You can’t buy hand weights these days at any price – since the lockdown we have all, it seems, been on a fitness binge. I expect, like everyone else, you’ll have tried the Body Coach, Joe Wicks, already. But now we’re into the eighth week of isolation, it could be time for a bit of a change, for something a little different. Even better, something a lot more personal and interactive, maybe? So, if you want to inject something new (and a lot of fun) into your exercise regime here are a few ideas.
Anna Barrow
If you’re stuck in the city and long for a whiff of ozone with your yoga practice, join Anna’s yoga class on Wednesday (10am) or Sunday (11am) mornings. From her seaside Dorset home she teaches dynamic and restorative yoga for all abilities. Her flair for compassionate communication and perceptive teaching gives her classes a very personal touch. Post-lockdown, she is hoping to be running summer courses with yoga on the beach and on paddleboards (that must give the requisite social distancing, surely?). Should be the perfect staycation.
For details, contact Anna at: www.threetreeyoga.com or follow her Facebook page.
Tracy Burt
Tracy’s dance classes in the studio have a super-loyal following and she’s now taken them online for the duration of the lockdown. There are morning dance aerobics classes (picture a happy hour of boppy dance routines to great tunes – and I promise you’ll know them all). Then she has more technical ballet and jazz classes in the evenings. Alternatively, if you fancy a get-together with your friends over something a bit more active than a cocktail, she can turn you into West End musical stars (think ABBA, Cabaret, Dream Girls) for the evening.
For details of classes and bespoke evenings, contact Tracy at tracyburt702@hotmail.com.
Shifan Ozseza
Over in a much sunnier place, Shifan teaches Arabic and belly dancing in Cyprus. Personally, I have never understood why it’s called belly dancing. Really it should be hip dancing – and, believe me, never will your hips have had such a workout – though, there again, don’t expect your ribs, shoulders, legs or abs to get off that lightly either. Shif teaches traditional technique and develops it into gorgeous routines. Unbelievably graceful arms are pretty much a guaranteed result and no one will ever be able to out-shimmy you again.
For class details: Shifanozseza@gmail.com or Whatsapp on 0900 533 8855767.
Rambert
Ballet Rambert is surely the place to go if you’re interested in contemporary dance. They are running online classes for everyone from kids to seniors and often contain sections of their repertoire, too, so you really are dancing. So, for instance, their weekly Wednesday contemporary class (6-7pm) is taught by Rambert dancer Aishwarya Raut but is suitable even for complete beginners. They have ballet classes, too, plus a pretty demanding body conditioning session.
For all details: https://www.rambert.org.uk/join-in.
Laura Ichajapanich
If you’re looking for a sense of inner peace but you’re not (like me) much good at sitting and meditating, you might find Laura’s Qi-gong and Taiji classes the ideal way of bringing a butterfly brain to a state of calm. For me, at least, these slow, repetitive, rhythmic movements do exactly that. Laura’s classes focus very much on the health aspects of both practices and she is also a qualified acupuncturist and tuina practitioner. She has an eight-week course in Chen Taiji Fundamentals and another in Qigong starting this week but if you want a quick taster to see if it’s for you, she also has free online classes daily at 10am.
For bookings and information, see www.movingqi.co.uk.
