On May 29, the first event of Sofia Pride Sport – the mobility class, led by the certified Gymnastic Bodies coach Tsvetelina Gigova, took place. Tsveti has many years of experience in academic rowing, yoga and handstand, and combines elements of yoga, gymnastics and ballet.
The event was… intensive. But there is no other way. Modern lifestyles put people in the same position for hours – on the desk or behind the wheel, and this is how we lose our culture of movement. Our bodies were created to move and they give us different signals – pain, grasps, limited volume of movement, and a weak back chain of the leg muscles. Tsveti decided to focus on the latter in her class. With a series of exercises, we warmed the back chain muscles so that, after some simple movements, we could work on expanding the volume of the hip joint. At the end of the workout, we relaxed the muscles with a little stretching and relaxing yoga poses.
The exhausting and challenging workout left some of the participants who regularly go to yoga with a number of questions to Tsveti. They were surprised that yoga-trained bodies were not prepared for such a type of movement. Unlike yoga, however, mobility training combines flexibility, volume of movement and strength of muscles.