Animal Flow

The decision to drop into an Animal Flow class was a debate I had with myself for over a week. I read the course description and wanted to go, then watched a video and did NOT want to go. My ego went back and forth between “This will be good for me, because its stuff I would never normally do,” and “Nope, too risky, I don’t like parkour, my wrists will snap.” So I skipped it.

You see, I’m driven to practice new styles, but I’m hesitant to attend classes that lack spirituality. I’ve been to enough Body Pump and Pilates boot camps to know that I prefer working on my whole self rather than just the physical body. I’ll hold plank or chair all day if you swoon me with stories of the goddess, but gone are the days when a coxswain motivated me. I don’t need a cheerleader to bark at me. My attention needs to focus on something beyond building muscle.

Luckily, my crippling FoMo got the last word. My curiosity became my inspiration and I jumped in the car at the last minute to zip over. I already purchased an introductory package of classes, so it was essentially free to go, and I couldn’t stand the idea of missing another opportunity, since the studio only offered it once a week.

When I arrived, the teacher gave me a big smile and alluded to the torture/fun that is Animal Flow.

The other women in the room had all tried it before, so I can only conclude that they are masochistic — this workout was tough. Imagine a combination of martial arts, TRX, yoga, and break dancing. A practice that is amazing at working on both hemispheres of the brain, with constant cuing and surprisingly difficult moves. I wasn’t prepared to be sweating so quickly, but everyone was out of breath within a few exercises.

After learning a series of moves with adorable names like Static Beast, Jump Through Switch, and Scorpion Reach, I promptly mixed them all up, but really enjoyed the chance to make up my own flow at the end of class. We turned the lights down, chose a 3 minute song, and we all free styled around the room.

I laughed, I got confused, I fell multiple times, but on top of all that, I made myself do it! I hung in there, shedding my vulnerable tendonitis in the wrist fears, and even, maaaaybeeeeee, had fun.

Bottom line: if you need a quick, intense workout, give this a try. My quads and shoulders are still feeling it a few days later!

Monkeying around in one of my favorite places on earth: a river!!