Aerial Yoga with Andrea Featured on Fit or Fad!

aerial snapshot

aerial snapshot

LOVING this great video just released on Fit or Fad with comedian Kelly McFarland, with help from some amazing friends and yoga students! (I couldn't figure out how to embed the video here, but you can click on the image below to be taken to it.)

This was a BLAST!! You can read more about the class in this blog post by one of my students.

Thank you to Kelly, to Fit or Fad, and to all the students who participated!  And a big thank you to South Boston Yoga for letting us use your awesome aerial room!

Try Aerial Yoga MA at Barre & Soul, Melrose Yoga Studio.

Want to Start Feeling Better About Yourself Right Now?

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jean kilbourne photo

jean kilbourne photo

Back in April, which feels like a million years ago, I had the opportunity to meet one my personal sheroes - Jean Kilbourne, when she came to speak at a YWCA fundraiser luncheon.  She presented one of her signature talks on women's portrayal in advertising.  I had seen this on video before, but it was wonderful to be able to stalk-ishly introduce myself and I even got to chat with her a bit about body image in the fitness space.

I urge you to check out this brief trailer of her work:

It is incredibly challenging but necessary to remind ourselves to question, and even laugh at, the advertising images that bombard us.  They are designed to make us feel like we're not enough so that we will BUY STUFF!

Every time I look at an ad, I think, What is this ad trying to say?

The answer is usually insulting/preposterous, depending on your point of view.  Take this one for example, which I pass by many mornings on my way to class in Boston's Financial District.  It's for an upscale nightclub and pictures a grown woman dressed as Red Riding Hood as a man looks on in the background.  I've seen this thing in magazines, plastered on buses, etc...

red riding hood

red riding hood

What is the message here?  "Come to this bar, where men are wolves, and women are prey?"  Other than the attractiveness of the models, what exactly is "Red Hot" about this?  Maybe I'm missing something?  WTF?? Honestly people...

I wish we could just block it all out, the onslaught of images selling intentionally unattainable perfection, the demoralizing messages -- but that's not happening any time soon!  For now we'll just have to keep on reminding ourselves not to get sucked in.

Jean Kilbourne has written several books, I plan to start reading her latest soon.

My First Aerial Routine - Rehearsal Video

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Hope you all had a great weekend!  Mine was pretty full with teaching, family, and working on the new business.  I admit, I can get a little obsessive with work projects so I took the kids to the Boston Rock Gym for a little climbing and some time on the silks.  There's nothing like physical exertion to get you out of your head for a while!

Thought I'd share this video of a basic aerial routine I'm working on -- it's actually my first!  I'm no Cirque du Soleil performer yet but I'm so glad I picked up this hobby and look forward to continuing to develop my skills.

It's never too late to start something new -- the first time I touched the silks I was 29 or 30.  Not that that's old!  My point is I didn't grow up doing this, or even doing gymnastics for that matter.  My favorite quote:

"The best time to plant a tree was 20 years ago.  The next best time is today." -Chinese Proverb

Have a great week! Andrea

Only the Most Exciting News (That you may have already heard)

Barre+Soul_gray_®

Barre+Soul_gray_®

I am pleased to announce the creation of my new business venture!

Introducing... Barre & Soul, LLC!

Barre & Soul offers signature barre classes at select studios.  Our first location is Lexington Power Yoga in Lexington, Mass, and classes are already underway!  In the coming months, Barre & Soul will expand to additional locations, starting with partner studios and eventually opening our own freestanding studios.  If you are interested in opening a licensed Barre & Soul studio anywhere in the world, or if you currently own a studio in the Boston area and would like to partner with Barre & Soul, please email us at info[at]barresoul.com.

And if you are interested in training to become a Barre & Soul teacher, please get in touch as well!  Teacher trainings will be offered starting this summer and fall.

Where Barre & Soul came from:

I've been teaching barre since 2007, and for years I would try to explain to people what I did, and why it was sooo awesome, while they stared at me with puzzled expressions.  But not any more!  Barre has finally gone mainstream and word is out about this amazing, safe, effective method of exercise.  Now that there is so much demand for barre, I thought I would put my years of experience as a teacher and teacher trainer to work in developing my own program.

Over the last several years, my journey has led me from the barre to the yoga mat.  There were things lacking for me in my barre practice that I could only get in yoga, like backbending, back strengthening, meditation, an open heart and a sense of oneness with others.  But in yoga, I sometimes missed the incredibly effective results of the barre practice.  What if I could create a program that blended the best of both worlds?  That's what I've tried to foster with Barre & Soul's signature classes.

Barre & Soul Class Description:

Live powerfully, love your body! This one-hour class combines ballet conditioning, interval cardio, Pilates, yoga and meditation to strengthen your core, lengthen your muscles, center your mind and lift your spirits! Pioneered in the 1950s by professional dancer Lotte Berk, barre classes have proven effective for decades at producing impressive total-body toning and flexibility results while maintaining the utmost safety and accessibility for all students.   

This barre class picks up where others leave off by incorporating even more of the beneficial practices of yoga - playful arm balances, back strengthening and back bending to counter deep core work and keep the body in balance, inspiring mantras, meditation, and a philosophy centered in mindfulness, gratitude, compassion and interconnection. 

Over time, I'll be moving more and more of my business under the Barre & Soul umbrella, including my yoga and aerial yoga classes.  Please help support the growth of this newly sprouted seed by liking our Barre & Soul Facebook Page!

barre & soul facebook

barre & soul facebook

Thank you!

Andrea