As someone who has never tried yoga before, I was apprehensive about how I would get on at a TRX yoga class at the Tangled studio in Dun Laoghaire, but I was pleasantly surprised.
The studio owner, Lauren Flood describes TRX yoga as "yoga with suspension trainers, which can be used for elevated work outs, yoga was created with it to help people who maybe don't have balance, so it can be used by people who are familiar with yoga to intensify their workout or for beginners who want to use the suspension ropes as an aid."
It was a chilly, bright afternoon and once inside, the atmosphere was warm and inviting. Located at George's St. Upper, the studio is the upstairs level of a furniture shop. There was incense burning and calm music playing in the background to set the tone.
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As someone who has never done yoga before and is not a regular gym goer, as we all took our places on our mats placed in front of the suspended ropes, I did have a fleeting thought of 'oh god, what have I got myself into?' but Lauren began the class and all of my worries melted away.
We began the class by putting our hands in the straps in front of us and raising them above our heads while taking deep breaths, which is called a 'sun salutation.' This was definitely relaxing and helped to centre myself for the rest of the class.
Once we had taken deep breaths while moving our hands above our head and out in front of us, we took the straps and pushed them out in front of us, while we bent our legs down, as if we were sitting on a chair.
I was beginning to feel the stretch, but the most challenging part was yet to come, as we held the straps above our heads and raised one leg up, so we were putting all of our weight on to the other leg. We then put the straps forward and lowered ourselves down, while moving our legs out behind us.
The most difficult part I found here was finding the balance between my core and the straps so I wouldn't topple over, but I tried to focus my attention to just one place on the ground and centre my breathing and this helped.
Once we had done another stretch for the hamstrings, we took a minute break for some water which I definitely needed, before sitting on the mat and then turning to face the wall, with our backs to the TRX and put our feet in the straps.
We then used the blankets for our knees and blocks on either side to out our hands on as we went in to a lunge position with one leg, while the other one was suspended in the TRX behind. We did this on both sides and also incorporated an arm stretch.
Lauren was at the front of the class and her guidance was very clear and easy to follow, and her soothing voice put me right at ease. There were a few different variations you could do here with the blocks, so you could do whatever suited your ability which was nice.
The class was an hour long, which I was a bit daunted by at first but it went quite quick, and was over before I knew it. We ended the class with just laying on our mats and having a few minutes silence which was a lovely relaxed way to end the class.
Once we were finished, I sat down with owner Lauren and had a little chat about the studio. She told Dublin Live that she has been passionate about yoga for about nine years now, and she wanted to share it with people because there are so many benefits that she thinks everyone should know about.
I asked what were some of the benefits of yoga and she said, "there's so many obviously, there's the flexibility, improvement of mobility but there are also other benefits such as mental clarity, concentration, and breath awareness."
In comparison to high intensity workouts, Lauren said "high intensity workouts are great for agility and getting your heart rate up, but yoga is more focused on getting the mind to muscle connection, and being aware of all the body parts working, which can be used in conjunction with weight training."
Before I went to Lauren's class, yoga seemed slightly intimidating so I asked her what advice she would give to someone who was just beginning or wanted to start but didn't know where to begin. "I started at home, there's so many youtube videos and e-books to learn from, and the downward dog app is also very good", she explained. "I think 'Yoga with Adrienne' is the most popular channel that people start with."
She also added to not be too hard on yourself when starting out, and that it's not about how you look, it's more about how you feel. "If you don't look like that girl on Instagram, that doesn't matter", she added. "Even if you've never done it before and you're maybe not flexible at the start, if you do it even once a week over time you will see results mentally and physically" she said.
Overall, I would highly recommend Tangled yoga studios! Whether you want to take up a new hobby or you are a long time lover of yoga, there is something for everyone here. The picturesque location of Dun Laoghaire, and the views of the sea after the class certainly add to the overall experience.
If you are interested in popping in to Lauren's studio there are three different types of classes on offer, the TRX one which I did, as well as hatha traditional yoga and yin yoga where you stay in the poses for quite a long time which is more restorative.
The classes are €14 each, there are morning ones at 7am and 8am as well as evening ones at 6pm and you can book here.
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