This post is part of my 2017 New Year’s Resolution to try every group fitness class offered at my gym, The Equinox in Chestnut Hill. Full list of class reviews here.
Progress: 36 Classes Down, Approximately 7 To Go (class offerings sometimes change)
Ahhh, another yoga class.
I love how I feel after yoga.
I love how I feel during yoga.
I love how I feel the day after yoga. (Well, when I’m cautious during yoga, anyway.)
Yoga, indoor cycling, and barre were the only group fitness classes I had ever taken before I started this New Year’s Resolution, and they remain some of my favorites.
I’m not very flexible, and yoga pushes me to work on my range of motion in a positive way. Yoga also provides strengthening and balance without any high impact cardio, making it a wonderful complement to running.
Yoga Flow with Adam Caplan
Class length: 1 hour and 15 minutes
Description from the Equinox: A dynamic, physically and spiritually energizing form of yoga that sculpts, hones and tones every muscle in the body. Linking one movement into the next and the presence of mind from one moment to the next.
What Class Was Like
Class began with a brief mindfulness practice and then moved into a smooth yoga practice with a combination of held poses and a flowing sequence that continued to build with each repetition.
If you’re not familiar with mindfulness, it’s awareness (without judgment) of the present moment.
Sitting in a comfortable reclined position propped up by blocks and a bolster, we closed our eyes while we checked in with how our bodies felt, relaxed our muscles, and noticed our state of mind, our breathing, and our thoughts without trying to change any of them. Those familiar with Headspace or other types of mindfulness meditation would have felt right at home. Anyone unfamiliar is in for a treat – in a busy world, it’s a luxury to close your eyes, relax, and be guided towards a feeling of awareness and calm prior to beginning your yoga practice.
Do you show up to yoga for the body strength and not for the “spiritually energizing”? You’ll still benefit from taking a few moments to breathe and relax before class. You’ll increase your oxygen levels and be ready to get the most out of your workout, even if you’re not a meditation enthusiast.
Slow moving yoga sequences left time for instructions on breathing and precise placement of the body for each pose, as well as tiered options for many of the poses. Adam teaches a wonderful class.
Good for beginners?
Good for beginners but not novices. It’s hard to participate in a flow yoga class without prior knowledge of some of the poses. Taking a shorter beginner specific class or a restorative class if you’ve never done yoga before might be a good first step.
If you’ve taken some yoga classes before you will likely find Adam’s class accessible and welcoming. He asked if anyone had injuries in advance, and went around to help people tweak their posture in various poses. Rather than just troubleshooting, he visited most or all (it’s hard to see the entire room in downward facing dog) of the class multiple times. That’s great because it means students at all levels had an opportunity to receive guidance that would improve their practice.
Adam also used very inclusive language like “you can choose to” and “if it feels right to you today”.
He provided multiple options for poses where he would remind people to stay right where they were if they were comfortable, followed by statements like “if you’ve been practicing this pose and are would like to expand your practice”. This made me feel very comfortable hanging out right in phase one where I belonged.
I loved that Adam reminded the entire class that “one side may be stronger or more flexible than the other” and to revert if needed “if your breathing has become harder, back out of that version of the pose”.
It’s great to remind yourself going into any class that you can take any modifications you need to, but it’s even more welcoming when you have an instructor who makes the expansions of each pose feel optional rather than the modifications.
Adam’s language was perfectly designed to keep people from going too far.
Know before you go
- Yoga mats are provided.
- Don’t wear shoes into the yoga studio, leave them outside in the cubbies.
- Equinox cleans mats after use, look for a pile to add them to on the floor on your way out (don’t roll and return them).
- Hydrate before and after, there’s no good time for a water break in this smooth flowing class.