Yoga + Martial Arts + Plyo Fusion Flow at Yoga Heights DC

Yoga + Martial Arts + Plyo Fusion Flow at Yoga Heights DC

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Crash Course: Yoga Heights is DC’s newest yoga studio located just a  few blocks from the Georgia Ave/Petworth metro stop. It offers a variety of yoga classes, pilates, and nutrition counseling. It’s signature class is the Fusion Flow, a mashup of yoga, martial arts, and plyometrics that promises to deliver an intense, mix-movement interval workout. According to the website, the class is “geared towards building strength, power, and stability in your body.”  Sound like something you’d be interested in? Click here to see a full schedule for the next Fusion Flow class.

where: 3506 Georgia Ave. // Georgia Ave. and Petworth Metro

bring: mat, towel, water bottle

perks: showers, easy parking, integrated nutrition center

sweat score: 9 out of 10

wear: whatever you like

instructor: Amy

cost: first class free!

Yoga + Martial Arts + Plyo Fusion Flow at Yoga Heights DC

Do you all remember the crash I did at Athleta last year, the one with the interval workout that put me through my paces? The mastermind behind that class was Amy Rizzotto (photobomber extraordinaire, see above), who hinted to me that evening that she was working with a partner on a new yoga + wellness center in Petworth opening in the Spring of 2014. Well folks, it’s here! The amazing Yoga Heights is now open on Georgia Ave. and offers a really neat selection of unique classes to choose from, including hot power yoga, yogalates, pilates, beginners flow, athlete’s flow, and more.

Yoga + Martial Arts + Plyo Fusion Flow at Yoga Heights DC

Amy is a Certified Nutrition Coach and brings her passion for healthy eating to Yoga Heights through a variety of coaching services. Wellness and fitness isn’t just about sweating up a storm. You have to fuel your body to be its best, too. Yoga Heights brings it all together under one roof, something I have not yet seen in other studios. I’m such a fan of this integrated approach and hope it catches on at other places, especially the larger gyms with budgets to have an RD or nutrition coach on staff.

The studio is so new that the outdoor signage is still in process, so look for the white “Yoga Heights” banner hanging in the window. The front lobby area is clean and welcoming. The space has an industrial look to it, with exposed ductwork and clean lines. Amy and her business partner Jess Pierno decorated the space with wood and steel accents that really gives it an edgy-yet-comfortable vibe.

 

If you’re there on Wednesdays, check in with Andrew at the front desk (hi Andrew!) and make yourself comfortable. The lobby area has a selection of tea, a healthy snack bar or two, and a fridge full of Capital Kombucha. The two studio rooms are located down the hallway behind the front desk. The two bathrooms are all the way at the back of the space. I didn’t notice a dedicated changing room, so I popped into one of the luxuriously spacious bathrooms to do a quick-change out of my work clothes and into something more appropriate for class.

Yoga + Martial Arts + Plyo Fusion Flow at Yoga Heights DC

The bathroom has a shower in it – win! Bonus points for studios where I can freshen up after class and seamlessly get on with my day. I’m not sure if the other bathroom also has a shower, but one is more than enough and better than none!

Whenever I go to class right after work, I always like to have face wipes on me so I can take off my makeup before getting down to business. I’ve been using the Say Yes! blueberry wipes forever, but Biore sent me a sample pack and I figured it was worth trying something new. They definitely did the trick, but I don’t think I’ll be using them again. The ingredient list included a few things I’m not so keen on (including parabens) and I’d rather use wipes that are biodegradable.

Yoga + Martial Arts + Plyo Fusion Flow at Yoga Heights DC

With a squeaky clean face and clad in the fit crasher uniform of head-to-toe spandex, I walked into the room where our fusion flow class would be held that evening. It was pretty dim, so apologies that my photos turned out a tad grainy. If anyone has tips for low-light, high-activity iPhone photos, give a yell!

Yoga + Martial Arts + Plyo Fusion Flow at Yoga Heights DC

We organized ourselves into two rows of mats facing each other, with Amy in the middle giving instructions and demonstrating. I am so used to a teacher in front, students scattared in the back kind of setup that this new design totally threw me off. Probably a good thing not to get too comfortable, though, right?

The fusion class is a combination of yoga, plyometrics, and martial arts movements all fused into one crazy sweat fest. Think budokon with plyometric circuits sprinkled throughout. The class was broken up into a number of circuits, where yoga would build into martial arts and then culminate in a round of cardio or plyometrics. After a quick rest in child’s pose, we were back at in and on to the next round.

Yoga + Martial Arts + Plyo Fusion Flow at Yoga Heights DC

Let’s just say it got really sweaty, really fast. We began with some sun salutations, but before I could get too comfortable we moved into dolphin pushups and donkey kicks. I loved how each circuit built on itself, from flow to full-out plyo. Amy demonstrated each of the moves before we began the circuit, and I felt that I was able to keep up despite being new to quite a few of them.

Yoga + Martial Arts + Plyo Fusion Flow at Yoga Heights DC

There was quite a bit of jumping around, so if you’re looking for relaxing yoga, Yoga Heights offers that, but not in this class. I’d also recommend chatting with the teacher before class if you have any injuries or concerns. Since plyometrics are pretty explosive, this may not be the best option for folks recovering from injuries.

That said, if you like yoga but want to kick it up a notch with some added cardio and challenges, I definitely recommend checking out the fusion class. It’s a unique twist on your traditional yoga class that takes an extremely athletic approach. It’s also a ton of fun. I got a kick (literally) out of attempting handstands, learning a funky martial arts slash breakdancing move, and sweating up a storm.

Your first class is free at Yoga Heights, and after that drop-ins are $18. I’d love to come back and try the Athlete’s Flow or Yogalates class.

 

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