groove yoga

Fitness Friday: What’s Your Favorite Yoga…..

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It’s Fitness Friday! What have you been doing this week to stay fit?  This week the Hubz and I started a mind body and soul cleanse to help get our bodies ready for a busy summer.  Part of the cleanse is to stay active, here is what I did this week:

  • Friday: 20 cardio workout
  • Saturday: nothing- I spent Saturday cooking, cleaning, demoing chocolate, preparing for a birthday party and hosting a birthday party with only about 30 minutes to sit down and relax. This resulted in my fail of not completing this months challenge.
  • Sunday: 2.5 mile 60 minute walk
  • Monday: off
  • Tuesday: 30 minute yoga burn
  • Wednesday: 30 minute abs & legs Skinny Bitch
  • Thursday: off…..b/c girl reasons had me curled in a ball. TMI.

Days: 4/25 Days  2/15.5 Hours

What’s Your Favorite Yoga….

Mat:

I am honestly a yoga mat hoarder.  My friend came over the other day and walked into our workout room and saw the basket full of yoga mats and stared in shock – asking why do we need so many mats? Well honestly a few are samples that I have received, a few are the Hubz and a few are mine.

  • I have my super old Winsor Pilates Mat which is a thicker spongy mat that I don’t really use for yoga but more for mat workouts.
  • Then I have a Jade Yoga mat that is my favorite however it slips a lot so using it at home is not ideal because we have carpet and when I do use it I always end up at least a foot back from where I started.
  • The next mat I have which I like for power yoga and on carpets is my pRana Mat; it is super heavy, long and is good for more vigorous yoga sessions.  The downfall with this mat is that it weighs a ton and there is no way I could (or would) lug it to and from yoga classes.
  • I also have an Aurorae yoga mat which I don’t really like that much, although many people love it and honestly the Hubz is the one who uses it consistently.  I do however love my Aurorae yoga sport sweat towel and sleep free rosin bag.
  • My favorite mat because it is thin, naturally sticky, light weight and it doesn’t slip is my Gaiam Wisdom Yoga Mat; created from all-natural rubber that’s non-toxic, eco-friendly and biodegradable.   My husband also has  a Gaiam Mat, I’m not sure which one but it is a thicker one and he has a super cheap one he got at Target which is really pretty awful and slippery.

So as you can see I am a yoga mat hoarder; I like each mat for different reasons and use them all for different types of yoga, different floors and depending on my mood. What type of yoga mat do you have?

Type of Yoga:


I have tried Power Yoga, Anusara, Ashtanga, Groove Yoga, Restorative Yoga and community classes which are usually a Vinyasa class. My favorite yoga class to take is  Anusara which is a system based on Hatha Yoga founded by John Friend. I recently just took a Groove Yoga class and it was really an amazing experience.  It incorporates dance and yoga into one class and it gives you a great cardio workout and just lifts your spirit.  Ashtanga is more regimented than I like and after my six week workshop I  have never returned to another class. Restorative Yoga is all about being slow, relaxing, concentrating on the breath and you stay in poses for several minutes.  For me Restorative yoga is my favorite way to unwind, relax and it leaves me feeling like I just had an hour massage.  At home I usually do Rodney Yee Power Yoga, A.M. Yoga, Yoga for Abs and Yoga Burn at home along with some podcasts from yogadownload.com. What is your favorite type of yoga?

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Groove Yoga

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Our local Lululemon show room hosts a number of free yoga classes and last night the Hubz and I decided to take advantage of one of them. We tried a new yoga class called Groove Yoga (sometimes known as DJ Yoga Flow- when there is a DJ) at Laughing River Yoga; also a new to me studio. According to their website this is what Groove Yoga is:

Experience the energy of music and prana (life force) in a new way. Open your heart, quiet your mind, and be led on a journey of movement and music. In groove yoga you will explore the relationship between inner awareness and outward expression as you surrender to a meditative yoga groove. Draw on your intuition and spontaneity as you move through postures with breath and music as your guides. Music will range from upbeat to ambient, trance, and downtempo grooves.

*I tried to find videos on YouTube that would give you an idea- I found two that give you a short sample but they don’t really show you everything.

From this description I thought we would be going to a class that was going to be a mat based practice that would be incorporated with “upbeat to ambient, trance, and downtempo grooves.” Well I was only half right….you may say that really I had no idea what we were getting ourselves into.

We arrived early to class not knowing how busy it would be because it was free (to those who mentioned being referred from Lululemon) and because we had never been to this studio before. The instructor was outside waiting for the current class to finish and we talked a bit with her and she gave us a description of the class. I really wish I could remember what she said exactly but it was something to the effect of letting the music take you and getting up off your mat and letting the music move your body all around the room. Fear shot through my body and I could tell the Hubz was ready to turn and run especially when she made reference to no one else being there and how it might just be the three of us. But I stopped myself from leaving because I’d feel like a jerk and said might as well do it; take advantage of the 90 minutes to at least get a good workout in.

Eventually more people showed up and my nerves started to calm down a little, not much, but a tiny bit. As I rolled out my mat and took a seat I looked over at the Hubz and whispered – “if you want to go tell me now”; he said no and we stayed. Then I told myself to embrace this experience otherwise I wasn’t going to get anything out of it and would leave even more stressed out than I already was upon arriving there. I attempted to open my mind and be in the moment.

Okay so this didn’t all happen at once. We started the class with a mat workout that incorporated movement with traditional asanas. I started out slow and cautious, and nervous. I really didn’t want to look foolish but eventually I looked around the room and well everyone else looked a little silly too. I guess at that point I looked more foolish not joining in so I let it go and joined.


We moved from sitting poses to standing and that’s when we started moving around the room. Again a little nervous and withdrawn for the first few minutes but then music I know and love to dance to came on and I just couldn’t help but want to dance. Once I finally let my insecurities go I began to feel really good and feel so much more energized and couldn’t help but smile.

By the end of the class I felt amazing, a little silly but happy that I could laugh at myself when I had a hard time going around the room putting my opposite arm and leg up at the same time (I kept having to stop and get myself back on track – lack of coordination I guess haha). I also felt super peaceful and de-stressed and just so much more focused. I really surprised myself and went into the class thinking I wouldn’t ever want to do it again and now I can’t wait until next Fridays class!

I found that this genre of yoga embraces the spirituality of yoga along with music and dance to give you peace of mind as well as an amazing cardio workout- without making you feel like you are working out. It was great with the music the instructor chose but I bet it would be even better with the live DJ.

After this huge post I feel like I finally learned something new about myself, if I just let go I can have an amazing time and find something new that I love. I need to get out of my head and just relax more! I need to thank Lululemon for having this free class, Laughing River Yoga for having a vague description of the class and myself for embracing the situation ….oh and the Hubz for bearing through it (not his thing at all especially being the only guy).

I leave you with this: over the next month try something new, different, strange or that scares you and open your mind and give it a try. Come back here and tell me about it! Or if you have done this already tell me about your experience.