PUNCHBAGS hang from the studio ceiling of the boxing club. I stand with my fists clenched, left arm extended in a jab, right forearm tucked close to my body as if to block any blows to the gut, hand high to protect my face.
My trainer, Deniz Ates, adjusts my stance, lengthening my reach. I nearly topple – the jab’s easy, but I’m in the classic yoga warrior pose: left leg in a lunge, right leg straight out behind. I’ve been in the warrior pose so long I’m trembling.
"Enjoy the shake!" says Deniz (31), sweetly merciless and with the lithe bendiness of a yogi, despite his boxing background. I half wish we were sparring, as dodging hooks would surely be a breeze compared to the brutal workout that is Boxing Yoga.
"It’s definitely challenging," says Matt Garcia, founder and CEO of Boxing Yoga. "It’s yoga for boxers."
Yes, I gasp, as every muscle throbs, now I understand.
Matt (45), a qualified boxing coach, devised this no-frills exercise with yoga teacher Kajza Ekberg, in consultation with physiotherapists and martial artists, in 2011, here at his club, Total Boxer, in north London.
Unlike Boxercise – the keep fit trend that emerged in the UK in the 90s – Boxing Yoga wasn’t designed as a commercial product. Matt simply wanted to enhance his boxers' performance. All the hunching and tension in boxing causes tightness in the body, he explains. "But in any martial art, one needs agility, speed and flexibility."
He aimed to improve fighters' mobility, core strength and power with flowing movements and stretches to counter-balance the crouching and tautness.
Happily, these benefits are also attractive to anyone who spends hours leaning over a desk, and wishes to stay strong, supple and straight-backed.
Eight years on, this professionally recognised 'yoga-based training system' is taught in 24 countries – in yoga studios as well as boxing clubs – and is popular with elite athletes and non-professional exercisers alike, who crave yoga’s rewards without the "chanting and esoteric beliefs underlying yoga philosophy".
I was scared off from traditional yoga 15 years ago after a yawn-inducing class where the teacher rudely marvelled at how inflexible I was. I’ve been yoga-avoidant ever since.
Running and strength training keeps me fit, but that I can’t touch my toes is a concern. I soon learn to be careful what you wish for. Even the warm-up, which involves a flowing movement called 'Boxer 1’, is a struggle. It’s a reverse lunge, great for strengthening the core and quadriceps, requiring balance, alignment and stamina. You raise one hand in a fist, extend the other in a jab, then swap. This twist improves the range of movement in your spine.
It becomes swiftly apparent that I find every facet of Boxing Yoga exhausting. "Keep your balance, back straight, focus on your centre line!" says Deniz. "Twist, take a deep breath."
There’s brief respite when we perform a simple floor exercise to work back and side muscles. My nemesis is the Downward Dog split, where you assume the pose then raise one leg high and go through a series of moves – including slow push-up and side-plank. It’s fiendish and rewarding in equal measure.
Even my hard-won ability to perform push-ups falls short. I keep my arms wide; the Boxing Yoga push-up has elbows pinned to your body. It’s is twice as taxing and I nearly collapse.
Afterwards, as I recover, Matt says: "To the uninitiated, boxing is all flying fists. But actually, a huge amount of core work and leg work is needed, to rotate the body and provide explosive strength."
But he’s keen to point out Boxing Yoga is accessible for all. "The postures are challenging whatever your physicality, but whether you are a boxer, martial artist, woman of 40 or 50 years plus, you will benefit from the strength and flexibility it provides."
Indeed, after the £15 class, I feel like I’ve been stretched on the rack. Now there’s space between my shoulder blades and I feel taller. I’m delighted.
The following morning, when I inhale deeply, it’s as though I’m wearing a bodice, a satisfying indication of how intensely I worked my back and core. My body buzzes for the rest of the day. And it’s boosted my confidence. Boxing Yoga has me in its corner.
:: Go to totalboxer.com to find teachers trained in BoxingYoga™ around the UK, or download the 55-minute Boxing Yoga class (£9.95).
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