Moving from Vancouver to Squamish was a big change. I went from the hustle and bustle of downtown to the quietness of a mountain town. Squamish’s motto is “Hardwired for Adventure” and it is true, this town offers everything from mountain biking to incredible hiking, however the one thing I struggled to find when I first moved here was workout classes that I enjoyed. In Vancouver I would go to my Soulcycle classes and had endless options through Classpass, here I was struggling to find my workout grove.
Thankfully for social media I came across a post from Breathe Squamish. Breathe Squamish is a boutique infrared heated workout studio that offers group fitness, hot yoga, vinyasa flow, pilates, and barre fusion just to name a few. Now I must say, I have never really been into heated workout classes nor have I been very into yoga ( the harder the cardio the better is my motto) but once I took my first class I knew Breathe and I were true workout soulmates.
What is Breathe?
Before I get into the specifics of the classes I wanted to talk to you a little about what makes Breathe so unique and so rewarding for me; infrared and heat. I have known a long time the benefits of hot yoga, it eases stress and depression, helps your flexibility, and helps you burn even more calories ( just to name a few) however I didn’t know much about infrared until now.
Infrared panel heating radiates waves of energy that penetrate into the body elevating one’s surface temperature. It helps detoxify the body at a cellular level (where most of your toxins reside) while also burning fat, de-stressing, and promotes healing. Trust me there are many more benefits but that would need a whole blog post on its own.
In my first few weeks training at Breathe I have tried a variety of different classes, some that I am used to like hit training and barre, and some that are a little outside of my comfort zone like yoga sculpt. Each one has offered different advantages, worked different muscles, and given me one heck of a sweat session.
My favourite classes
Infrared Yoga Sculpt: This isn’t your average yoga class, this is a full body yoga workout. You are in a heated infrared room so there are all the benefits that I mentioned above, and while you do go through salutations and flows, you are also using light weights to really sculpt your arms and abs. I absolutely am addicted to this class.
Infrared ABSoulte Booty & Infrared ABSolute and Arms : Saying that I LOVE this class would be an understatement. The class is fun and energetic and they play great pump up music. The workout is focused on strengthening and toning your core and glutes (for the booty class) and the arms for the other class through resistance training. You use weights, bands, and a ball and it really works deep into the muscles.
Infrared Barre Fusion: I have always enjoyed Barre classes (and have even blogged about some in the class) it helps you work the deepest and most neglected muscles in your body, but infrared barre fusion takes it to a whole other level. You combine ballet, yoga, and pilates. You work with the barre elongating your legs and working on movements that are sure to get your booty and abs burning. It is designed to increase cardiovascular strength while also helping you tone, sculpt, and lengthen your muscles.
Infrared Sculpt It: If you are looking for a total body workout this is the class for you. It combines cardio with the use of equipments like weight bar and balls to target everything from your head to your toes.
Infrared Candlelit Aromatherapy Yin: If you need an hour to really stretch, unwind, destress, and relax every single muscle in your body this is the class for you. As I have mentioned I am not much of a yoga person, that is until now. I have started to see the benefits of allowing your body to take a moment for itself. With my work I am constantly on the go, and so to just be able to relax for a full hour, I have realized what a blessing it truly is.
Mia
