Dance FITNESS
soul beats
Looking at cultures across the world and throughout time, music and dancing can be found everywhere. Turn on some music and babies intuitively bop and bounce to the beat. As humans we feel the rhythm deep in our souls, so let’s bring it to the surface and move with joy!
Soul Beats is a class developed exclusively for The Beat On Demand. I grew up dancing, have trained in a variety of dance fitness modalities, experienced and observed countless other dance and dance fitness classes, and synthesized it into a class I call Soul Beats. I chose the name because of how I feel music down into my soul, it intertwines with all of my being, and the rhythm of the music and the beat of my own heart merge into one.
What is It?
Music driven, dance inspired fitness
Low impact, meaning there’s no jumping
Cardio, strength, and meditation
Who is it for?
People of all genders
Anyone who loves to move to music
Non-dancers (and dancers)
What’s Required?
Yoga Mat
Yoga Blocks (optional)
BENEFITS OF soul Beats (Dance Fitness)
it’s fun!
If you’re like me, I can’t hold still if a good song comes on. Music brings me so much joy and can quickly brighten my day and make me smile. If you’ve been around for a while, you know I love a wide range of music and I love to share it. If you’ve met me in person, you know I’m short - about 5’3”. My body is designed more for power & strength than it is for endurance. What does that have to do with anything? It means I struggle with cardio. Spin/cycle workouts and running are not for me. If you want me to do cardio, it better be fun - step classes, dancing, or HIIT (when I know it’s a very short-lived exercise!) are how I like to do cardio. Soul Beats is a great way to get moving and it’s low impact - meaning that there is no jumping, which is easier on your joints. I design the music for this class first and choose motivating tracks with a great beat. If it doesn’t make me dance at my computer, it doesn’t go on the playlist. My goal for these classes it always to create an enjoyable workout that leaves you sweaty and joyful, almost forgetting it’s a workout!
Click here or on the image to check out some of my playlists on Spotify.
learn how much to push yourself
One of the defining aspects of Soul Beats is the Mind Over Matter track. After we’ve finished dancing and grooving for about 20 minutes, we move into the most challenging part of class. The Mind Over Matter segment is where we perform one simple exercise repetitively for about three minutes. This exercise changes from class to class, and we build up the complexity so that we avoid repetitive strain injuries. The purpose of this track is to find our training “edge". We are testing our mind and body connection to see if when we feel like giving up, is it because we’re bored, distracted, a little tired, or if maybe we’ve truly worked to the edge point and we need to ease off to avoid doing any damage. Working in fitness for 14+ years, I’ve found that this line is incredibly important to discover, but unfortunately we’ve been fed the “no pain, no gain” line far too long, and so many people push themselves beyond the limit of what is safe for them, in that moment. Mind Over Matter is designed to train yourself to learn the difference between mentally giving up, or physically giving up.
Holistic & meditative
This workout includes cardio and strength exercises, fun and hard work, mind-body connection through the Mind Over Matter track, as well as starting and ending with a short meditative check in & breathing exercise. Soul Beats is a class that should start feeling like a deep part of yourself after a few classes. The moves are meant to be intuitive but challenging, and you’re meant to feel the music deep in your soul. My goal with this class is to leave you feeling whole, integrated, and joyful. The themes that it offers are to help you on and off your mat.
Something you can do anywhere
Soul Beats only requires you to have some space to move. A yoga mat can be useful if you’re on hard flooring or outdoors, but it’s mostly used to define your space for movement and offer support for the occasional kneeling positions. Occasionally the Mind Over Matter exercise can be assisted or supported with blocks, but often all you need for this class is to show up.