Keogafit

Keogafit brings together the best of kettlebell training and yoga, creating a dynamic and well-rounded workout.

Each class begins with gentle yoga, including breathing exercises, mindfulness, and postures to ease you in. From there, you’ll move on to kettlebell exercises that engage all major muscle groups, taking your body through different planes of movement to build strength and mobility.

The main workout phase introduces heavier kettlebells (if you choose) in either single or double-handed movements. This is where you’ll develop muscular strength and endurance, improve cardiovascular fitness, and enhance flexibility. Yoga postures are woven throughout to support strength, balance, and active recovery—helping your body adapt to the intensity of the kettlebell work.

To finish, a Keogafit session gently winds down with yoga postures, breathing techniques, and mindful meditation—bringing both body and mind back to a calm, restored state.
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Classes:

Tuesdays 1-2pm

Thursdays 7.15-8.15pm

For more information contact:

[email protected]

www.keogafit.co.uk

Not my greatest picture of the participants at the amazing , and I had to cover one participant’s face because they were so happy it’s just not that fair to everyone else; but just look at all those lovely smiles.
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Please drop us a line at info@keogafit for more info on our classes, we would love to hear from you and for you to join us.
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The phrase, “get something off one’s chest,” is defined as “to relieve one’s mind by making a statement or confession.”
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The phrase “get something off one’s chest” reflects Candace Pert’s mind-body theory, suggesting emotions are stored in the body, not just the mind. By expressing feelings, individuals may relieve physical tension, supporting Pert’s view that mind and body are interconnected in processing and storing emotional experiences.-
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According to Gabor Maté, expressing emotions and relieving stress can prevent physical and mental health issues. Repressed stress impacts the body by weakening immunity and worsening chronic conditions. Talking openly promotes emotional release, helping the body heal and maintain balance by addressing underlying psychological causes of illness.
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It’s healthy to talk.
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Keogafit and pranayama (breathwork)

“Generations are puffs of breath, that pass away. Man respires, aspires, and expires”.
(Victoria Hugo)

Learning pranayama, or breathwork techniques, is vital for a healthy body and mind. These techniques improve lung capacity, increase oxygen flow, and support efficient bodily functions. Pranayama reduces stress by activating the parasympathetic nervous system, which calms the mind and reduces anxiety. This helps improve mental clarity, emotional stability, and resilience to stress. Controlled breathing also balances energy, enhances focus, and promotes better sleep. Additionally, pranayama supports heart health, regulates blood pressure, and can boost the immune system. By integrating pranayama into daily life, individuals gain powerful tools to manage both physical health and mental well-being naturally and effectively.

Attending a wellbeing event benefits everyone by promoting physical, mental, and emotional health. These events offer practical tools, such as stress management techniques, fitness activities, and mindfulness practices, fostering a sense of balance and resilience.

They also provide opportunities to connect with like-minded individuals, enhancing social well-being and reducing isolation.

By raising awareness about healthy habits and self-care, participants gain long-term strategies to improve their overall quality of life.

Ultimately, prioritizing wellbeing helps individuals perform better in personal and professional life, contributing to a more positive, productive community.

Preparing for the unplanned events in our lives.

Exercise plays a vital role in preparing the body for unplanned health events, such as injuries, illnesses, or medical emergencies, by strengthening various bodily systems. One key benefit is enhanced cardiovascular health. Regular physical activity improves heart function, reduces blood pressure, and promotes better circulation, which can lower the risk of heart attacks, strokes, and other cardiac events.

Another advantage is improved musculoskeletal strength and flexibility. Stronger muscles, bones, and joints help prevent falls and injuries, and facilitate quicker recovery when accidents do occur. Regular exercise can also boost immune function, making it easier to fight off infections and recover from illnesses like colds or the flu.

Exercise improves mental resilience, helping to manage stress, anxiety, and depression, which often accompany unexpected health crises. It also enhances metabolic health by reducing the risk of chronic conditions like diabetes, which can complicate recovery from other illnesses or surgeries.

Additionally, regular activity can improve body composition, reducing excess fat and maintaining a healthy weight, both of which are critical for reducing the severity of many health complications, including respiratory conditions and inflammatory diseases.

Overall, exercise builds a foundation of physical and mental resilience, enabling the body to better withstand and recover from unplanned health events. It helps prevent some issues from arising and lessens the impact of those that do, contributing to a higher quality of life.

Prepare for those unplanned events.

Keogafit and releasing tension (and mindful teaching)

Using the word “relax” when teaching yoga may seem intuitive, but it can actually have the opposite effect, causing tension or frustration in students. This is because “relax” is a directive that assumes ease is achievable on command, which isn’t always the case. When students struggle to release tension or quiet their minds, hearing the instruction to “relax” can highlight their inability to do so, leading to more stress or self-judgment.

In yoga, where the aim is to cultivate mindfulness and let go of tension, the body and mind often need more nuanced and supportive cues. Simply saying “relax” can feel vague or unattainable, especially for beginners or those dealing with anxiety or physical discomfort.

