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If someone asked you, “How often do you stretch?” What would you say?
According to Harvard Health, people should stretch daily to maintain flexible, strong and healthy muscles that help ensure mobility and independence.
Whether or not you’re engaged in physical activity like personal training, jogging, lightweight exercise, water aerobics, golf or walking to the office, stretching is necessary to avoid the risk of joint pain, strains or muscle damage.
The Milwaukee Atheltic Club features a variety of programs dedicated to helping members maintain a healthy lifestyle through the workday and beyond, like restorative yoga classes on Tuesdays at 7 p.m.
“I got my yoga teacher training over on Prospect at YogaSix – Mary, Katie and Bridget are absolutely awesome teachers,” said massage therapist, personal trainer and yoga instructor Abraham Vargas.
“They showed me more of the vinyasa aspect of things and when it got to incorporating the massage therapy and my degree in athletic training – looking at the rehabilitation side of yoga and incorporating that into my practice.”
Restorative yoga focuses on deeply relaxing the body and holding positions for a longer time, compared to other yoga classes. This style of yoga also uses props to achieve correct poses without muscle strain, while focusing on relaxing breath work at a slower pace.
“Tonight we looked into opening up the upper body and looking into more breathing through opening up the ribs – finding, breathing and expanding the ribs and muscles in between,” said Vargas.
Vargas focused on stretching and strengthening the upper body muscles with breathing exercises and poses like the child’s pose, cat-cow, side lying shoulder opener, forward fold and meditation.
“I would recommend first trying it out – when it comes to the mindset of how yoga works; if I do a yoga class a week that’s my recovery,” said Vargas. “So, looking at the restorative aspect of things can help look back at how you weight train."
Plus, Vargas encourages members to utilize skills and techniques from restorative yoga outside of class and incorporate them into daily tasks and activities.
“I incorporate breathing in my classes and taking those things you learned here into your weight training,” said Vargas. “Learning to be more meditative with your breathing and intentional with your movements.”
Sound relaxing? Sign up today to become a member and schedule your next restorative yoga class by clicking on athletics and selecting “group exercise” to reserve your spot.
Courtney Bondar is an adventurous Multimedia Journalist at OnMilwaukee, covering all things Milwaukee. Born and raised in Greendale, WI, Courtney has a deep-rooted connection to her hometown and a strong desire to explore and showcase the vibrant city of Milwaukee.
You can often find Courtney all over Milwaukee, attending exciting events - documenting her experiences on her Instagram stories. Her genuine enthusiasm for her work shines through in her posts - as she strives to capture the beauty of the city and shares it with her followers.
Courtney's passion for writing is evident in her engaging and heartfelt articles. While she covers a wide range of topics, she particularly enjoys delving into the intricacies of dating culture and the art of mixology. Her insightful and thought-provoking pieces offer a unique perspective on these subjects, captivating readers with her authenticity and wit.
After dedicating herself as an intern at OnMilwaukee, Courtney's hard work and dedication paid off when she earned her well-deserved diploma. Now, as OnMilwaukee's first full-time multimedia journalist, she is fully committed to continuing her journey - bringing her distinctive voice and storytelling skills to the forefront.
