Hot Powerflow Fusion: Michael Simpson’s Incredible Survival Story
When my boss told me to review a Hot Powerflow Fusion class in my next blog post, I reluctantly said, “k.” Don’t judge me, but I’m a bit of a snob. I do only yoga (at Powerflow Yoga, of course), and my hatred for other fitness classes burns with the heat of a thousand hot yoga studios.
Part 1: An uphill battle for my life
Class begins, and we warm up with some gentle movements before diving right into activating our core muscles in several Plank variations. 10 minutes later, I’m shaking uncontrollably and drowning in my own sweat. Everyone else seems to be playing it cool.
Our teacher, Nicole, tells us to grab our resistance bands, and I have two thoughts. First, I’m unsure the band is long enough because I’m really tall. On the other hand, the band does seem long enough that I can just hang myself from the ceiling fan should things truly start going south.
I look at the clock. It’s 10:02. Exactly one minute has passed since I last checked. I’m getting tired, but my body hasn’t fallen apart yet. I sit at a desk a lot lately, so I need to strengthen my upper back muscles. Maybe this isn’t so bad. Maybe my anguish is all in my head.
Part 2: Still dying
I’ll admit that I loved using the resistance bands. I could feel my upper back getting stronger, and I didn’t even care that I was doing overhead presses and upright somethings COMPLETELY offbeat. I notice the guy with biceps bigger than my head. He’s totally in the zone, his form looks exquisite to my untrained eye and every grunt sounds perfectly timed with a strenuous movement. I accidentally let out a kinda-cute, kinda-pathetic whimper and pray time will move faster.
Then, we lay on our sides and start doing some gluteal exercises. I now realize my anguish is very much not in my head. I might throw up, I’m definitely dying, but I’m still into it. “It’s all good. You need this,” I quietly whisper to myself. I attribute my chronic lower back pain to tight, weak gluteal muscles. “Living for the City” comes on, and I survive the next three minutes thinking about how happy Stevie Wonder always looks.
We take a short break from the third-degree torture, and we all laugh when Nicole makes a joke about how I’m dying. The class is fun, and that might be why I like it. Thanks to the upbeat music, Nicole’s personality and the impressive workout, everyone is having a good time. I remind myself as teachers, we need to encourage students to stop taking themselves so seriously.
We cool down via gentle stretches, and I reflect on the last 50 minutes. As someone who does only yoga to stay healthy, I need to incorporate this into my routine. I love yoga, but we simply don’t do enough exercises in which we’re pulling something toward our bodies. The result is that the biceps, rhomboids and posterior deltoids remain underdeveloped compared to the rest of the body.
The verdict is in: I like it!
I’m not going to tell you to take a Hot Powerflow Fusion class because it will strengthen/deepen/whatever your yoga practice. Maybe it will or maybe it won’t, but who cares? This doesn’t have to strengthen you for that.
I’m saying you should try this class because it’s healthy for you. After class, I felt really good. I wasn’t sore and felt ready to take on my day. But the real bonus was how good my butt looked! To loosely quote America’s latest sweetheart, Adam Rippon, I walked out of PFY Livingston feeling like a glamazon ready to steal the runway. It was hard and I was tired, but let’s face it: the best things in life don’t come easily.
What’s next for Fusion classes at Powerflow Yoga
?
Nicole Dockx created Hot Powerflow Fusion to deliver students a well-rounded fitness experience that integrates yoga, pilates and HIIT exercises. What started as a phenomenon exclusive to PFY Livingston has garnered praise throughout the whole PFY community. We’ve recently added it to the PFY Wayne schedule, and we’ll add it to the class schedule at PFY Jersey City (it opens so soon!).
In April, Nicole will lead the first Powerflow Yoga FusionTeacher Training. Visit our website for more details.
– Michael Simpson
