Photo: Kris and Bowie, a regular scene - Bowie wants the mat.
PSA: Pet cameos during class are strongly ENCOURAGED and AWF approved (#AWFpets). Let our Head Coach, Sabina vicariously live with your pets. Please and thank you!
Y’all are giving Sabina all of the bloody feels (and occasionally she’s feelin’ a bit left out too) with your too-darn-cute pets running around. Those li’l rascals keeping ya company and offering a cheeky distraction throughout this blasted pandemic. Well, Sabina wants a distraction too! She may or may not have been secretly scrolling through the pet adoption sites every night with a red in hand...
Although, with our fine four-legged friends, certain, uh, issues can arise... Tripping, kicking, disruption to sleep patterns, and the ol’ sneak attack from ya kitty hiding just out of eyesight. We’ve even had a report of a cat who was accidentally kicked during a side-leg lift a couple of weeks ago—obviously this is not recommended, but it does show the vulnerability of pets and owners spending more time together, especially when workin’ those abs, butts ’n’ hammies!
Photo (below): Nikita (Vego) and Bodahi (Carnivore) "Moments before tonight's Sculptallica Zoom class, Bodhi decided to bring chunks of his din dins over to my yoga mat, dump it and eat it there. Despite cleaning it off, all I could smell during class was some form of dead animal"
Boxing side shuffles ain’t so easy in ya lounge with Rover running around pouncing and vying for your attention. Apparently it’s playtime ALL THE TIME in iso! Trying to plank? Think again. It’s face-licking time with a side of weighted planks if ya lucky enough to get through a set without Fido running all over ya! Maybe puppy has decided it’s time for a nap, and off goes ya yoga mat leaving ya with the cosy floorboards to get into downward facing dog. Don’t forget to breathe!
Photo: Kat and Tilly Van Noodles - Regular scene at their pad, with Tilly wanting all the attention during class
Whilst our canine companions seem to be choosing the I-want-attention-all-the-time-road, cats appear to be more strategic in iso. Judgy stares, critically watching your every move and squat. Getting a front-row seat to your class by napping right in front of your device, and DUH putting their butts front ’n’ centre for the camera and the whole class to see. HOW DO THEY KNOW WHERE THE CAMERA IS?!
Photo: Up close and personal with Adi (and Chicken wanting or cuddles before, during and after class)
Sabina’s current fave cat moment is during Blackhearts Yoga, the trainer's kitty (Khaleesi) cutting laps in front of the camera during class, up and back, up and back. Meandering across at a glacial speed, making sure 90% of the action on screen can’t be seen so the instructor’s verbal cues are all we had to rely on!
Iso ain’t all fun and amusing pet moments though, it’s proving to be difficult for all of us, and we’ve seen some great excuses for not attending. We don’t want to offend, and we get it, a shit day makes it easier to grab a bev and bail on fitness. Some choose to show that shit day who’s boss by uppercutting it right in the face during boxing class, others have different ways of de- stressing. Maybe you’ve accidentally consumed half a bottle of wine and exercise isn’t quite as within reach right now. Perhaps that series on Netty is finally getting to the juicy drama and you need to know what happens RIGHT NOW...
Photo: Kris and Bowie (desperately wanting to be apart of the class)
To attend, or not to attend? That is the question. We want what’s best for all of you, but our sessions aren’t recorded, and that means ya can’t just join in or ‘do it later’. Come As You Are, no matter how rough ya day, we encourage you to participate and do the best with the body you have today. Showing up is 90% of the battle, but we guarantee you that serious case of the CBF’s will be banished once you get those limbs flailin’ and blood pumpin’!
Our Head Coach ain’t judgin’ (unlike those cheeky cats), she regularly rocks up in slippers, daggy trackies and wrapped in a blanket like the warm, toasty cinnamon bun she is! This doesn’t mean that she’s not taking classes seriously... She just wants everyone to feel comfy ’n’ at home, because if ya can’t be a dag at home, then where else can ya be one?
Self-care doesn’t have to be a big, grand act or gesture. Just rock up in ya training room in ya jammies, uggies ’n’ dressing gown, ready for a sweat sesh (you may need to de-gown depending on the class HAHA). That’s more than enough. These likeminded legends (coaches and exercisers) are here to honour you, your self-care, and the quality time we spend together stretchin’ ’n’ sweatin’.
So how ‘bout it, folks? Fancy a login and a bevvy after training? Whatever your setup, pets or no pets, tiny house or room for days... AWF is waitin’ for ya, ledge!
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Written by: Aimée Goder
