Yoga Synergy (Newtown & Bondi Junction)

Hands down this is our favourite yoga studio (there’s two one in Newtown and the other in Bondi).  Co-founders Simon Borg-Olivier (our favourite yoga teacher) and Bianca Machliss have curated the best of the best yoga teachers who have studied and apprenticed with these two legends.

Their aim is to teach the ancient art of yoga in a safe, fun and intelligent way and their unique style is based on a deep understanding of anatomy and physiology, modern medical science and traditional hatha yoga.

Their roster of visiting teachers reads like a who’s who of ‘Australia’s Superstar Yoga Scene‘ and if you don’t go anywhere else but here to practice, well then you’re in for a treat. Yup Sydney has many many yoga studios, some quite good.  We’re only interested in the best and this is it. Enough said.

Visit: yogasynergy.com

 

Humming Puppy Yoga (Redfern)

Let’s just start by saying, this yoga studio come lounge is BEAUTIFUL. STUNNING in fact. And we’re pretty sure you’ll leave feeling like you’ve had such an incredible experience. When you take a Humming Puppy class, one of the first things you notice is that the room quite literally ‘Hum’s’… and this is by no means an accident. Their yoga space or ‘shala’, is engineered by ARUP (one of the worlds leading acoustic engineers) and is injected with a combination of frequencies to enhance and deepen your experience.

More specifically they use a combination of 7.83hz and 40hz. Being submersed in these frequencies helps you to naturally produce matching frequencies through a process of entrainment. 7.83hz otherwise known as the ‘Schumann Resonance‘ is actually the frequency of the earth itself and helps to ‘ground‘ you through your practice. 40hz is specifically associated with ‘Gamma’ brainwave activity, integral for achieving states of peak performance. Elite athletes, top-notch musicians and high achievers in all fields, typically produce far more gamma waves than average.  We suggest you go check this one out.

Visit: hummingpuppysydney

Hom Hot Yoga (Darlinghurst)

A boutique contemporary hot yoga studio in Darlinghurst is one of our favourites when we’ve visited during the winter months in Sydney. If you like it hot then this place is for you.

Visit: homyoga.com

Bobbi’s Pole Studio 

Bobbi’s Pole studio is the best pole dance studio we’ve ever been to. There are two, one on Elizabeth Street and the other on Clarence Street. Both are amazing. The owner, Bobbi, is the pioneer of the pole dance industry in Australia and she has effectively taught all the other teachers in Australia.

Her teachers are in their 30s and 40s and have all been working club dancers. The students that go are smart, strong women so the community is fun and supportive. It is the best dance community we have ever been involved in. The studios are decked out like a strip club and, unlike a lot of pole fitness studios, they don’t shy away from the sexy side of pole and cabaret dance. We absolutely love this place, go check this place out and be prepared to be surprised.

Visit: bobbispolestudio.com

 

Sydney Dance Company

Located in the historic Walsh Bay precinct with stunning harbour views, Sydney Dance Company offers over 70 drop-in classes every week in a range of styles: tap, theatre jazz, ballet, hip-hop, lyrical and contemporary. The classes are huge because the teachers are phenomenal. SDC is known as one of the most interesting and creative dance companies worldwide and the dancers training and technique is impeccable. You know you will be trained by the best Sydney has to offer in contemporary styles of dance. And it helps that the studio sits in a wharf on Sydney Harbour in some of the most expensive real estate in Sydney (just around the corner from Opera Bar in fact!).

The Sydney Dance Company believes that dance changes you. (We at V&S couldn’t agree more). More than simply witnessing something beautiful, or engaging with culture, to experience dance is to be positively altered. From performances at the Joyce Theatre in New York, to the Grand in Shanghai, the Stanislavsky in Moscow and the Sydney Opera House at home, Sydney Dance Company has proven that there are no passive observers in a contemporary dance audience.

Visit: sydneydancecompany.com

 

FlowAthletic

Based in Paddington we found this place the last time we were in Sydney and it had recently opened.  And what a find. We love their concept and their philosophy which is they believe in a balanced approach to fitness and recommend their members follow their ‘Flow Philosophy’ of 1:1:1

1 Strength session (Strength-Strong/Barre) : 1 Cardio session (Spin/Boxing/Run) : 1 Yoga session.

They even do something called ‘Flow X’ which is about lifting, running, throwing and jumping your way to a better body in an outdoor group training which is held in the pristine grounds of Centennial Park. Their workouts are functional, fast paced and fun using a variety of equipment from ropes, sleds, power bags, med balls and more. We love that you can do this outside in this super sunny city. Talk about motivating.

And last but not least if you’re like us and appreciate things like ‘bespoke’ and ‘sports science’ which is music to our ears, then you’re going to love this. FlowAthletic have launched Bodymetrix Composition Testing. Over the last 5 years BodyMetrix has been the testing apparatus used by NFL, NHL, NBA & Nasa to test the composition of their athletes. What does that mean for you?

What is Body Composition testing about?

• Understand current body fat percentage, lean mass and fat mass of individuals
• Track the results of your training
• Accurately determine nutritional requirements based on your metabolism
• Make training and nutritional recommendations based on your specific results

We’ll be coming back here, especially if they run ‘Flow after Dark’ again. Flow After Dark is one big vinyasa party, held as part of Flow Athletic’s 30 Days Clean programme, for novices and experienced yogis. Picture a warehouse filled with fairground games, carousels and rides. The class is led by b+s yoga expert Kate Kendall to the live beats of a DJ who will pump music straight to your ears via wireless headphones. Definitely try out FlowAthletic when you’re next in town.  It’s a really cool studio and we’re big fans.

