We always love mixing things up here at Spruce and just in case you were beginning to think we were only about dream holidays and champagne we have decided to create a new mini-series for the summer and our ‘summer body’ goals….(drum roll please)…Welcome to Spruce Sweats!
We are challenging ourselves to try out as many of the different fitness options in Jozi this summer. And, of course, give you our take on the experience, the low-down on what it entails and what you can expect from the workout! If you have any suggestions of what we should try out and what you want to hear about, get in touch with us We are willing to give (almost) anything a try!
We kick started the series on a gloriously warm September morning by booking ourselves in for a session of yoga with YogaWorks. And not in just any old location, but on a rooftop in the middle of Jo’burg!
YogaWorks – established by Steven Heyman – has been hosting yoga on rooftops, parks and on Stand Up Paddle (SUP) boards for the past while. If you do happen to attend one of their upcoming events, expect somewhat of an unconventional session. In place of the Buddhist chants, the playlist is a funky mix of styles and eras; which turned out to be quite invigorating.
The yoga class was a Vinyasa Flow class, meaning the focus of the practice is smoothly moving through a series of poses whilst inhaling and exhaling. People who have never tried yoga automatically assume it to be easy – it is anything but easy; some poses can be exhausting on the muscles! The class had a warm and bubbly feel to it, probably owing to the mixture of beginners all the way through to the advanced. Obviously we would end up sitting next to the girl who was doing back-bending poses prior to the class starting.
The session lasted an hour and a half so it was quite intense (as neither of us has been into our yoga practice lately). But, thankfully of that time twenty minutes were devoted to breathing and relaxation – so while we did feel somewhat pushed during the session, the end made it completely worth it. We both loved the class; it was the perfect ‘balanced’ way to the start of a sunny weekend!
So the real question remains: how did the YogaWorks class score on our “Sweat ‘O Meter”?
2 sweat beads out of 5
We had such an awesome morning; our bodies were stretched and refreshed. We followed the class with a delicious cup of coffee at Father Coffee – making it the type of Saturday morning we would happily repeat!
Make sure to watch out for our upcoming posts in the series, and remember to get in touch with us if you have any suggestions of what to try out