Brush up on the Foundations of Yoga at Ms. Uptown, Saturday, Feb 25

This Week in Health and Fitness brings you the best fitness and health goings on around town so you can live your #bestlife.

I'm sure that many readers of This Week in Health and Fitness will already be keen yogis but if you do feel like you need to brush up on your asanas, breathing techniques, and sun salutations, then hurry up and grab a spot for tomorrow's Yoga Foundation Workshop at Ms. Uptown. 

Leading the workshop is qualified Ashtanga yoga teacher and chef Maria Kimsey, who hails from the UK. Maria discovered yoga after a series of injuries and quickly fell in love with the practice, traveling to India to study under yoga master Kranti Tarun Agrawal. She has since specialized her teaching style to be dynamic, playful, and challenging. Each class differs from the next, matching movement with breath to create inner fire that fuels, tones, and strengthens. In her words: "For me, Yoga is like a buffet, there are many things to try – but you only have to take away the bits that you enjoy – personalize your practice, make it yours." 

Sign up in advance via their WeChat account (search for MsUptown尚城健身 and go to "买卡 Buy" once inside their official account) for the special price of RMB 250 per person or pay RMB 300 on the door. However, there are just a few spots available so we recommend signing up ASAP.

If you already feel comfortable with the level of your yoga practice, you might want to try out the weekly Sunday evening vinyasa yoga dance classes at Yoga Yard, taught by yoga teacher Malgo Blonska. The classes add another dimension of dynamism and movement to the standard yoga practice, finishing with a short piece of choreography based on the moves learned during the practice and accompanied by a piece of contemporary or classical music. The class is donation-based (minimum donation RMB 15), with all donations going to support a local charity.

That dance element takes us smoothly into my last event recommendation of the week: A 1960s Gogo Dance Class taught by Moonglow Burlesque. Moonglow Burlesque regular Trixie Royale will teach you to shimmy and twist while leading you through a fun cardio routine – certainly a more interesting way to get that heart rate going than pounding out another 5k on the treadmill, don't you think? Originally from Russia, Trixie has been dancing vintage jazz dances since 2003 and has over 12 years teaching experience. Starting Sunday, February 26, there will be one class each Sunday for four weeks, ending March 19. The classes are held at Cat's Corner Dance Studio, conveniently located near Jintaixizhao. 

More stories by this author here.

Instagram: @gongbaobeijing
Twitter: @gongbaobeijing
Weibo: @宫保北京

Photos courtesy of Ms. Uptown, Yoga Yard