Monday, January 9, 2012

My First Intensati Experience

I have been hearing rave reviews about Intensati over the past few years. Created by Patricia Moreno, it is described as a high energy workout which fuses aerobics, martial arts, dance, yoga and strength conditioning, all performed in combination with spoken affirmations. Truth be told, the spoken affirmation aspect never appealed to me and I always shied away from trying it out. Last month, however, personal trainer and Intensati leader Jolynn Baca invited me to come and try out a new class she has created called Intensati for Mommies.

Patricia Moreno; Source

This class stems from Jolynn's passion for creating a community for moms, dads, and Intensati lovers in general. While this class has "Mommies" in its title it is open to all. In fact, at the class I attended there was even a new daddy in attendance. She has collaborated with Lucky Lil Darlings who provide childcare while the parents workout. Classes take place weekly and at the end of every month are followed by a 30-minute talk by invited guests. Acupuncturist Alyssa Proujansky, L.Ac. was present at the class I attended and she spoke about the benefits of acupuncture for increased fertility, ease of delivery and recovery. A representative from Blue Print Cleanse was also in attendance and distributed juice samples after the class.




But coming back to the actual workout. The main question I always had was whether this was a good workout or not. The verdict? Absolutely! The exercises were very aerobic. There was a lot of jumping, squatting, side shuffling, and punching, so my heart rate was elevated throughout. Spoken affirmations like "I will release the old and I will embrace the new" and "When I radiate I attract" punctuated each exercise. At first I felt odd reciting them but as I got into the swing of the class my up-tightness started to wear off a little and I started to enjoy myself. We practiced each move with its associated affirmation and then pieced the whole sequence together at the end. 


Overall, it was a lot of fun. Jolynn is a petite bundle of energy and it was precisely that energy that charged the rest of the class. As I watched her I couldn't help but think how important an instructor is for a class such as this. The goal is to integrate body and mind and create your most empowered self. You certainly cannot be shy and teach Intensati. Music choice was great. There was a good amount of instrumental music which flowed well with the exercises.


Ripley Grier Studio


Classes currently take place at the Ripley Grier Studio on the Upper west side but check out Jolynn's blog for the most up-to-date schedule. 


Dislaimer: I was not compensated for this post. I received a complimentary class and a gift bag from Jolynn Baca and samples from Blueprint Cleanse but was not obligated to provide a review