Kickboxing/Yoga Fusion??? What
the heck is it and what should I expect?
Kickboxing is a well-known sport that combines kicking and
punching on bags that burns an insane number of calories while delivering on
the fun. Yoga, also well-known in the exercise world as a floor-based spiritual
meditation, strengthens and lengthens muscles in a gentle and relaxing manner.
While we know them very well independently, how in the world did this concept
evolve and how does it work?
“The fusion class was
really the brainchild of Amanda [Girl Fight Fitness founder] and Jennifer
Venditti from Lilananda Yoga that was inspired by our year of sharing a studio,”
says Jeanna, a Girl Fight Senior Trainer. For those of you that are unfamiliar,
Lilananda Yoga was looking for a space last year to grow their brand and Amanda
welcomingly invited them into her Burnt Hills Girl Fight location. Not only did
she allow them to create a space customized to the aesthetic/feel of their own brand,
but she wanted to further collaborate on dual classes! While Lilananda Yoga has
since acquired their own space, the fusion class remains on the Girl Fight
schedule due to popular demand.
Girl Fight Fitness, a true pioneer in the rapidly changing
fitness environment, offers this class as an option to get your cardio,
strength, endurance, and flexibility training in all at once! On top of it, you
do not need any prior experience in kickboxing or yoga to participate. But
before you say, “where do I sign up!?,” you may ask, “what will I be doing
exactly?”. Let us assure you that you won’t be trying to do a back kick on the
bag while in a down dog position (which would be pretty hard to do!). Rather, the
class is broken down into segments with the first half contributed to
kickboxing and the second to yoga. Jeanna provides the typical class breakdown
below:
·
Brief Warm-up
·
10 Minute Strength Training
·
10 Minute Kickboxing Combo on punching bags
·
25 Minutes of Yoga (Ends with Savasana - a pose that looks
like you’ll catch some much needed zzz’s, but is meant for relaxation and
awareness of mind, body, and spirit.)
·
Guided mediation (occasionally)
She says that the combination of these workouts positively
affects mental health due to a release of endorphins, as well as, the
mindfulness received in the practice of yoga. We hope you are as excited to
take this class as we are to teach it!
As per gym rules, be sure to grab a pair of clean indoor
only shoes and some water for this fitness packed class. Mats and gloves are
provided, but please feel free to bring your own if you have them. You can
catch this class, currently taught by Tori DeMasi on Tuesdays at 6:30PM in
Burnt Hills and Corryn Andrianus/Tori DeMasi on Saturdays at 9:00AM in Burnt Hills. However,
we are proud to announce that Jeanna Mead will be bringing this class to us at
Latham starting in September! It will be held on Mondays at 7:30PM. Come kick
it with us soon!