Archive for the ‘Fitness’Category

The Yoga Expo offers all-in-one experience for yogis

The Yoga Expo

The Yoga Expo

This post was written by guest contributor Dani Marie Robinson, a seasoned yoga instructor, writer, traveler and food enthusiast. Find her at Dani Eats Life on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.

Many consider Los Angeles the epicenter of all things yoga in the United States. Thousands of yoga teachers hustle day in and day out to provide instruction to exponentially more students across a dense landscape. And the seemingly endless growth of this billion-dollar-a-year industry has bled into other facets of life: what we eat, what we wear, what we drink, how we think, what we listen to, who we revere — what we consume in general.

The amalgam of what yoga has become in the West came together in early January with The Yoga Expo at the Convention Center in downtown Los Angeles. Upon approach, you’ll hear the murmur of voices, background “yoga music” and an instructor on a microphone. Friendly volunteers accepted $25 payments and welcomed guests in. In the large open space, there were about 60 yoga mats closely layered across the floor, filled with eager practitioners.

Just beyond the open practice was the warehouse-sized room that hosted numerous vendors, businesses and artists hoping to spread awareness and information (something I like to call “awaretion”…it’ll catch on, I’m almost certain.) Decorating the walls and corners of this large space were yogis (a better term might be acrobats) performing what felt like a hybrid of gymnastics and break dancing. It turns out there were a few competitors in Asana performance-type tournaments and competitions, an odd and very American phenomenon to arise out of yoga’s popularity.

LA Yoga Expo gongs

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27

02 2016

Sweat your butt off with WundaBar Pilates

WundaBar PilatesI consider myself pretty adept at the art of pilates. I’m by no means an expert, and I know I still have a long way to go, but I take classes two to three times a week. So when WundaBar Pilates approached me to try one of its classes, I thought I would perform pretty well.

WundaBar Pilates uses the WundaFormer, a patented version of the classic reformer machine that incorporates all major pilates apparatus in one machine. The reformer, chair, jump board and ballet barre are all in one machine, saving space and making workouts more varied and efficient.

For 45 minutes I sweated my butt off while planking, crunching, bridging, lunging, jumping (on the board) and more. Classes are focused and fast-paced. My instructor, Bridgette, was tough but also allowed us to modify the moves if we were struggling (and I was definitely struggling). I actually overheated, so make sure to hydrate and bring a towel!

Wundaformer Wundabar Pilates

WundaFormer

The first class is free, but after that it’s $30 per class. Luckily there’s a Gilt City deal for WundaBar Pilates in California (there’s also a New York City location) being offered right now.

Note: This class was hosted. Photos courtesy of WundaBar Pilates.

15

02 2016

Pilates kicks (my) ass

Gia Marakas doing the Pilates hundred

Gia Marakas doing the Pilates hundred on the reformer

I love Pilates, especially the kind that uses machines. So when I was offered a personal session with Gia Marakas, a private Pilates instructor based in Larchmont Village, I jumped at the chance.

I used to take lessons at Pilates Plus in downtown Los Angeles, and I loved using their proformer machines for added resistance to many classic Pilates moves. I did it three times a week and was getting in pretty good shape. Then I got a new job and never signed up for classes closer to my new office. A year goes by. And then I get this offer from Gia. Perfect!

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