Exercise fun that combines Pilates, yoga and barre 

Who likes Barre Yoga classes? 

Barre Yoga is a fun class for men and women looking for a total body workout that tones and stretches your muscles and improves your balance. Fun comes with the mix of yoga, barre and Pilates.  

What is a Barre Yoga class? 

Barre Yoga is a 50-minute class in the aerobics studio that is a fusion of Pilates, yoga and barre, or ballet movements. Get ready for the instructor to ask you to get down on the floor to perform some exercises, as well as on the barre. Seated variations in a chair are available for beginners or if you have physical limitations. Class exercises are high intensity but low impact. Although considered intense, you won’t be asked to jump or leave the ground; everything is joint friendly. Remember we have modifications if you cannot execute all movements.  

The class starts with a basic warmup. Then it progresses to free weight exercises and floor work that may include planks, pushups, and some leg and feet work. The instructor then moves members to the barre to do exercises that combine slow movements with higher intensity intervals to work your entire body. You’ll perform small isometric movements and some abdominal work. Barre exercises can be fused with yoga at any time. The yoga part of the workout includes controlled breathing, light meditation work, light stretching and work on your balance. 

You may or may not be instructed to return to the floor at any point during the class. Participants are asked to bring their own yoga mat for personal comfort and hygiene. So you bring a yoga mat, and Willis-Knighton Fitness & Wellness Centers provide the various exercise equipment you’ll use. Equipment that is likely to be used for this class includes light hand weights, bender balls, Pilates rings, foam rollers, long straight bands or small circular mini bands. 

You'll end each class with a special exercise for stretching and relaxation – savasana. This final resting pose calms the central nervous system and the mind. It can reduce stress, help with anxiety and fatigue, and promote a greater awareness of your surroundings. For savasana, you lie on your back with your legs straight and arms relaxed by your side. Let your feel fall to a natural position and rest your palms facing up. Close your eyes and the instructor will coach you on how to breathe. If you have knee issues, you can place a rolled towel beneath your knees for extra support.

The muscles you’ll work in this Barre Yoga class include your glutes, thighs, quads, hamstrings, calves, biceps, triceps, shoulders, core, transverse abdominis and back muscles. A strength section of the class can be followed by stretching in order to create long and lean muscle tissue without bulk.

Like our other classes, Barre Yoga is a consistent group of members who become friends and take this class together. Community is a strong pillar of overall health.  

When and where does the Barre Yoga class meet? 

Barre Yoga meets in an aerobics studio at WK Fitness & Wellness Centers. Check out our online interactive class schedule for the day and time. Classes meet for 50 minutes once a week. 

Why do Barre Yoga? 

Barre Yoga is meant to relax the body and at the same time build your muscle strength and tone. Relax your mind and body and enjoy this workout that strengthens and tones your muscles in a low impact kind of way.