It’s the latest fitness trend to hit London, the new boxing and yoga fusion class, YogaBox. The workout is perfect for those who are time poor, ensuring they sweat and stretch like never before, while providing an unbeatable workout for body and mind. YogaBox will be launching its exclusive new classes at two luxury locations in London: Bermondsey Square Hotel launching on the 4th April and La Suite West on the 5th April.
Unique to the YogaBox experience is the presence of two, specialised instructors who work together to create a boutique class, with numbers capped at 14 per session. YogaBox’s elite boxing coaches and yoga teachers will take you on a journey of high intensity, fat-burning training with the restorative physical and emotional benefits of yoga practice, aptly naming it: ‘the yin and yang of workouts’.
YogaBox
YogaBox was created under the watchful eyes of founders Chris Baugh and Will Wheeler who envisioned that combining yoga and boxing could provide the ultimate workout and recovery in one session. Boxing has always been popular amongst those looking for a fun, high intensity workout with a huge calorie burn. Few sports combine cardio, explosive muscular work and endurance in a way that also improves balance and coordination like boxing does. However the ethos behind YogaBox is that the intense exertion experienced while boxing needs to be balanced by the calming and restorative qualities of yoga to stretch and restore muscles and joints. Yogic benefits include developing range of movement and reducing injury, while the meditation and breathing exercises in YogaBox classes calm and improve mental focus. With a 60 minute class burning up to 1,000 calories this dynamic combination will get you toned up and looking great too.
YogaBox Locations
Bermondsey Square Hotel is a 90-room property in trendy South London, overlooking the thriving Bermondsey Square and antique market. A lively boutique hotel which fuses an industrial aesthetic with London views to provide a contemporary hub for millennials. Minutes from London Bridge station this provides an ideal London location to launch. Every Monday from April 4th 2016 there will be 2 classes available at 6:15pm and 7:30pm.
Wellness destination and boutique hotel La Suite West is located on a quiet street on the edge of London’s magnificent Hyde Park and close to the West End and Paddington, this boutique hotel is the minimalist and latest creation of famed British designer Anouska Hempel. Ideally situated to host those who live and work to the West of London, this stunning hotel is the ideal environment in which to enjoy a new form of workout. YogaBox sessions will take place at La Suite West every Tuesday from the 5th April at 6:15pm.
The Instructors
Chris Baugh is the professional boxer behind YogaBox. He graduated from LSE and had a promising career before deciding to change his life and pursue his dream of boxing professionally in 2012. Chris practised Chinese Martial Arts from the age of 6 and then took up freestyle kickboxing at 15, before converting to boxing at 19 years old. Now an undefeated professional with a 75% knockout ratio, Chris’ whole life revolves around boxing; coaching, training and fighting. Having spent a total of 21 years in combat sports and physical conditioning, Chris saw YogaBox as a brilliant opportunity to create an innovative new workout.
“When I started practising yoga I realised there was a whole other set of physical needs I’d been neglecting in my own approach, and started using yoga based stretching and postures with my clients,” said Chris.
Will Wheeler, who is behind the yogic element of YogaBox, discovered his calling whilst training as an actor and went on to become a hot yoga instructor with yogahaven. He has a deep and profound knowledge of yoga after training for several years in both London and Morocco, and has been qualified as a yoga teacher for 3 years. His recent yoga endeavours have taken him to Bali and India where he trained in Ayurveda. Will has a strong belief in the combined benefits of yoga and boxing and continues to learn the ‘sweet science’ with his fellow YogaBox founder.
“Training with Chris gave me a great feeling and I noticed how my body responded to the boxing and strength exercises we were doing. YogaBox offers people a great workout and practising yoga after sweating it out in a boxing session is so rewarding; it’s a great way to engage and release the muscles,” said Will.
Together, Chris and Will are building a team of quality instructors that meet their high standards in the given disciplines. Amongst the boxing coaches currently in training are a professional Thai Boxer and an English amateur boxing champion while Will is making sure that the yoga contingent are up to scratch.
