If you haven't heard of The Class by Taryn Toomey you soon will. There is a reason why Well and Good deems 2017 the year of Taryn Toomey. With big expansion plans, a collaboration with Lululemon, campaigns with New Balance and J. Crew, retreats that consistently sell out, a high vibe jewelry line and I don't know what else, Taryn's devotee list is growing, and I am now one of them!
The class began organically. Taryn started by teaching friends, which led to a rental space in the Flatiron district. Now with a permanent space of her own since January, I was dying to see the new "energetically balanced" studio in TriBeCa. It does not disappoint!
From the moment you walk in (after walking up 3 flights of stairs, which seems slightly cruel) a kind of calm washes over you. The chic pinky-taupey gray neutral space with its fashion forward decor, famous crystal embedded floor, flickering candles, uber chic bathroom with luxury driven products is hard to completely classify, just like the workout. The design was done by class regulars The Crystalline. The girls wanted people to experience moments throughout the studio. I can confirm they achieved their goal. From the moment I walked in to the moment I entered the powder room before I left, I oohed and ahhed.
After falling in love with the sculptural quality of Christoper Boots metal lighting and the pendants by Kelly Wearstler, everything fell into place. Taryn wanted a warm space that people wanted to spend time in.
The space is so beautiful and I appreciate the attention to detail AND the intention in the design, BUT it is the icing on the cake because what you really come for is The Class.
The workout is an immersive mind, body, spirit experience. It's been called cathartic, life changing, marriage saving, transformative, character building, an intense boot camp meets therapy session. It is an exercise in space clearing. With its slow build of moves like jumping jacks, leg kicks, burpees, planks, and lunges, these exercises are not unfamiliar. You start slowly and the intensity builds. As the music gets louder and louder, you are being tested (without judgement). You are creating the fire within. Can you go deeper, further, letting go of anything that is holding you back? You get lost in the moment, in the music. You breathe audibly, sometimes shouting "hut" in unison and it feels amazing! It is difficult, but knowing you will come back to yourself momentarily helped me get through it. Each round of exercises begins and ends with you checking in with yourself, feeling centered. Placing your hand on your heart reinforces, by touch, the intention of letting go to create the full mind, body connection. By fatiguing yourself, doing a little free flow dance, then shaking it off as it were, you are shedding emotional baggage. Working through the exercises is a metaphor for working through life's challenges and releasing what doesn't serve you. You leave everything in that room and all that remains is a sweaty body and a clear mind.
Through a very personal experience Taryn had in Peru she intends set up a 1:1 business model. "For every class taken in New York, a child in Peru has access to toiletries, school supplies, or a similarly taught class to help them find a physical, emotional and mental release." I ask you ~ what do you do for physical, emotional or mental release?
photos: Taryn via Jennifer Medina for RackedNY, crystal pendant via Jamie Baird, workout via Michael Sofronski for NYPost, CLI, The Class
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