I’ve been blogging a lot about Yoga recently but here’s a post that answers the question, “What is a Body Balance class?” It’s an hour long exercise to music class from international, New Zealand based, fitness giant Les Mills. It is also ten or eleven ways to strengthen, stretch and flex your body.
The Les Mills format is straight forward. They release a new class every 3 months. We are up to release number 56 in Body Balance. Where ever you take part in a class, anywhere in the world , it will be the same moves and the same music. That’s great for continuity.You can get comfortable with the moves over a few weeks and then really get into developing your technique.
Body Balance itself is a lovely combination of moves and exercises from Tai Chi, Yoga and Pilates choreographed to great mood music. One of the best things about teaching this class for the last seven years is the great new artists I have discovered and fallen in love with. Great groups like Sleepthief, Conjure One, and Delerium that you have probably never heard of. And then some that you will have like Sting, Annie Lennox, The Script and Leona Lewis.
A Body Balance class usually consists of ten or eleven pieces of music with associated exercises as follows:
Tai Chi Warm Up: A beautiful flowing way to start. Arm circles, waist rotations, and shifting the weight from side to side. I like to describe this track as flowing like water, with no beginning to the moves and no ending. They merge into one sequence effortlessly and seamlessly. It warms up the body and clears the mind ready for some harder work later.
Sun salutations: Most yoga classes contain a sun salutation to warm up the body and Body Balance uses those yoga moves to the same effect, often adding a few surprise exercises into the sequence to maintain variety. The sequence is quite quick, often containing up to 16 different positions that flow from one to the next.
Standing strength: Now the class gets harder. Expect standing yoga poses like the warriors, triangle and standing lunges, design to strengthen the thighs and the gluteals. These tracks can be quite tough and they are meant to be. You will start to tremble and will notice a difference in your strength after only a few classes.
Balance: The pace slows down a little with exercises to test two things. Your balance – as most of the poses involve being on one leg. And strengthening the lower legs – your calves and ankles. These tracks are beautiful and challenging at the same time.
Hip openers: Anyone who runs or walks frequently, and definitely anyone who takes part in cardio classes will find their hips become tight. Body Balance gives you exercises to open up and stretch the hips. Expect to feel on the borderline between pleasure and pain in this track. The moves offer sweet release from tightness.
Core abdominals: Now we move into a more Pilates based environment with a track designed to sculpt the core of the body and the abs in particular. You might combine crunches, planks, side planks, leg raises and extensions. You will definitely feel a fire start to burn in your tummy.
Core Back: This second Pilates based track works the lower back and gluteals. You might be on your tummy lifting your legs up behind and your arms and chest up, or on hands and knees lifting into a cat stretch. When these two tracks are done you might feel really tired and there is often a natural short break here in child pose to allow you to recover.
Twists: By now the hardest part of the class is over. Gentle abdominal twists, either seated or lying down allow gravity to massage your inner organs. There might be some harder exercises like twisting lunges but on the whole the emphasis is calmer. The relaxing ending is in site.
Forward Bends: Many of us have tight hamstrings, particularly men who run and don’t stretch (which is most of them). This final working track is designed to stretch the hamstrings and the inner thigh muscles and sometimes the IT bands. The moves are slow, the stretches can be intense, the rewards don’t take long to show up. You will notice more flexibility here after a month or two of classes.
Relaxation: Sometimes one, maybe two pieces of music designed to relax the body. So on with a jacket and some socks. Lie down in a comfortable position, breathe deeply and let the oxygen re-energise your tired muscles and slow your heart rate done. Some people leave the class before this last section. I think that is a shame. We live such busy lives that we owe ourselves a few moments to chill. It might only be 6 or 8 minutes but it really finishes the class nicely. You’ll have combined the physical exercise earlier with a great relaxing calmness.
So that’s what to expect from a body balance class. Ten or eleven pieces of amazing music to strengthen, stretch and flex your body and to finally unwind the mind.
Over to you: Please tell me your experiences with Body Balance either as a teacher or a participant. What to you enjoy? What do you find most challenging? Please leave comment by clicking on “leave a reply” below.
If you liked this post you might like these reviews of past Body Balance releases:
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