Udlånt af Chandler Plante
Udlånt af Chandler Plante
I have a hard time letting go. During yoga class, when the instructor encourages us to release our tongue from the roof of the mouth, I keep mine glued in place out of sheer spite. So when I sit down to try Alicia Keys's favorite workout class — aptly named ' Klassen ' — og grundlæggeren, Taryn Toomey , begynder at tale om frigivelse, jeg er allerede utilpas.
Kort sagt gentager The Class en enkeltstående bevægelse for hele en sang, opbygger varme i kroppen og beder dig derefter observere, hvad der kommer op. Når du begynder at bevæge dig - [med] øvelser som squats eller jumping jacks - guider læreren dig derefter til en bevidsthed om din bevægelse, siger Natalie Kuhn , Co-CEO hun har tidligere samarbejdet med The Class i 2021 til Mental Health Awareness Month, og bragte endda The Class til hendes seneste Athleta-lancering i januar.
Opbygning af bevidsthed er én ting, men som Toomey bemærker, før han dykker ned i programmeringen, er den virkelige udfordring at beslutte, om der er nogen tendenser, du er villig til at frigive. Helt ærligt, jeg er ikke sikker. Men jeg er nysgerrig nok til at give det en chance, og jeg fokuserer på et af Toomeys mantraer for at hjælpe, og gentager efter hende: 'Vis mig.'
I'm practicing The Class at home on a sunny Sunday in Arizona, still slightly apprehensive, but pleasantly surprised to find that the 60-minute practice starts off like some kind of psychedelic yoga disco. To get the full experience, I choose a session taught by Toomey herself, and after warming up, the class is bouncing and shaking. 'Let the movements be a bit unique,' Toomey says, and that's all the permission I need to hear.
I det, der ender med at blive en af mine yndlingsdele af The Class, opfordres vi til at bevæge os frit i hele sangens varighed. Jeg er inspireret af den stille absurditet i det hele, suser rundt i min stue og sænker det lavt på en måde, der (dog uforklarligt) bringer mig stor glæde.
Efter dette første udbrud af bevægelse, holder vi pause for at observere, og jeg bemærker, at mit hjerte suser, men resten af min krop taler ikke til mig endnu. Måske har hun ikke noget at sige.
Although The Class incorporates guided meditation , I can confirm the physical practice is still very legitimate. Much of the movement feels similar to yoga, including poses like cobra and downward dog, and I actually appreciate the repetition. With every exercise, I have plenty of time to build a solid mind-muscle connection and feel the type of burn you'd expect from any other workout class. We move through back extensions, glute bridges, and ab work, with Toomey reminding us to return to the breath. I'm only a little thrown off by more unconventional instructions like 'soften your scalp.'
Det er værd at nævne, at lyd er en væsentlig komponent i The Class. Toomey guider os gennem dybe, gutturale lyde 'fra roden', som hun siger virker mod spændinger og viser en vilje til at udvikle sig. Jeg forstår, at lydene også er beregnet til at hjælpe os med at holde os i harmoni med vores kroppe, hvilket tjener som endnu en udløsningshandling. Det er interessant, at jeg, selv alene i min stue, stadig føler mig en smule flov.
About halfway through the class, I'm hit with the sinking realization that we're building up to an entire song's worth of burpees. Hearing a spiritual mentor like Toomey say such a bro-ish word feels a bit bizarre — like seeing your teacher outside of school. I wonder if maybe this is just a short segment meant to challenge our sense of discipline, but I'm woefully mistaken. 'What would you like to express?' Toomey asks mid-burpee. Vrede, Taryn , svarer jeg.
Udlånt af Chandler Plante
If my body was quiet before, it's now screaming at me. We pause to observe again, and in my own subtle act of rebellion, I abandon the virtual class for a 10-second water break. Payback for the burpees. It takes time to regain my trust, but over the course of planking and curtsy lunging, I stubbornly admit the endorphins are flowing, and we eventually find our way back to my favorite block of free-for-all movement.
Maybe it's the rainbow shadows seeping through my stained glass window film, or perhaps the merciful absence of burpees, but the final round of dance unlocks a new level of unadulterated play I'm not used to in my usual workouts. I pull off my claw clip and whip my hair around, which might've made for an incredible main character moment if I wasn't completely alone. We end the class with a meditation, using our arms as tools to release and redirect any lingering energy.
At give slip er ubehageligt, som Kuhn erkender, men det gør det ikke umuligt. 'Næsten alle kæmper med at give slip', siger hun til 247CM. 'Vi vokser alle op med forskellige måder at ville føle os trygge, set, sikre og elsket på, og disse mekanismer bliver til tilknytninger. Så når nogen siger: 'Åh, lad det bare gå', føles det for nogle, som om du lige er blevet bedt om at give slip på din redningsflåde midt i havet.'
Klassen is nothing if not self aware. In the middle of the session, Toomey levels with us, saying that the first step of any new thing will usually throw you off center, like trying a new workout class, for example. From here, we practice and gather the tools we need to succeed. There's still a lot I'd like to release, and I don't think I'll ever get there in a single workout, but Klassen gave me the space, the freedom, and very possibly the willingness, to recognize the work that's yet to be done.
For mig er det hver burpee værd.
