Go ahead: I dare you. Ditch your dusty old cardio machines and barbells. Lose the perfunctory pushups and stomach crunches. Instead, turn everything you think about exercise upside down—including, maybe, your own body. There couldn't be a better place to do that than right here, right now in the Hudson Valley, where a bevy of new fitness offerings—from parkour to pole yoga—is blasting open the old paradigms to make exercise not a drag-yourself-through-it chore but a life-affirming joy.
Awaken Your Inner Ninja
Parlez-vous parkour? If you've seen an action movie like Casino Royale, or you've watched competitors in the TV show "American Ninja Warrior" performing near-impossible feats of agility, then you're probably familiar with the physical discipline. Yet true parkour is a lot more accessible and meaningful than cat-leaping between buildings, says instructor Dylan Johanson, who teaches his Innate Movement Parkour classes at The Jungle, a new athletic movement studio in Kingston that specializes in out-of-the-box exercise."People might see [it in the movies] and say, 'I have no intention of jumping over death drops, so parkour is not for me.' But really, it's a holistic movement discipline where we challenge ourselves with obstacles." Students start where they're at and can be any age or fitness level. Drawing upon the body's natural motions—running, jumping, climbing, swinging—they develop a whole-body approach to fitness that improves mobility, strength, endurance, and flexibility. At The Jungle, a 2,500-square-foot practice course includes such elements as an 8-by-4-foot tower, a rail system, balance beams, and bulk boxes. Students become masters of not only their bodies but also the world around them. "A body builder might have these big muscles but can't climb a tree to get a kite out of it," says Johanson. "I want to train people so they can explore and reclaim their environment. You start to get the parkour vision."
Above all, suggests Johanson, it's about being fully alive in your own body. "Parkour rejects the idea that exercise is something that you have to force yourself to do in order to not gain weight or to achieve some sort of aesthetic ideal. It's about finding joy, passion, and engagement in the movement process."
Find Grace with Flow Arts
The Jungle is perhaps the only place in the Hudson Valley offering parkour, but the fitness novelties don't end there. "It's the kind of place where you can study circus arts such as aerial silk and lyra, as well as walking on barrels, riding unicycles, slack line walking, and flow arts like fire spinning, Hula-Hoop, poi, and juggling," says Richard Ferrono, The Jungle's owner. "We're offering different paradigms in fitness and we're embracing fun, because fun leads to health."Ferrono recommends that people begin with the flow arts and build from there to more physically demanding forms like aerial silks. "What's good about the flow arts is that they're low impact, gentle, and fun—and they're a gateway to health. Any fitness level, age, or body shape can jump into it. People become transformed." One of those people, a teacher at The Jungle, lost over 100 pounds and quit smoking after he started practicing flow arts. "He's a total inspiration in regards to health," says Ferrono, who is himself a former gymnastics coach. Also on offer are power tumbling classes with two-time New York State champion Kody Priest, as well as daily athletic movement courses for children in which Ferrono teaches circus arts, tumbling, and free running, which he describes as "parkour with flips." The studio will eventually feature performances by its instructors, who are headliner acts in their fields.
In early October, The Jungle had been open just one week—yet business was booming. "People are getting it," says Ferrono. "What we're offering is based on kindness, inclusivity, and I'll use the word 'love'—that's part of it." Even though it's not a martial arts studio, students bow in and out of class. "We're spiritual beings in physical form," Ferrono explains to his younger students, adding, "Our goal is to inspire anyone who walks in the door."
Jump for the Joy of It
Trampolines are not new—the first one was created in the 1930s—but indoor parks like Bounce! Trampoline Sports in Poughkeepsie are innovative havens for those seeking fun and fitness of the vertical sort. "People are pretty amazed at what an incredible workout they get when they jump on a trampoline," says Bounce! co-owner and managing partner Bruce Katz. "It's low impact, and it's something that everybody can do." Open to all ages, the park recently introduced an Adult Night on Wednesdays from 7 to 8pm, when jumpers 18 and up can bounce unencumbered by the teeny-bopper set. The evening includes two half-hour Bouncercize classes, round-robin dodge ball games, and timed competitions on the park's new Xtreme Challenge Course—an agility/obstacle course that's loosely inspired by "American Ninja Warrior."On any given night, parents often jump along with their kids for a workout that engages the whole family. Popular highlights include slam-dunk basketball and two foam pits. Daytime Toddler Time sessions for children up to six years old help get wee ones and their parents out of the house and moving. Another draw is Jump n' Glow night on Fridays, when the whole park glows in the dark under lasers and black lighting. With all the hullabaloo, you might forget what a great workout you're getting. (NASA scientists say that jumping on a trampoline is one of the most efficient forms of aerobic exercise we have—68 percent more effective than jogging while requiring less effort.) Says Katz of Bounce!, "It's a great place to come, have fun, and get incredible exercise at the same time."
