Sometimes you just have to do yoga to Beastie Boys

This Saturday was my first fitness class--completely on my own, not affiliated with TW Wellness--at my Dojo.  I've done cardio and yoga within the structure of my martial arts classes (as warm-ups and cool downs), but this was a straight-up cardio and yoga class. And I have to say.... we had a GREAT time! I would like to thank the ladies that turned out for the class, as we all learned a lot from each other.

For those that are interested, here is the exercise list (with songs), so you can get a feel for the format and tempo. We did have to skip a couple of workouts I had planned for time constraints, but I think as we get more familiar with the format and songs, we'll be able to cut the instruction time between songs down to a minimum. We also had a couple of students who needed modifications for recent surgeries, so we took some things out that I had planned.

(warm-up)
All About That Bass (3:06) - verse 1: knee touch into wide knee touch, bridge: forward lunges, chorus : cross-arm knee touch (opposite elbow/knee), verse 2: knee touch into wide knee touch, bridge: forward lunges, chorus: cross-arm knee touch
modifications: to "lower" the intensity, march instead of knee-touch, to up the intensity, hop into the knee touch

You Really Got Me (2:15) - verse 1: jabs, verse 2: cross, instrumental: uppercuts, verse 3: roundhouse/hook punches
modifications: to "lower" the intensity, punch every other beat, to up the intensity, march as you punch. leg positions can either be a squat or same leg forward

(cardio)
Shake It Off (3:38) - verse 1: jab/cross combo, bridge: hook punch, chorus: chain punch while marching/uppercuts at "shake it off", verse  2: jab/cross combo, bridge: hook punch, chorus: chain punch while marching/uppercuts at "shake it off", walk during "hey, hey portion," cheerleader chant: knee/front kick, chorus: chain punch while marching/uppercuts at "shake it off"
modifications: to "lower" the intensity, keep a horse stance during punches, to up the intensity, scissor hop legs during cross punches and hop into the kicks

Uptown Funk (4:31) - intro: walk, verse 1: knee/front kick, bridge: side kicks, tag: chain punch to the beat (will get faster), chorus: thai knee/roundhouse,  verse 2: knee/front kick, bridge: side kicks, tag: chain punch to the beat (will get faster), chorus: thai knee/roundhouse, "funk you up": squats, chorus: thai knee/roundhouse
modifications: to "lower" the intensity, just throw knees and don't kick, to "up" the intensity, add punches to the kicks (same leg/arm)

(cardio/yoga):  
Intergalactic (3:31) - sun salutation, simple variation: extended mountain, swan dive, forward fold, half-lift, forward fold, lunge, plank, chatarunga, cobra, down-dog/dolphin, walk legs to hands, forward fold, half-lift, extended mountain (repeat from start)
modifications: fists for wrists/dolphin pose for plank and down-dog, you can add/remove additional poses as needed to "up" the level.

(yoga/cool-down)
Krishna rising (15:00) - I tend to vary this a bit, as I will tailor the stretching to problem areas for students. The important bit here is to leave about 3 to 5 minutes for savasana.