by ninaeliseh | Aug 22, 2016 | Blog, Brooklyn, Studio Reviews, US Travels, Yoga
After being MIA for most of the summer, I am finally making the time to sit down and write about my latest adventure in NYC!
I planned this trip about a month or so ago with a few other yoga teacher I work with, so this was the first non-solo yoga trip I’ve ever taken! We decided to fit in as many classes as possible in 3 days – 12 fitness classes, to be exact! We went to a few yoga studios I visited back in June, as well as a few new ones. Literally back-to-back classes, living-off-protein-bars-until-dinner busy!
Friday:
7:30 am: Flight lands
9:30 am: The Class
Probably telling everyone to hurry up so we don’t miss our next class
Light Lunch @ by Chloe
Avocado toast… I’ve never been more happy to eat in my entire life after an intense 75 minute workout!
12 pm: Laughing Lotus
Still have some energy on the first day
3 pm: Jivamukti
light Snack @ Jiva Café
5:30 pm: Y7 Yoga (Union Square Location)
At this point, I separated from everyone & grabbed dinner with my friend in Brooklyn
Dinner @ Vinnie’s – Baby pizza slices on a Hawaiian pizza??! My stomach was so happy to eat this delicious pie!
Saturday 8/6
10 am: Dharma Yoga Studio
All smiles after a sleepy yoga-nidra class with Dharma!
11:30 am: 2nd meditation class @ Dharma Yoga Studio
Quick lunch: Hu Kitchen
Rushing to get to Ishta post-lunch!
2 pm: Ishta Yoga w/ Marco Rojas
Best class of the weekend w/Marco!
5 pm: Tangerine Yoga in Brooklyn
10:30 pm: Dinner @ Catch Restaurant
Pre-dinner in meatpacking district
Sunday 8/7:
8:30 am: Iyengar Yoga
10:30 am: cycling class at Cyc Fitness w/Hunter, chelsea location
11:45 am: cycling class at Soul Cycle w/ Danny, union square location
Post- Soul Cycle!
2 pm – Barry’s Bootcamp w/ Shannon M, NOHO location
Grab lunch @ Los Tacos in Chelsea Market
Afterwards, my friends left for the airport, and I headed to Brooklyn to hang out with my friend for an extra day – meaning, sleeping in & trapezing along the hudson river on Monday!
The weekend was such a blur, and I am STILL processing everything! Overall, 12 fitness classes in 1 weekend = my body needs a massage! Planning for an entire weekend was a lot of work, and now I feel like I need a vacation from my vacation 🙂 I did learn a lot, and am so excited to implement a lot of new things into my classes!
So what’s next? Yoga Retreat in Thailand, backpacking in Barcelona, and a week of yoga & relaxation in Ibiza… 1 month away! Then… headed out to Cali to hang with Tony Robbins in November:)
Also – I’ll be back in NYC in the next few months… so if there is anything I missed this time around, let me know! I love taking new yoga classes in the city, and am always looking for amazing teachers!
by ninaeliseh | Aug 16, 2016 | Blog, Health & Fitness, Studio Reviews, US Travels, Workouts
While I travel to NYC to check out other yoga studios/teachers/workshops, it’s also helpful to try other types of workouts to see the set up of the studio, what is offered, the type of motivation, exercises, etc. Although I generally stick to running, yoga, & BBG, I do love me some intense circuit training. If you’ve ever heard of Orange Theory Fitness…
Barry’s Bootcamp is essentially the same workout. Except, 5 times harder.
The workout is described as “hour-long workouts.. [which] include 25-30 minutes of interval cardiovascular treadmill routines and 25-30 minutes of strength training utilizing free weights, resistance bands, medicine balls and other equipment. Instructors, muscle groups and even workout segments vary throughout the week so that no one class is ever the same.” (website)
Frid-Sun is designated for overall-body conditioning… So, as the 12th and final class of the weekend, I was a little scared if my body could keep up. Luckily, something inside of me kicked in, and I had the energy + much more to push through the class. It ended up being my favorite workout of the weekend! Also bonus: You can burn up to 1,000 calories an hour. Yep.
Following Soul Cycle, we went back to our hotel & showered, then headed to the NOHO location. 
We walked in, and were greeted by employees at the smoothie bar – which, btw, you can order a smoothie for post-workout BEFORE class even begins. So, your ice cold smoothie is waiting for you as soon as you are finished with your workout. How awesome is that??
Anyways, we walked to the back of the entryway, checked in, and were told where the locker rooms were & what to expect. After putting our items in the lockers, we headed to the room to find our assigned spots. I was a bit confused when we first walked in, as there are mirrors EVERYWHERE. It was almost like a fun house, and I wasn’t quite sure where the room began and ended.
photo credit: http://www.jeanninemorris.com/the-jm-edit/2015/5/2/barrys-boot-camp
Since the class was so small, we all started on the treadmills. Following 1 yoga class & 2 cycling classes (Cyc Fitness & Soul Cycle), my body was obviously ready for more cardio :p
The class format was:
8 minutes on the treadmill w/sprints
8 minutes strength training w/weights (8-15 lbs for me!)
8 minutes on treadmill (incline sprints)
8 minutes strength training w/weights
8 minutes on the treadmill w/ even faster sprints
8 minutes strength training w/even heavier weights
cooldown/stretch
There was about 30 seconds-2 minutes of recovery in between sets, which didn’t seem nearly enough… however, it didn’t give my mind time to think about stopping, and only pushed me to go harder.By the time I was doing my final 1-minute sprint on the treadmill, I was past the 11 speed, and my body felt amazing (11 speed is about a 5:25/minute mile, to give you an idea of what torture was happening to my legs).
Our instructor, Shannon, was seriously awesome – I loved the circuit she put together, and she pushed me past any limit I thought I had. I mean, 11 on the treadmill at the end of an intense workout?! I need to start giving myself some pep talks, because I can obviously do better than my 30-second 9.5 speed sprints during my own workouts.
Following the workout, we showered at the gym & got ready. The showers were huge, and included shampoo/conditioner/face wash/body wash. Towels were also included, as well as hair dryers & toiletries for women. I could have left half my gym bag at home and been ok!
Summary: Awesome workout that kicks your butt – can I move to NYC just so I can take all these amazing workout classes all the time??
Pros: Free towels. Lockers. Endless supply of toiletries. Huge showers. Burn up to 1,000 calories/class. Workouts are always different, every time. Instructors are well-trained. Staff is welcoming & helpful.
Cons: a little pricey, but worth it for what you get! Water filter is behind the smoothie bar, so every time you need a water refill, you have to have someone get it for you.
Cost: $34 for a 1 hour single-class drop-in
