Fun new activity to try out with your girlfriends! AntiGravity at Swet followed by brunch at nearby Myers+Chang would make for the perfect Boston weekend morning with your squad. The beginner class was certainly not a killer workout, so we will have to give the advance class a try and see if that burns more. The Beginner class also doesn’t spend as much time upside down in the hammocks as we were expecting. Though hanging upside down did offer a different perspective, it didn’t quite replace the centered feeling we experience during a traditional savasana.
There were some challenging parts of AntiGravity, particularly in regards to core strength but being totally new to this style of yoga, much of class is spent going over the basics. We started with simply getting into the hammock, not as simple as you’d think. Then there is getting out of the hammock, of course you can just step out but that’s not what we came here for. Cue “Came Here for Love” to get us pumped up to go for the back flip! Veronika walked us through step by step how to properly position the hammock on your body, making the idea of flipping upside down much less terrifying…and we nailed it! By the end of the 60 minute class we were comfortably hanging upside down in monkey pose, which just so happens to be very instagrammable.
Veronika was great, she was working with a wide range of skill levels yet was able to provide clear instruction to the class and keep things moving. Her demos were super helpful and made hanging upside down by a fabric hammock seem way less intimidating. Safety was a huge priority, so Veronika thoroughly demoed all the poses before having any newbies try it out. Having yoga experience definitely helped us to understand some of the queues and just general body awareness. This must have showed, Veronika gave us a shout out mid-way through class referring to us as her “yogis”. We didn’t hate the praise.
The space at Swet Studio functioned perfectly well for the class but just didn’t wow us. There was plenty of room for the class, all the equipment was clean and in good condition. What was lacking was the changing area/bathrooms. Just a small corner with cubbies, curtained off changing spaces, and only a single bathroom. Because we didn’t work up much of a sweat in the beginner class the lack of shower didn’t hurt our brunching plans.
480 Tremont St, Boston, MA 02118 South End Yoga $$$
Swet Studio
South End Yoga, Rowing $$$
480 Tremont St, Boston, MA 02118
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Swet StudioRowing
We are sweaty people. We can make a walk to Starbucks look like a Bikram Yoga class. So when we signed up for Indo-Row at Swet Studio, we expected just that… to SWE(A)T! Unfortunately, not a drop of sweat was produced during this class. You know us, we go to all sorts of classes around the city and not sweating (or even breathing heavy) was a definite first for us. To put it in rowing terms, this was a casual trip amongst the Swan Boats, not a race on the Charles. The instructor made it clear to us that the point of the class was for everyone to stay at the same pace and row like you would if we were all in the same boat. While we applaud Swet for giving us some amazingly different class options (um… AntiGravity Core? AIRbarre? Levitation? YES PLEASE!) and think that team rowing is an awesome idea in theory, this class fell majorly short for us. On the plus side, the studio is clean and nice and the staff is super sweet so if you are looking for some active recovery, then perhaps this class is for you.
Our Indo-Row class, was set up with 7 WaterRowers in a semi-circle around the instructor’s rower. We started off with a casual warmup in order to get the feel of rowing as a team. The warmup was so casual that we actually asked if we all NEEDED to go at the same pace… We were told that yes, this is a team sport, but not to worry “we will go fast!” Sounded good! We love going fast!
The workout today was 2 “waves” and then a sprint at the end. The first wave was a ladder. First rowing slowly, then slightly faster at steady intervals and then back down the ladder. But we never really reached a “fast” pace. This took maybe 10 minutes (sorry! It was so laid-back that we zoned out)? Then we stopped completely for a minute and a half rest (wasn’t the slow rowing the rest???). The second wave was 30 seconds “fast” and 30 seconds slow for another 6 minutes or so. This would have been awesome if the pace of the fast portion wasn’t so chill. At exactly 27 minutes into the class we looked at the clock and realized that not only were we not sweating at all, but we never even had to open our mouths to take a deep breath… After the second wave we took another 2 minute rest and then ended class with a 500 meter sprint. We went balls to the walls for the whole minute and a half of the 500 meters and then that was it! We had the option to do another 100 meters (which we did obvs), but that was only another 20 seconds of work. This class actually could have been a lung burner if we were just allowed to move at our own pace – the format was good, but team concept doesn’t take into account that people can be at very different fitness levels.
Veronika was SO NICE! When we walked in she shook our hand and introduced herself. She took the time to show us around the studio and get us settled with anything that we needed. She was encouraging through class and paid special attention to everyone there. She clearly knew the other students and got to know us a bit as well. She informed us about the gym’s “rowing team” and a cool event that they did with The Butcher Shop restaurant called “Crunch & Brunch.” Veronika is definitely working hard to build a community within the gym and we love that. She was truly lovely – we only wish she had allowed us to go at a pace that worked for us.
