Box Union

As a yoga instructor and overall lover of wellness, I appreciate good fitness classes.  With fitness growing exponentially, there are new workout classes popping up everywhere.  There are classic classes like yoga, spin, and pilates and there are also new hybrid classes (a few different classes combined).  Living in LA, I see new things constantly and of course I want to try them all.  I have taken a few that were not for me and also many that I loved.

Recently I had the pleasure of taking a boxing class at Box Union in Santa Monica.  To be honest I was a little nervous about this class.  Let’s just say I am not the most coordinated person in the world.  In my gym going days I would try step and dance classes and be completely lost.  I just can’t hold a count or stick to a beat.  This is most likely why my wonderful husband is always laughing at my dance moves.

I know from past experiences of putting on my mom’s old Tae Bo tapes that boxing was a lot of combination moves.  I put my nerves aside and I signed Derek and I up for a 7am class.  Making it to class on time was a miracle in itself.  My husband doesn’t love mornings… or group fitness classes. Anyway, we got to the studio, got checked in, received our wraps and gloves and we were ready to go.

We walked into the dark room with bags hanging all around.  We found our spots (front and center) and waited for the instructor to start.  He introduced himself as Kyle and right away I liked his energy.  He explained the 6 different punches, our body movements and got us pumped up for class.

We started with some shadow boxing, throwing punches into the air.  All my awkward movements came out as I was counting the combinations in my head.  1, 2, 3, 4.  1, 2, 1, 3.

We mixed in some cardio moves, some pushups and then it was time to hit the bag.

As soon as my fist made contact I felt so powerful.  I let my mind go, stopped thinking so hard about the numbers, and just let my body move.  I wasn’t great at the combinations, I found myself throwing the wrong punches but so what.  It felt great.

I can absolutely see why people are drawn to boxing.  It is a release, it is therapeutic, it allows you to get shit out!  I loved it.  The biggest win was that Derek loved it.  Finally, a workout class we could do together.

I asked our instructor Kyle what drew him to boxing.  “Simply put and most importantly, boxing is my therapy, my catharsis.  It’s almost entirely mental for me.  I’m obsessed with the concept of never ending improvement.”  I loved this answer and his passion was evident in his teaching.

Fast-forward to the next morning, I was SOOO sore. I had sore muscles that I didn’t even know existed and I love that feeling.  I love the feeling of pushing my body to do something new.

Box Union you got us.  Derek and I are both hooked and we can’t wait to hit the bag again soon!