Forget the breathing and chantingthis style focuses on the physicality of yoga to get you in better shape By Marge C. Enriquez Philippine Daily Inquirer

OPTIONS teachers show amix of foundation and advance movements. NELSON MATAWARAN/YOGA CLOTHES BY TONIC

YogaFIT is the new kid on the yoga styles block. Not only does it aim to make the poses both fun and beneficial, but it also defies yoga conventions.

There are no pranayama or breathing exercises; no sun salutations or long poses; no slow transitions or chanting. The whole hour packs a wallop of continuous movements from pose to pose to pump up the heart. There are balances with limbs thrust into space and stretches that open up the tight or contracted areas such as the torso and the groin.

Bruce Chung, a Filipino-Korean trainer from Absolute Yoga in Bangkok, recently visited Manila to launch this new workout at the Options Studio. YogaFIT is what the name connotes. It focuses on the physicality of yoga, with emphasis on speed to increase the metabolism and burn more calories. It doesnt guarantee weight loss, he said, but hopefully, your clothes will seem looser.

Accessible but challenging

YogaFITs creator Kru Knot (a.k.a. Theera Anukunprasert) developed a program that would make yoga accessible to the beginner yet challenging to the regular practitioner. While traditional yoga is geared toward leading to spiritual awareness, YogaFIT is designed for the urban warrior who wants a fast but effective yoga that could easily fit in his lifestyle.

KENN Colubio, Bruce Chung and Lyndon Bulaon demonstrate basic balance poses.

The class is divided into four series of movement flows. Each one contains a break at the end, but hitting a peak, Chung said. From the beginning, there is a focus on core awareness.

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Fast-paced yoga to pump up the heart