Health: New workout routine Barre promises to strengthen your core

Bandras House Of Wow has a French chateau feel to it with its white walls vintage mirrors and gold frames The dance and fitness studio sports wooden flooring and walltowall mirrors For folks like us it was inspiring enough to head here for a workout on a grey July morning We had signed up for Barre a new form that will be introduced to Mumbai this weekendRaising the leg on the barre helps give the leg as well as the back a full stretch Pics Sneha KharabeConducted by trained ballet dancer Indiana Mehta the workshop Grin and Barre will introduce participants to a workout inspired by Ballet Are you ready for class Mehta asked as we walked in Not quite certain we nodded in the affirmative We will work barefoot You have to feel the floor when you do rises and other balancing exercises Mehta explained We spotted a metal barre a stationary handrail that provides support for people during various types of exercises used extensively in ballet training and warm up exercises on the side of the large studioLeft Indiana Mehta and the reporter right with legs in front in bow position We raise our hands in a Port de bras ballet arms position and combine it with an abs workout Letrsquos start with a warm up said Mehta as she turned up the volume of the fastpaced track playing in the background We started with stretches for the back and the legs that reminded us of the asanas one would do at a yoga session the difference being we were now using the barre to support our legs This helped us feel the stretch better and made it tougher to stay in the position for an extended duration It seemed like eternity before Mehta asked us to release our pose She looked amused when our first reaction after putting our leg down was Ouch Next we tried the same form going one level further with both heels off the groundWhile working in opposite directions the ribs pull back and the oblique gets worked The focus is more on the lower absFrom rehab to fitnessThe Barre form took shape in 1959 in UK when a ballerina Lotte Berk injured herself She used ballet exercises which includes strengthening and combined it with her rehabilitative therapy to overcome the injuries and since then the form has been developing It draws a lot of inspiration from pilates yoga and ballet It helps you work on the entire body at one go itrsquos not just the legs or the arms shares Mehta who started learning ballet at the age of 19 and trained at Laine Theatre Arts UK and the Lewis Foundation of Classical Ballet in Bangalore followed by a National Diploma in Performing Arts accredited from Trinity College LondonIndiana MehtaThe mindbody connection needs to be strong for you to maintain the position and do isolations Next we worked on strengthening the inner thighs One leg is contracting while the other is extending The small pulses help open up the groin says our petite but fit instructor As we moved to floor exercises Mehta said How you use your core is the first thing we learn Wersquoll do 15 steps instead of 30 but the idea is to do it correctly We check injuries and body types and tone up or down the intensity Work on every muscle part As we lie down she tells us to try to pull the navel downward so the back is supported to do small crunches only then does it benefit the body Post this we lift our right hand move it to the left side and then repeat the movement with the other hand While working in opposite directions the ribs pull back and the oblique gets worked as you change sides The focus is more on the lower abs shares Mehta promising that the next set will be our last of the sessionLegs in front in a bow position we raise our hands in a Port de bras ballet arms position and combine it with an abs workout You use your own arm weight instead of a dumbbell she reasons The minute we are ready to release our pose she says Letrsquos do eight more counts Looking at our expression she changes her mind and laughs to say I was joking Wersquore relieved