MIND at PureGym

[myladyjane]

Anyone take this class? I have returned to some exercise in my 50s after a good few years hiatus. I am doing c25k and a basic full body workout at the gym - mostly machines based for now as I get myself back into it.

i am hyper mobile and injury prone of not very careful. I think I should add some flexibility/mobility. I quite like yoga but can’t find a local class I can get to and find I need a proper class to make me not give up after 15 mins (rather than online which I’ve done a lot but get bored very easily).

i will talk to our gym manager who takes it (she used to be my pt so knows about my dodgy joints) but wonder if anyone had any personal experience.

I haven't tried this particular class, but I'm hypermobile too and I do yoga so maybe I can help.

If you have stretchy joints like us, it's important not to go to the very limit when you're stretching. Other people will be held back by their ligaments, but we can just flop into poses with little to no resistance. This isn't good for us because it overstretches the ligaments and we won't even realise what's happening until it's too late and we're injured.

So I'd recommend only going to 90% of your limit in each pose and doing it very mindfully. Don't flop into the poses, don't hyper extend your knees; try to keep a mini bend in your knees most of the time. If you are in e.g. low lunge, don't relax your body down so your hips are sagging down; lift up a little bit so you feel the pose in your thigh, glute and core muscles instead of your joints. Unfortunately, this feels harder! And you wont be able to get so deep into the pose. But it's much healthier and really helps to build that mind-body connection that hypermobile people struggle with.

Also, I never allow the instructors to adjust me, or push me deeper into a pose. What works for normal-jointed people can be damaging for us. So know your limits, don't go too deep into the pose (hard for us because it comes so naturally!) And constantly think about pulling your attention back to your muscles and your alignment, with no floppiness. In yoga, I like to imagine I'm a ballet dancer, with a lifted, graceful strength vs the floppy rag doll that my body defaults to naturally.

I hope this helps a little, just take it easy and don't push too hard. Good luck!

I've done this class. I really liked it. I don't like yoga and am a bit hopeless at Pilates but I like this one at PureGym.