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| - I have attended two classes so far at Tough Lotus; the Intro class, and Balanced Lotus. The Intro Class is mandatory as the "first class" because it introduces you to the swing, the terminology, and the basic moves. I was glad I took it, because when I arrived for my first Balanced Lotus class, we jumped right into the workout with no ado and the assumption that everyone would understand what the plumb line is, and which strap is which. Each class had a different instructor (I think there are 5 total) and both were great. I wish I could remember names, but whoever taught the intro class was super energetic and kept us excited, explaining each move and component so I felt like I really understood what I was doing. The second teacher moved a lot faster (since everyone should be familiar by now) and added a lot of humor to the routine. They were both wiling to hang out after to answer questions, let us try a move again with assistance, or give more information.
As for the actual workout, I like it a lot! It really is tough, but you must remember that it is as easy as hard as you want it to be. Each move could be performed with minimal effort, and you could easily walk out with simply having had a nice stretch. Or you can push farther, try harder, work on form, and end up engaging muscles you didn't know you had. It's up to you what kind of experience this is. The hammock can cut in to the body a little bit, but think of it like riding a bike or any other new experience. Initially it's not going to be comfortable, but you get used to it! And it's worth it. Some positions feel really good. Any "inverted" (upside-down) pose feels great, and again, you can hang and relax (which has several health benefits) or you can push it the extra step and do push ups, other stretches, bicep curls and more. The moves are slow; you may only do a few lunges, but if you let the hammock do it's job and you do yours, you'll get more out of one Tough Lotus lunge than 10 conventional ones. I have felt sore the day after both times, and I'm really excited to try the "Tough" classes, and eventually "Iron"! Also, as with any exercise, the benefits will begin to compound with repeated practice.
One thing to remember is that Tough Lotus does not employ a receptionist, so you can't get anyone on the phone. Their primary method of contact with clients is email, and I've always seen a response within 24-hours. I decided to try Tough Lotus with a Groupon, and the friend I signed up with and I both had problems signing up for the first class with out Groupon codes. There are instructions on the FAQs for enrolling with a Groupon, but although we followed them to a T, something went wrong. An email to Marnie fixed the situation, but it seems like a common enrollment problem. It also seemed a bit more complicated than it needed to be. The package of classes I purchased from the studio are totally intuitive to redeem though.
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