SHAKTIBARRE

SHAKTIBARRE

You haven’t been to an empowering fitness class until someone’s crying on their mat. Happy tears of joys of course! Founded in 2016, the yoga and dance inspired workouts are making their mark, one snatched waist line at a time. But what sets this studio apart from others is the genuine bond each teacher has with their clients. The co-founder of SHAKTIBARRE Corinne Wainer tells me that there’s a science behind - wait for it- the act of listening when attending an SB workout. This lost people skill is what creates SHAKTIBARRE’s authentic experience. Clients come in and have all types of issues going on in their day. “It’s really up to the instructors to listen and monitor everyone’s body language,” says Wainer. There are instructors who will be all up in your grill, push you to do one more crunch and then there are some that will dim the lights, turn on their Drake playlist and spend all class time talking about the path notes to a better self. Whoever’s class you’re in, expect to sweat, feel the burn, and leave empowered.

SHAKTIBARRE is place to swing by before a first date to see who’s hanging out. A place to go when you just need to workout to avoid whatever life is throwing at you. Basically, if you have a membership, it’s like a cafe but make it fitness. Which brings me to my next point, the brand aims to make their classes affordable through a program called “sliding-scale,” a much more sophisticated term to use instead of saying, broke phi broke, we ain’t got it!

But let’s get one thing straight. SHAKTIBARRE isn’t focused on serving Janet - the girl who comes to get her workout in with no teacher interaction is then handed coconut water, barely making eye contact with anyone before bolting out the door on her way to her next appointment. Wainer, as well as staff members of the community ( shoutouts to @jessicaelaine_1821, @stretchwithbetch @shauny_lamba) want to serve the client who is there to not only get a workout in, but also help build up other aspects of her life. Want to learn about Ayurvedic food, book a 15 - minutes session with SHAUNY, the other co-founder who has a decade worth of yoga teaching experience. Each location is designed in its own neighborhoody -way. There’s always a jar of Palo Santos sticks and amethyst crystals at the front desk to purchase in all locations. With studios in Harlem, Williamsburg, Dumbo, and soon to be classes in Los Angeles ( starting July 1, yay!), SHAKTIBARRE is building an authentic community of empowered women on and off the mat. Go inside me and Corinne’s phone conversation.

VSZ: You’ve been in business for a few years now, what has stayed the same? Corinne Wainer: What has stayed the same is my insatiable interest in supporting barre and yoga as tools that are so much more than a workout. When used mindfully,

they initiate a very powerful work-IN too. As we strengthen our outer landscape, we explore our worlds within.

VSZ: I know people are gonna want to know, so what exactly is the SHAKTIBARRE method? CW: SHAKTIBARRE's signature sequence tones, lengthens, and awakens your body and mind in our unique yoga-barre workout combining isometric ballet movements with vinyasa flow, chakra activation, and empowering meditation.

VSZ: How often do you recommend doing these workouts for a bangin’ body? CW: This depends on a student’s goals; if they are in a body maintenance phase then likely 2-3 times per week, if a muscle toning phase than typically 3-4, and in a fat loss phase they’d add a few SHAKTIHIIT cardio classes and come about 4 times/week.

VSZ: What are your favorite songs to play during class? CW: You can follow our music profile on Spotify — be sure to search the SHAKTIBARRE user profile itself. What you’ll find is a lot of activating, enigmatic, inspiring, and eclectic tunes.

VSZ: What's your go-to self-care routine? CW: The most important 2 aspects to my self-care are a deep and delightful morning routine (water, walking outdoors, yoga-barre, Kundalini meditation, a check in with my heart, strategic to-do list, and healthy breakfast) and asking myself and others in every moment to tell the truth radically.

VSZ: What’s up with the LA pop-ups? LA pop ups can be find at shaktibarre.com or in our @shaktibarre bio link, and there are 11/classes per week starting July 1 across 2 sister studios — one in Santa Monica and one in Echo Park.