Around The Fitness World In 80 Days: Day 12 ! Vinyasa Yoga

A friend once told me that her school gym teacher used to shout at her for not trying hard enough in class, based solely on the fact that she wasn't sweating (don't ask me why we were talking about sweating). She just wasn't a sweaty person. Like the immense Roger Federer. He doesn't sweat (nor does he smile, get angry, give himself a little "Come ooon!" arm pump, or generally show any emotion whatsoever, which actually leads me to suspect that he is part robot but that's another blog).

Obviously some people sweat more than others. I sweat profusely and quite frankly, disproportionately to my activity level. Which may explain why, before, I only really feel like I've properly worked out if I've sweated a lot. No sweaty = no worky. I say “before” because I now get that you can be toning (like Day 5 Reformer Pilates) and still be working out but not sweating like diced onions in a frying pan (as a side, I mentally recalibrate the Sweat Scale ranking for a normal person so don’t worry about that). So I've always had an issue with yoga. It seemed too peaceful to be a workout. But I was wrong. I sweated in Vinyasa Yoga today. Only a little, but almost consistently throughout the class. Slow and steady like a little snail on its way to the fruit market.

It didn’t get off to a promising start – I was 15mins early and the teacher was 10mins late. That’s 25mins of hanging out in the phone-free studio with the other students. No-one chatted, no-one made eye contact and some started going through some funky postures. Other than the sun salutation and cobra (thank you, Day 1-3 Fatcamp), I didn’t have much else in my book so I sat crossed-legged, braided my hair and tried to appear zen-like.

But when instructor Laura, the room lifted and the class began. This was an Open class, so beginners are allowed but if you are, expect some references to moves that you may not know and need a quick glance at your neighbour for as not all the moves were explained step-by-step. However, the moves flowed well and were unexpectedly challenging. There were moves where your muscles would shake a little and you feel your core working but your breathing was steady and controlled. The well-planned sequence meant that no challenging posture was held for so long that you needed to collapse but held long enough so that the brief respite poses were welcomed before you went again. One of the best-feeling exercises was when there was a short interval from the solo postures and the class was divided into groups of 3. One person would go into a bridge (or their best version of a bridge) and two people would use wraps, one under the shoulders and the other around the bum to stretch out the person. It felt s.o. good. I finally understand the meaning when yoga / pilates / stretching people talk of “opening up” (the chest, the arms, the back etc).

The class left me feeling energized but oddly calm. And definitely made me rebalance what I previously thought of yoga. Which is exciting because there are a lot more types of yoga out there to try! I almost feel I was a wee bit harsh on Day 8 Scaravelli Yoga now. But then not really. That 75mins of my life I’ll never get back. Onwards and upwards!

The Need To Know:

- Where: TriYoga Soho (just of Carnaby Street, what a location!)

- Nearest Station: Oxford Circus (6mins)

- When: Various types of yoga / pilates all day every day

- How Much: Intro offer of 2 weeks for £20, else drop-in starts at £14/hr or class packages

- Special Note: Same note re. booking system as previous TriYoga review. This studio is smaller than its Chelsea sister with a more rusticy, creaky floorboards atmosphere.

The Want to Know:

- Who’s it For: For those who are looking for non-impact, constant-but-lower intensity class

- Sweat Scale: A pretty constant 6/10

- Strength / Cardio / Flexi / Tone: Toning and flexi

- Complexity: 6/10 Some moves not that obvious

- Fun Factor: 7/10 A calm fun, not an energetic grr fun

- Changing Facilities: 2 open showers, 2 toilets, no lockers in this studio

- Instructor Inspiration: 6/10.

The Stats:

Grr…I must’ve hit the timer stop button (probably when in a press-up position) as only a minute was recorded. And I was interested to see the HR for this class – maybe I will try another one, for the sake of the stats!