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S S E N FIT Anuttara Yoga Shala
Yoga Journey
Yoga unites the body and mind in order to achieve peace and serenity. There are many types. “Some of the more popular are Vinyasa Flow, which features dynamic movement and breath; Yin offers long slow holds; Iyengar focuses on alignment; hot yoga takes place in heated rooms; and Kundalini marries chanting and breath and is said to be the fastest way to enlightenment,” explains Leslie Glickman, founder of Yoga Journey (yogajourney.com), located in the Wyndham Hotel in Boca Raton. Barre++
With this fun workout you use Cirque du Soleil moves on hammocks using form and balance. “People come into my studio with a long face from a hard day’s work and within minutes of swinging on a hammock they’re giggling like teenagers,” says Hanna Tichy, owner of Barre++ in Boca Raton (barreplusplus. com). “We offer suspension yoga and Pilates on hammocks with handles so that you can freely invert the body, challenge your balance and safely perform extensions without injury.”
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“One of the nice benefits is that you need to use your core muscles to stabilize your body while executing a move with the equipment,” says Tichy. “You build strength throughout the body and minimize risk of injuries.” It creates great balance, too. While suspension training is generally safe for everyone, some people may have trouble with inversions. People who get car sick easily or experience vertigo may not feel comfortable at first on the swings or hammocks.
THE BOCA RATON OBSERVER
“YOU BUILD STRENGTH THROUGHOUT THE BODY AND MINIMIZE RISK OF INJURIES.” -HANNA TICHY, OWNER, BARRE++
Experienced yoga instructor Philip Christodoulou, founder of the Anuttara Yoga Shala (school) in Deerfield Beach, teaches a form of longhold yoga postures called Raja yoga (anuttarayoga.com), often practiced in a heated room. “Raja yoga is one of the oldest practices and it helps to relieve tension in the fascia or connective tissue of the body, lubricates the joints and my students say it leaves them relaxed and completely pain free.” Only train with seasoned professionals. And be careful not to overextend your joints trying to achieve a pose. “While yoga can be healing, it can exacerbate pre-existing injuries so always listen to and honor your body,” says Christodoulou. Further, people with glaucoma, detached retinas or high blood pressure should not do inversions without a doctor’s clearance.