In college, I attended at least two yoga or pilates (without machines) classes a week. They focused less on the spiritual aspect and more on pushing and stretching your body. The two classes I’ve tried at Core Fitness in Myrtle Beach seemed to line up more with what I had experienced.

The Instructor
Chris Colone taught the two classes I attended. She has certifications in Group Exercise, Spinning, Yoga, Stott Pilates, and TRX Group. That woman definitely knows what she’s doing! She led everyone smoothly from one pose to another with every pose expanding on the previous one. While she watched everyone’s forms, she corrected mistakes without pointing one person out. She also suggested modifications when she could tell some were just not ready for a certain pose, but still encouraged us to push just a little harder.

The Class
While I’m sure every instructor teaches differently, both of the classes I attended with Chris felt like more of a mix between Yoga and Pilates (without the machines) and less like a class at a yoga studio with incense and meditation. The poses were definitely challenging; they focused on balance and slow, deliberate movements. I found my muscles shaking a few times while I attempted to move into a more difficult pose and cursing myself for not working out regularly. Since I loved the class and plan on going back, that was motivation enough to schedule time to work out between classes.

I did notice that she tailored each class to the participants. In the first class, we had a lot of CrossFit members, so she led us through more difficult poses and modifications. In the second class, she recognized that most were returning to the class after not attending for awhile, so she took more time to ensure everyone was keeping up and to correct forms.

By the end of the hour-long session, I was definitely feeling it in muscles I hadn’t used in a long time. The next day, I felt sore, but not to the point that I was miserable. I think if I keep up with these classes and working out in between, I will feel a lot more comfortable keeping up.

Recommendation
I would recommend this yoga class for anyone who wants to utilize yoga to stretch and challenge. The poses will definitely stretch and strengthen your muscles, but you won’t find yourself working on forearm balance or reciting mantras. It seems to work perfectly for CrossFit members who need a good stretch and toning before or after their CrossFit session. Those that want to tone and strengthen could really benefit from this class as well. I really enjoyed pushing my muscles and maintaining balance. I definitely plan on returning!