Open Mind Yoga

What? Yoga, not sure what type though, just go with the flow man ;) !
Where? Open Mind Project, 95 Pearse Street, Dublin
Time? 1-2pm
How much? Donation based

Since the closure of the lovely Hush Yoga studio, I've been on the lookout for another drop in Yoga studio. I'm not keen on signing up for 8 week courses as I feel it really ties you into something you should be able to go at anytime you want that yoga hit. Alas, so many of the drop in classes cost alot so I was thinking that I'd have to be saluting the sun from my kitchen window! Until I heard about Open Mind Project. Hurray! www.openmindsproject.ie All classes at the centre are currently donation based. Double Hurray!
Its a bit tricky to find (I cycled passed it twice) and once inside I couldn't find anybody so wandered upstairs. The studio is a bright, warm, clean room with 3 huge green plants and lots of space. I had forgotten my mat so was freaking out a bit in case they didn't have any to spare. In my best 'I'm not freaking out' voice I asked the teacher for a mat and she smiled & pointed to a load of them neatly rolled up in the corner. Phew!
We started the class lying down on the mats, eyes closed and listening to our breath. Listening to heavy breathing is some peoples idea of torture but I think in a Yoga class it just doesn't seem so bad. Anyway, we moved to sitting up and horror of horrors, our teacher asked us to introduce ourselves and say whether we had any injuries. That bit was actually fine though, I thought she was going to ask us to name our intentions for our lives or something so I fell back into my breathy, relaxed state. Deirdre (our instructor) started with some core strengthening postures. I found these pretty hard going, as in I was shakin' like a leaf on the second posture. I think she saw me wobbling all over so showed 'the class' how to adapt the posture if its a but too difficult. Thank you! Deirdre bought us through some lovely flowing postures that were challenging but at the same time, relaxing. She demonstrates the postures then moves around the class, correcting peoples alignment and offering tips to progress each posture. The hour flew by. We finished the class with three Nommmmmssss, there were only 5 of us in the class so there was some very self conscious Nommmming going down but I gave it socks!
I really liked this class and going to it at lunchtime seemed so much more appealing than sitting at a desk, eating your tuna sandwiches! Its adaptable and gentle enough for beginners and intermediates alike.

Til next time,
Peace out 

P.S. Just a quick tip, during Downward Dog I was horrified to see up close and personal, how badly my poor feet needed some tlc, so remember to paint those tootsies!

Sculpt!

What? Sculpt
Where? YMCA, Aungier Street, Dublin 2
Time? 7.30 am (yuck!) til 8.15 am(phew!)
How much? 6 euro

So this morning I decided to 'treat' myself to an early morning wake up call in the form of a Spin class in the YMCA (http://www.ymca.ie/) in Dublin city centre. The YMCA has a massive schedule of classes for you to choose from, over 60 classes a week so your bound to find something that makes you want to throw on a pair of runners and get moving. The studio's and sports hall are spotlessy clean and the changing rooms are clean but the showers look like they need a small bit of an update. Weirdly, you need to bring your own padlock if you want to use the lockers or buy one at reception. I didn't know this so just took my bag into the studio with me.
You sign in at reception according to what class you are going to,  I signed in then noticed that Spin was crossed out and Sculpt was on instead. Oh I get so annoyed when centres just change the timetables like that!
I'd never been to a Sculpt class before so wasn't exactly sure what to expect. There were four other girls in the class and the instructor bounced in at 7.35, we did a pulse check, a quick verbal medical screening (any injuries etc?)  on with some dance music and off we went. The class starts off with a warm up, all moving briskly, side step, double side step, high knees, leg curls, kicks and lots of 'big elbows'. As we were jumping around Sandra (our instructor) informed us that this is a Hi Lo class and I nod away, smiling but have no idea what a Hi Lo class is, I thought it was Spin or Sculpt?!
After some stretches, we moved onto the main phase of the class, thankfully this was a fairly basic aerobic routine, the class is ideal for beginners who want to build up their fitness levels but may not want to go down the jogging/running route just yet. Sandra was great at demonstrating the moves and then called them out as we attempted to copy her. A few of the girls in the class were regulars so there was good banter and a nice atmosphere in the class. I got totally mixed up at the side side back 4 jump jacks bit every time we came to it, morto! At around 8.10 we got out some mats and did an 'abs blast'. Yikes! It only lasted 5 or 6 minutes but I really felt it, which, Sandra assured us, was a good thing!
We finished with a few stretches at about 8.20. I enjoyed this class, its a great energiser to start your day with and I felt great heading off to start my day with a bit of exercise taken care of!

Welcome everybody!

I'm starting this blog as a way to help us find our way through the amazing variety and choice in fitness classes and training available to us. I'm really excited to show you how easy it is to find a fun and suitable way for you to stay healthy, active and happy!
Please check back over the next few days, as I figure this blog business out, I'll post up details of various classes including type, location, dates and price. If you want to know any more about classes etc. just leave me a comment and I'll investigate  ( I'm terribly nosey ;) ) Likewise if you want me to know about a great class, just holla at me in the comment section!

Thanks for stopping by!

Raedi
P.S. I'll be starting with classes in the Dublin area and hope to stretch to other counties over time.