Lesson #7: Hip-Hop is universal.

Exhibit A: Hip-Hop Yoga

Hip-hop yoga at Back Bay Yoga is bomb. Say hip-hop and yoga don't "go"? Never shaken your ass in downdog to 50 Cent "Up in the Club"? Never did your inversions to Ne-yo? 

Try it and it will rock your body. 

September is yoga month. I was trying to spread the word! It's almost too late (but never too late) to go online at www.yogamonth.com and register for a free 7-day pass at selected studios across the country. You have 3 days. Do it. I did, and I signed up at Back Bay Yoga, a studio recommended by Yoga Wendy (see: Amy vs Wild) and conveniently 2 blocks away from my apartment. This week is a free week and so far, I've taken hip-hop and forest yoga. I miss it, and there's nothing like a little bass to get my body back in the groove. 

Exhibit B: Hip-Hop Class

Franny and I signed up for a hip-hop class at the Dance Complex in Cambridge. It's Monday evenings from 7:30 - 8:30, which is clearly not enough time to learn a whole routine but long enough to get me sweaty and smiling. Despite my natural skills, I'm not the best in class. Not even Top 5. I refuse to settle for anything worse than #3 so I'm practicing in my apartment. By myself. Our song is Lupe Fiasco - "Can't get you outta my head." And I can't get that song outta my head. My head. My head. 

Hip-Hop class has about 20 members. We start with a generic warm up with "basic" hip-hop moves like body rolls... body rolls... body rolls... and then we learn choreography. We do it with our instructor and then by ourselves. And then with our instructor again, because we forget everything every 2 minutes. I know about 30 seconds so far... 3 minutes to go! 

I really hope there is a performance once we have mastered the song. It will only be a 3 minute performance, but you are all invited! I'll keep you posted.

Exhibit C: Hip-Hop Shower

Showers are waaaay more productive when you're crushin' some jams. I mean, it only takes me 1.5 songs to thoroughly shower. I know if I've sung a few Beyonces and a couple Jennifer Lopez (shut up), that I'm probably wasting water. Favorite shower jam of the week: "Best thing I never had" - Beyonce. Try it out and let me know how many songs it takes you to shower!

Exhibit D: Hip-Hop Sprints

30 seconds on, 30 seconds off, 20 sprints starting at 9.0 and going up 0.1 mph each time. Normally I like to work out to some Cock Rock but hip-hop has been getting me through these sprints. And not just any hip-hop... early 90's hip-hop. A little Ja Rule, Jennifer Lopez (shut up), and Jagged Edge gets me going a long way. And thanks to this routine (and thanks to Anne, my personal trainer/friend/soul-twin), my thighs have shrunk. I'm wearing my skinny-Amy jeans. High five!

Exhibit E: Hip-Hop Studying

You didn't click on the wrong blog... I am supposed to be talking about what I'm learning in law school. I learned Classical music distracts me. Techno makes me crazy. And hip-hop gets the job done. I love to read Rehnquist while listening to Outkast...

Ok, I'm lying. I don't really listen to music while studying. It doesn't work for me. But I had to tie it back to the purpose of the blog. Maybe... I do all of the hip-hop inspired stuff above instead of studying? Does that relate back enough? I think so.