Instead, offering more specific, action-based instructions can guide students toward relaxation without directly demanding it. I

will be aiming for more of the following examples:

- **“Soften your shoulders”**:
This directs attention to a specific area, encouraging ease without forcing it.

- **“Allow your body to feel heavy on the mat”**:
This invites a sense of grounding, which often results in relaxation.

- **“Notice your breath without trying to change it”**:
Encourages mindfulness, leading to calm without pressure.

- **“Invite space into your body”**:
Suggesting spaciousness rather than relaxation can feel less demanding and more inviting.

- **“Let go of any effort in your jaw”**:
Targeting tension areas helps students release in stages, making it more accessible.

By using language that emphasizes allowing, softening, or becoming aware, yoga teachers can create an environment where relaxation happens naturally, without the pressure of a direct command. These alternatives focus on the process of letting go, rather than an immediate outcome, which can result in a more genuine, peaceful experience for students.

Happy National Fitness Day.

“Your Health is For Life.”

Becoming physically active through practices like yoga, kettlebells, breathwork, and meditation improves strength, flexibility, mental clarity, and stress reduction. It boosts cardiovascular health, promotes better sleep, enhances mood, and supports long-term wellness, leading to a balanced body and mind for sustained energy and resilience in daily life.

Try something new today - Keogafit and tag a friend.

Keogafit benefits

Combining kettlebell workouts with yoga poses, breathwork, and mindfulness yields a synergistic blend of physiological and psychological benefits.

Physiologically, kettlebell exercises engage multiple muscle groups, promoting an increase in joint range of motion (R.O.M), strength, endurance, and cardiovascular health. They also improve functional movement patterns, enhancing overall fitness and reducing the risk of injury.

Yoga poses complement kettlebell training by fostering flexibility, balance, and joint mobility, resulting in improved body alignment and range of motion.

Additionally, breathwork techniques utilized in both practices optimise oxygenation, enhancing stamina and recovery.

On a psychological level, this integrated approach offers profound benefits. The mindfulness cultivated in yoga and breathwork encourages present-moment awareness, reducing stress, anxiety, and depressive symptoms. By focusing attention on the breath and sensations within the body, practitioners develop resilience to mental distractions and cultivate a greater sense of inner peace.

Furthermore, the mind-body connection fostered in these practices enhances self-awareness and emotional regulation, empowering individuals to manage challenges with greater ease.

Moreover, the combination of physical exertion and meditative practices releases endorphins and neurotransmitters, promoting feelings of happiness, relaxation, and wellbeing. This holistic approach not only improves mood but also boosts self-confidence and fosters a positive body image.

Overall, the integration of kettlebell workouts with yoga, breathwork, and mindfulness offers a comprehensive means of nurturing both physical vitality and mental flourishing, facilitating holistic wellness and personal growth.

Keogafit loaded mobility

“Did you know that you can improve your mobility and flexibility while simultaneously improving your strength by incorporating exercises using loaded mobility?

The limitation with stretching, including static and dynamic stretching, is that the experienced mobility changes are temporary. Stretching sends inputs to the nervous system signaling muscle relaxation that facilitates a decrease in muscle tone that in turn allows one to go deeper into the muscle range. Stretching also decreases sensitivity to the end range position rather than facilitating actual structural changes to the muscle. For injury prevention, strength is more protective than mobility. There are definite benefits to static stretching, but the key to positively transforming your flexibility is muscle strength by means of moving into current muscle range restrictions.

When you lack muscle flexibility and range of motion around joints, muscle memory is deficient and muscles remain in a shortened state. If the goal is to gain long-lasting changes in mobility, one should incorporate exercises that places the muscles of interest on stretch while activating the muscles under load (weight). When achieving that objective, that is, stretch under load, contract the muscles hard and with each additional repetition, slowly go deeper into the stretch and again contract your muscles in that new range. This training strategy not only increases flexibility but also increases strength by means of physiological effects that increase protein synthesis, a process that builds muscle. Individuals lose 20-40% of muscle mass due to the ageing process, more specifically by failing to engage in activities that maximize range of motion and strength training.”

Alvin D**e, PT, DPT, OCS, CSCS

Keogafit breathwork and meditation

“Combining breathwork with meditation allows you to potentially reap the benefits of both techniques. People use breathwork meditation to improve their mental, emotional, and physical well-being.

According to research, breathwork may:

boost mood

decreaseTrusted Source high blood pressure

deepen relaxation

helpTrusted Source with symptoms of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD)

improve alertness, focus, and memory
increase heart rate variability (a metric associated with longevity, fitness, and mental health)

promote creativity

promote quality sleep

soothe emotions associated with grief and trauma

reduce symptoms of anxiety and depression
reduceTrusted Source symptoms of asthma
reduce symptoms of stress

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Meditation and mindfulness, on the other hand, have the following reported benefits:

reduce anxiety

reduceTrusted Source depression

improve physical and mental symptoms of cancer

improve mood regulation

reduce perceived stress

improve job satisfaction

Overall, breathwork meditation is a free, low risk activity that may improve your mental state as well as your physical health.”

Matthew Thorpe, Rachael Ajmera, MS, RD