Behind the Scenes at a YogaVibes Core Fusion Filming

Well it looks like I  took a spontaneous blog vacation last week. I actually had my baby brother’s wedding to Mallory in the Smoky Mountains and then a crazy busy work week, so blogging went on the back burner. Sorry I’m not sorry.

A quick plug for my good friend Alissa, who is the most talented baker and makes gorgeous cakes for her business Pastry Girl Cakes. She is trying to raise $5,000 to open her bake shop (she’s been working out of her house!) through Kickstarter and is offering special treats to people who donate. I promise it is worth it! Click here to donate and for more information.

Yes, that is one of her cakes.

Back to business. I’ve talked about YogaVibes here before. YogaVibes is a really great website and resource for people who want to  take yoga or Core Fusion classes from home, or while traveling or from anywhere else they might be. The company films live classes and streams them on their site. Pay a small fee and you can take class, almost like you are right there in the room.

A couple of weeks before YogaVibes was set to film two classes at exhale in Bridgehampton, I got an email from Meredith at YogaVibes asking if I would be able to help out the day of the filming with getting the film consent  forms signed by all the guests and assisting with anything else the cameraman, Fred or Lis (the founders of Core Fusion) might need. OF COURSE I said yes. I love Core Fusion and I love YogaVibes and this was the perfect opportunity for me to help two organizations I truly respect.

However, I needed to be at exhale in the Hamptons (far out on Long Island, NY) at 6 am that day! I checked the public transportation schedules and obviously nothing went out there that early. I scrambled to find a place to stay and luckily one of my mom’s friends has a house about 15 minutes away from exhale and she offered not only to let me stay with her for the night, but to drive me to exhale in the morning. Thank you, June!

I arrived at exhale bright and early — and excited! I was rocking my new YogaVibes tank top and was prepared with the consent forms and some YogaVibes promotional material that Meredith mailed to me that week.

I helped Fred set up the mats for Core Fusion Cardio. Fred offered me a spot right in front for that class, but I sadly had to turn down his offer since I was there to work for YogaVibes and I had to sign in people for the  second class before the first was over. Just as an FYI — I am AWESOME at Core Fusion Cardio. Maybe I’ll make my own video . . .

 . . . no, I won’t.

So I set up the class and signed people in and then watched some of the class.  I have to say, Core Fusion Cardio seems to go much so much quicker when you’re not in there doing it!

Core Fusion Cardio filming in action:

Mountain climbers! We do hundreds of these throughout class. They really do look like they are climbing up a mountain. Ha. That’s Fred sitting in front. Hi Fred.

The time flew by and before I knew it, people started arriving for the next filming, Core Fusion Open, a class that was filled to the limit with 40 people. I had to explain to every person that we were filming the class for YogaVibes.com — although they were all informed beforehand — and asked them to sign the consent form. I also told them where they could stand in class if they did not want to get on camera.

Once I finished signing everyone in for the Core Fusion Open class and waited for any latecombers to arrive, I was able to join the class myself and appear in the video! AHHHH! You can now watch me (and take class “with” me!) on YogaVibes.

Click for a free preview of. . .

The Core Fusion class that I am in.
The Core Fusion Cardio class also filmed that day.

Also, the Core Fusion and Music Yoga Flow classes filmed on the rooftop of 45 Province in Boston.

Look! That’s me on the left in the white shirt!

I came in a little late, during the pushups (where I appear in the left corner) but when it was time for the forearm plank there was no space around me. I noticed an open spot in the class and moved there, not even realizing that I was directly in line with the camera. As a result, I became the star of Core Fusion!

Okay, okay, not really. But I am in the video a lot and there is quite a bit of zooming in on me. I love how during the plank when Lis says to engage our glutes, you can visibly see my tush tighten up. If nothing else, I follow instruction well.

What is great about these Core Fusion classes is that the classes are full of real people; actual Core Fusion students. The first few Core Fusion classes on the site were classes full of teachers, and obviously they are all awesome, so it is really great to see people of all levels taking class. There will be someone you can identify with at home and you can watch for modifications.

After class I collected all the consent forms and took the Hampton Jitney back home. Talk about convenience! I got on the bus right across the street from exhale and two hours later I was dropped off ON MY STREET. That is service.

On the way home I realized I forgot to take a picture with Fred and Lis while wearing my YogaVibes shirt! I was really bummed about it (I guess I’ll just have to help at the next filming to get my photo!) that so I attempted to make up for it by figuring out how to use my camera’s self timer in my backyard!

Oops.

Okay let’s try that again. My head is cut off but you get the idea.

As we used to say in high school, RePrEsEnT!

(Yes, we really did say that and write it in exactly that format. In fact, my entire AOL profile was written in the upper- and lowercase mix for a time.)

After a couple of weeks I received word that the classes were online and of course I watched myself carefully. It is funny watching yourself do something you do every day but never get to see from the outside. I noticed I did a couple of things wrong — namely my side planks, oy — and lots that I did right! Of course I put on a little show for the cameras. You can see just from the free preview how much my legs were shaking during thighs — this after taking class almost every say for eight months straight, it really never gets easier — and yet I pushed on and maintained my form. In real life I can’t promise I would have done that. Same goes for some other aspects of class (cough, long form low pushups post thighs). What can I say, I love cameras being on me! Too bad there aren’t always cameras in class because it would guarantee I always do everything correctly, with proper alignment, pushing my limit, and getting the absolute best workout possible. Needless to say my quads were SORE the next day.

Enough about me. Here’s something for you:

Use the code doricorefusion to get 20% off any YogaVibes purchase through December 31!

You can buy just one class for 14 days ($10), 5 classes for an unlimited month ($20), or full access to all classes for an unlimited month ($25). With 20% off, it is definitely worth a try. In addition to the exhale classes (Core Fusion, Core Fusion Cardio, Core Fusion Yoga, Core Fusion Sport and Music Yoga Flow) they have lots of other really great yoga classes from some impressive teachers, like Sadie Nardini. They offer yoga in countless styles and at all different levels, so there really is something for everyone.

I am especially happy you can all experience Core Fusion Cardio at home now because it is just SO HARD to explain, but so so so amazing in the way it gives you the sweatiest cardio workout while toning you all in one hour. Oh, and in the live class we use really fun, real music. Because of licensing agreements, these videos use what sounds not unlike adult entertainment music, but class is fabulous anyway!

I hope you try out YogaVibes (or take a live exhale class) and let me know what you think! I love the classes and I love the results and I really just want to share it with you all.