Timetable
*Mondays 6.30pm (30 Minutes) Melbourne time
*Thursdays 7pm (30 Minutes) Melbourne time
Body Positive Policy for group classes
To try to create a safer, more inclusive and fun environment for everyone, we keep the time we have together free from any negative body chat (yours, or anyone else’s) and/or any talk of diets, calories, weight gain or weight loss.
It is also an LGBTQI+ affirming space and people of all genders are welcome. Kids can join in too (free for under 16s)
There is no weighing, measuring or before and after photos, ever. These classes are simply about getting a bit fitter and stronger and having fun moving – enjoy!
Fitness
We have a range of different fitness levels, abilities and bodies in the class. There is no fitness prerequisite to join at all. I will always give options to at different challenge levels so you can work at the pace that’s right for you. Taking a rest as required, asking for an alternative exercise or modification because something doesn’t feel quite right for you, or substituting a suggested movement for something else you’d prefer to do is very much in line with the culture of the group, and encouraged and celebrated.
Often at the end of the session I’ll invite everyone to check in with their own body and see whether there’s a movement or stretch it feels like it wants. If checking in with your body doesn’t feel good for you, just pick any old stretch you usually like. Knowing what feels good for our bodies is something we practise and learn over time.
What sort of things will we do?
At the start of the session I’ll ask you to check in with your own energy levels, and use that as a guide for how you move and rest through the class.
I’ll guide you through a gradual warm up and then I’ll suggest a mix of cardio, strength, balance and mobility exercises, and you’ll be able to choose your own adventure for each of them. For example, if we do squats, you may choose to do air squats, squat while holding something heavy, squat by sitting down and then standing up from a chair, do hip hinges instead of squats or stay seated in a chair but bend and straighten your legs – or you can swap them out for an arm exercise. I’ll aim to give helpful options, but you know your body best.
We also do something called “mystery cardio” which is basically where you get to do any movement of your choice that gets your heart rate up to the intensity that’s right for you – you might walk around, do some punches, jog on the spot, do a dance move, skip, do starjumps, do burpees if that’s your cup of tea – it’s up to you.
Almost everything is done for time (e.g. let’s all do glute raises for 60 seconds), and some things e.g. calf raises and core exercises might be grouped into longer chunks of time eg “hold the position until you need a rest, then do xyz until you’re ready to go again, and we’ll keep looping through for 3 minutes”.
At the end we do some nice wind down stretches and you can either do the ones I suggest for the day or do your own that you know feel good
Safety
My insurance provider has asked me to let you know that you’re responsible for your own duty of care during online classes. Make sure the area you’re using is set up safely and please let me know if something doesn’t feel quite right for you. These are zero pressure classes and you can stop any movement at any time at all – please listen to your body and respect its signals. Importantly, if there’s anything you’d like me to know to make these classes physically or emotionally safer for you, please do get in touch – I am open to learn.
Equipment
You can do the classes with no equipment at all, and use common household items instead of weights (eg water bottles, bags of cat food, canned goods, laundry liquid bottles) though you may wish to purchase some weights once you’ve done a few classes. I’m happy to make suggestions of what weights I think might be good to start out with.
Pricing
Sessions are $20 each, booked on a casual basis (ie you only pay for the classes you attend)
Sliding scale places are available where this would make the classes more accessible for you – the options are on the booking form.
How to join
Please email me if you’re interested in joining the class – I’ll send you a questionnaire to complete which will help me understand whether there are any health or injury issues relevant to your participation in the class – in some cases a doctors clearance letter may be required, in others I might need to ask you for some extra detail so I can make useful suggestions for you in the class (eg workinig around injuries), or (with your consent) refer you to another health professional for some extra support.
Once you’re ready to start, I’ll provide you with a link to book in for classes, and the zoom link (we use the same zoom room for each class).
