Musings of a Yoga Instructor: Pilates Jumpboard

By Janine L. Agoglia

I have always liked the idea of jumping for exercise--jump roping or jumping on a trampoline. It's fun and a great workout! However, as someone who has given birth to 2 children (one of them almost 10 lbs!), my pelvic floor is not always cooperative. Even with years of doing kegels, practicing yoga and pilates, vertical jumping is something that I can no longer do without fear of "leakage."

Enter Pilates Jumpboard.

My biggest fear before trying this class was that I would have to be jumping continuously for an hour. Since I am not really a cardio-junkie, that had me nervous. I could swim for an hour, but not jump. I knew that the jumping was sliding horizontally with spring resistance, rather than jumping vertically (a large part if its appeal!), but endurance-wise I wasn't sure I was up for the challenge.

As a first timer, the teacher Kelley Kounadis welcomed me into the class and helped me set up the equipment that I would need. She was supportive throughout the class and frequently walked around to everyone, making sure they had what they needed, offering possible modifications when necessary, and generally cheering us on. The jumping was totally doable and varied with differnt spring tensions to target different muscle groups, different foot positions for landing and many things to do "in the air" before landing again. I was amazed at the minimal impact, since it is done barefoot. Some students were using a trampoline-like jumpboard for even less impact.

This class was So. Much. Fun.

Jumpboard is the best combination of low impact (but high sweat) interval training, focusing on the legs, glutes and core at different times, interspersed with Pilates Reformer exercises, targeting the upper body and other core muscles to give the lower body a break. The class ends with some more traditional Reformer leg work and stretching to cool down.

I left this class feeling energized and excited to come back and do it again (which I did!). I felt like my whole body got a workout but that I wasn't drained afterward. It was an incredible  balance of cardio, strength training, core stability and stretching.   

Janine L. Agoglia has been teaching Vinyasa yoga since 1998. Her yoga journey started in 1995 with Iyengar Yoga and she stumbled upon Vinyasa yoga in 1997. The combination of breath with proper body alignment is what fuels Janine's practice and the classes that she teaches. She believes that yoga should be safe as well as challenging, creative and fun. She always emphasizes proper alignment within the flow, as well as focus, breath and humor to help students find the balance between strength and ease. Deepening one’s physical awareness helps one strengthen his/her spiritual awareness and mind-body connection. Janine loves being able to help people deepen their own practices, finding yoga in everyday life, on and off the mat. Her DVD, “Vinyasa Yoga for Regular People” is available for purchase at the front desk at Lumina Mind Body Studios in Wayland, MA.

In addition to being Director of Yoga at Lumina Mind Body Studios in Wayland and Natick, Janine is also a Licensed acupuncturist and Chinese herbalist who practices at Integrative Therapeutics in Natick. To contact Janine, please email her at acuyogamama@hotmail.com.