I started off going to the Ballet for Every Body class on Tuesday nights on the recommendation of a…read morefriend. I'm not much of a dancer, and ballet doesn't appeal to me that much, but this friend recommended it so highly that I gave it a shot. Christina Providence, the teacher, is amazing. She encourages everyone to get comfortable in their bodies, and, as simple as this sounds, has had a profound impact on my life.
It turned out I had all these injuries that Christina helped me realize and then work through. The basic upshot is that she leads us through lots of restorative routines (aka, a lot of laying on the floor or rolling around) that have more or less completely healed up all sorts of chronic injuries I had from years of playing sports, being in front of the computer, and general tension.
So, the Tuesday night Ballet for EveryBody class is a great place to start. It's really affordable, accessible, etc. I'd thought that the other classes were probably too specialized for me. But, about a year ago, I entered into a really stressful period of my life that unfortunately isn't showing signs of letting up any time soon. Christina recommended that I try the Monday night class, which she said was pretty good for stress-reduction. It's AMAZING. We do typical pilates things on the equipment but also a lot of restorative things like short meditations, and things that feel very relaxing (again, a lot of lying on the floor) but that are actually really good at releasing tension and even strengthening. I legitimately credit this class with helping me manage this incredibly stressful thing in my life.
I played competitive sports until I was 26, and, even at my peak, I had a stubbornly weak and puffy core. Now, at 34, weight management is easier than its ever been, and I'm pretty strong and lean. I honestly think this is because of the precise exercises we do in the classes I've taken here.
Oh--I also get reiki now, once a month, from a different practitioner, also named Christina, and it's been amazing as well. The best way for me to explain it is that the effects of it last a lot longer than a regular massage. It also helped stop me from grinding my teeth at night.
Anyway. I wrote so much here because I really can't recommend this highly enough. I feel like this studio taught me how to listen to my body, and that's no small feat. I should also mention that there is no body shaming, ever, and that strikes me as unique. They never rush, they meet you exactly where you are, and the teachers I've taken classes from all seem genuinely excited to be there.
So, yeah. I'm a Core Poetry Evangelist, basically, because I started off as a skeptic and the classes there have helped me immensely.