Join the Circus (for an Hour or Two)
With a focus on aerial fabric—also known as aerial silks or split silks—Hudson Valley Circus Arts has a brand-new home at BSP in Kingston. Owner Alisha Mai McNamara is offering a "soft launch" of two classes a week for adults and teens but plans to scale up with more diverse classes in the coming months. "Our tagline is 'Get fit, have fun, join the circus,'" says McNamara, whose aerial classes involve two pieces of fabric that extend from the ceiling to the floor; students learn how to climb them, wrap themselves up, unroll, and turn tricks as they get more experienced. "We tie a knot so people can hang from their hips or shoulders. They're really supported, and we have lots of protocols to keep people safe. One nice thing is it's low impact—kind of like swimming in the air."To watch an experienced aerialist doing spins, splits, and drops is inspiring—but, can be intimidating to newbie practitioners. Yet McNamara says anyone with a basic level of fitness can do it. "We do gentle strength training over time to help people gain ability," she says. Eventually, HVCA will offer lyra (or hoop trapeze), aerial rope, and dance trapeze, as well as handbalancing and flexibility training. "Because you're upside down and using the whole range of motion, aerial fabric involves the whole body. People get really strong and have this access to their bodies that they didn't have before." It might take time to get there, but it's fun and collaborative along the way. The community is mostly women, and the atmosphere is supportive and encouraging. "It's the antithesis of going to a gym. It's all play."
Spice It Up with Fitness Pole Dancing
The play continues—without hanky-panky, mind you—at Studio 9, where owner Sarah Jacoby and her instructors liberate women (and a few intrepid men) from their couches and chairs with fitness pole dancing. Not just for men's kicks, pole dancing has a lot to offer—from toned arms, legs, and core muscles to creative cardio that gets you moving. "It's really catching on in the Hudson Valley," says Jacoby, who has seen business take off at Studio 9's three locations in Middletown, Poughkeepsie, and Kingston. The Kingston studio is expanding to a larger space by year's end, and like the other two studios will also offer aerial silks, lyra, and yoga.It wasn't always this way: When Jacoby started teaching pole dancing as fitness six years ago, people thought she was crazy. "All they could think of was women in next-to-nothing clothing and men in dark clubs throwing money," she says. "We really stay on the fitness aspect. Yes, you do learn to dance, and yes, you feel very sexy and confident—but we gear it with the fitness in mind and let you play with the creative side of it being sexy or not." While the athletic payoff is notable, the mental boost that women get from fitness pole dancing is even more valuable, says Jacoby. One student started when she was very overweight and suffering from low self-esteem; after 10 weeks of classes (and help from a nutritionist), she's lost 20 pounds and walks into the studio with a newfound sass. The best part about pole? "It gives you a level of confidence and empowerment that doesn't come from running 17 miles on a treadmill," says Jacoby.
Learn to Fly with Pole Yoga
With all the maverick fitness styles today, it's natural that we're seeing creative fusions develop. Aerial yoga—a marriage of aerial fabric and yoga—is popping up around the country, with classes using silk "hammocks" to support and enhance students' yoga poses. Now, thanks to a pioneering Hudson Valley local, we have a new one to put on our do list: pole yoga.The brainchild of Michelle Dawson—owner of The Body Art Barn in Blooming Grove—pole yoga is a combination of yoga, aerial yoga, and Chinese acrobatics, using the pole for resistance training. Starting in November, Dawson will offer pole yoga classes on Saturdays; in the meantime, she's been introducing the art form to students as part of the Barn's daily 7am boot camp classes. Both the pole yoga and the boot camp do demand a certain level of fitness from the get go, says Dawson. And it helps to love heights. "We use the pole to climb, mount, do spins. It's a strong workout: You gotta be a ninja to be on the pole." Yet Dawson is careful to keep the division between pole dancing and pole yoga very clear—you won't see any high heels or suggestive sashays in these classes. "Yoga is the backbone of every type of movement that we teach at the Barn," she says. "Even the kids that come are still getting that spirituality, kindness, and intention."
It's all part of the Barn's creative roster of classes, from teen circus arts to adult vinyasa yoga and even henna parties. Also new to the schedule, Friday night dance parties invite people to experience the unique vibe of what Dawson describes as a very spiritual place. And maybe even try to be a ninja.