Think of this class as a queer gym hack—a way to cut through the stories that don’t work for us in fitness-related spaces. Whether you’re an active athlete, a bookworm, or are someone who doesn’t even have any idea where to start, there is something here for you. We will explore, through movement, the experience of having a dialogue with the body. So often, toxic fitness and diet culture ask us to enact aggressive, product-driven, domination of our forms. Not only do these approaches not work in a big picture way, they can also serve to further separate us from our bodies. I contend that if we can approach our body in similar ways to how we might approach community or coalition work—through care, deep listening, trust, commitment, dialogue, and just plain showing up—that we might find out bodies have something to tell us! Through 4 corner stone movement archetypes, learners will practice new shapes and new ways of thinking that will hopefully provide the grounding for a deeper connection with our unique forms. This class is suitable for any and all bodies, all movement suggestions are just that—suggestions–and can (often, should) be altered to meet everyone where they are at. Moves + Supplies: we are going to find a squat progression, a push-up progression, learn a key core move, chat cardio options, and do a breathing practice. There is no equipment needed. A mat would be great (for softness on a hard floor and the feeling of being contained) but it is also not necessary.

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