizing. The goal of the flow is to heat the muscles up. Warming up muscles is optimal for working out trigger points.
After about 30 minutes of a gradually building yoga flow, the latter half of the class uses tools and techniques to relieve trigger points – knots of tension within our muscles. Lacrosse balls assist in providing a self-massage, but beware: you might shed a tear or two. Insert breathing techniques to guide you through the tough spots. Wrap it all up with a soothing Savasana, and you will leave this TPT class feeling like you just walked out of a spa – refreshed and rejuvenated.
Fusion classes open our eyes to the progressions of fitness. The art of intertwining two workouts into one class takes balance and finesse. Challenge yourself to step outside of the box and switch up your regular with a yoga fusion class.
