I was not expecting to be very challenged going into CorePower Yoga’s ‘Yoga Sculpt’ class.
I had taken my fair share of yoga classes, heated and unheated, in my day and I was fairly confident. How hard could it be? The tagline, “when muscle meets yoga,” didn’t scare me either. I’ve been to the gym at least three times this semester. I’ll be fine. (Spoiler Alert: I was not.)
If you’re looking for a relaxing yoga class to help you meditate, CorePower Yoga Sculpt is not for you. However if you’re looking to sweat more than you ever have in your life and feel like you can take on the world after, this is the class for you.
It’s like, if SoulCycle and yoga had a baby, that baby would be Yoga Sculpt.
It’s everything a traditional yoga class is not; fun pop music playing, weights are being lifted, you’re sweating so much the yoga mat gets slippery, and the instructor is encouraging you to “go deeper” and “feel it in your core.” When I say I felt like Cardi B after, I mean I came thru drippin’ (in sweat).
If you’re thinking about trying CorePower, here are some tips to surviving it from one (kinda-not-really) fit girl to another.
1. Hydrate! Hydrate! Hydrate!
As previously stated, you will sweat…a lot. Make sure you come fully hydrated and bring a water bottle because it will be your best friend during the class — especially when your instructor maybe isn’t your favorite person at the time. You should also eat a small snack such as a protein bar, a bag of nuts or whatever you can grab before heading out the door. I’m not a breakfast person, so I made the mistake of showing up with nothing in my stomach besides an iced coffee and some water. Iced coffee, as much as we pretend it is, is not a meal — so please try to come to class with some sort of substance in your body.
2. Don’t Compare Yourself
I knew I was out of my element when I walked in to the class and saw perfectly chiseled abs and people that looked like Instagram fitness models. Perhaps it was that I was overconfident in my yoga skills and decided to dive headfirst into one of the harder classes or maybe I just happened to stumble into the Instagram influencer class. The entire class I would catch myself looking to other people to see how fast they were going, if they were taking breaks, if I was the only one who was tired. The trick to surviving this class is knowing yourself and going at your own pace. Stop, catch your breath, drink some water, wipe the sweat off your face when you need to. Only you know your limits, so listen to your body and know what it needs.
Would I recommend this class to my mom? Probably not. Would I take this class again just so I can feel like a bad bitch at the end? Most definitely.
There’s nothing better than getting out of a workout and thinking, “I did it! I survived that and now I can kick down a door!”
(Okay, maybe the whole kicking down a door is a me thing but still…you get the feeling.) If you’re looking to challenge yourself I would definitely recommend this class. Also, if you sign up online you get a free week of classes so you really have no excuses.
Please learn from me and start at the appropriate level. CorePower Yoga is not easy, but the way you feel after will make it all worth it. Also, that yummy smoothie bowl you were planning on getting in Center City afterwards will make it even more worth it.