Visit: flowathletic.com

The Barre Studio

This studio is in the heart of the city and does a great combo of pilates, yoga & ballet. It’s super convenient and  has lots of fun, friendly teachers. You always feel like you’ve had a good workout.   It helped that every instructor we experienced here was very thorough, caring and obviously love what they do.

Our favourite classes last time we were in town were ‘The BarreBallet,‘ ‘Barre Bums‘ and as we like hanging out in splits quite a bit we were stoked to find out they had a ‘Splits School’ which caters from complete beginner to advanced contortion. Yes we did split it. Go give it a go.

 Visit: thebarrestudio.com

Umbilico

This is THE place to go for the best acro yoga and circus teachers in Sydney. They offer aerial arts, acrobatics, dance and conditioning. Umbilico brings many types of movement together in their custom built, multi-purpose space which is centred around versatility and personalised service. They see themselves as a melting pot of various physical activities and a platform for one dynamic community.

They’re all about the aerial here and there’s nothing like improving your circus skills which as we all know, give you the strongest body & core ever. Nothing quite beats flying and being upside down.  Boy you turn me…….

Visit: umbilico.com

 

9 Degrees Boulder Gym

Indoor climbing is big in Sydney. Bouldering is a fast-growing and social style of rock climbing. Climbers do not use ropes or harnesses, but scale shorter walls and are protected by a thick, padded floor. There is no equipment required to start bouldering, making it fast and easy to learn and enjoy. It is challenging and gymnastic, and quickly builds strength and confidence. It’s so much fun, you have to go.

Visit: 9degrees.com

Sky Zone Trampolining Park

We’ve always loved a good bounce from childhood gymnastics and trampolining days so this place had our name written all over it. With more than a hundred interconnected trampolines that let you literally bounce off the walls and a range of trampoline activities, they’ve got fun and fitness covered for everyone.

Check out this video: Skyzone

We’ve tried the ‘Stratosphere’ which is a general jumping area with over 117 interconnected trampolines. Jump from trampoline to trampoline and get a feel for anti-gravity and teach yourself to soar.  A good place to learn the basic skills of Sky Zone before going hard in the other zones.

We went to ‘The Pit’ as well, the go-to flip and fall destination. Get a run up, take your leap of faith, and land safely in a pool of huge foam squares. That’s the easy part. Good luck getting out. You have a whole new way to get big air with soft landings. Introducing the Big Bag. A giant inflatable bubble of fun hanging out in a sea of foam. Throw down your flips and tricks and fall freely onto the comfy crash pad. Bombs away!

If you’re a serious jumper, then ‘The Wall’ is where you can do flips, tricks and show off all your acrobatic skills in this performance area specifically for the advanced bouncer. They’ve also got dodgeball but we dodged out of that one!

Why trampoline? Well we thought you might want to know some of the benefits:

• Bouncing on a trampoline on a regular basis can help to keep your stomach and bottom toned. Believe us it does.
• No brainer – it burns calories and can also boost the rate at which your body metabolises food, which will help it to burn fat.
• We love this one. Bouncing on a trampoline stimulates the lymphatic drainage system to get rid of toxins, bacteria and waste from your cells, effectively cleansing them.
• It improves energy levels and the increase in oxygen flows around your body can improve mental alertness.
• It’s great for your heart as it increase the rate at which it pumps blood around your body. It also strengthens the muscles needed for a healthy cardiovascular system.
• According to a Nasa study, jumping on a trampoline for 10 minutes is equivalent to a 30-minute run, giving you the same benefits in a third of the time.
• It’s easier on your joints than running or jogging as it’s a low-impact exercise, because it  prevents jarring of your ankles, knees, hips and spine.
• Repetitive jumping puts your bones under a small amount of stress needed to build up mineral content, which increases the density of your bones and reduces your chance of developing conditions such as osteoporosis.
• Powerful jumping strengthens the muscles in your legs and increases your stamina as they work hard to push you upwards.
• Improves motor skills and helps with co-ordination.
• Trampolining releases endorphins, the feel-good brain chemicals which helps reduce stress and ease anxiety and depression. And it’s so much fun!
• It makes you feel HAPPY!  Well it does us and reminds us of what it means to ‘play‘

Visit: skyzone.com

 

8 Limbs (Bondi Junction)

With no contract lock-ins 8 Limbs offers Muay Thai, Cross-fit and of course Boxing. It’s incredibly spacious and decked out with lots of workout equipment. All their trainers are ex or active Pro-Fighters so you’ll learn precision technique while improving your cardio and skills. There’s also plenty of free parking and decent changing rooms for both male and female.

All their classes involve:

• Technique work & drills to sharpen your striking and footwork
• Partner and pad work
• Bag work
• High intensity cardio
• Core and conditioning

And they also offer weekly sparring sessions where there’s potential to fight for 8 LIMBS as an amateur if that’s your desire. Sweet. We liked this place, was very welcoming, good structured classes, and a few women there too, although admittedly we only tried it twice.

Visit: eightlimbs.com

 

Boxing Works (Surry Hills)

Boxing Works is owned and operated by Larry Papadopolous, one of Australia’s most succesful martial artists. Larry has been involved in martial arts and fitness for over 39 years. In 2001 Larry was ranked as the world #1 Light Heavy Weight Professional Mixed Martial Arts fighter. Their instructors are not simply personal trainers teaching boxing as a fitness regime. Nor are they boxers or martial artists teaching fitness.

They’ve competed in their chosen disciplines and know what they’re teaching. So not only are you getting fitter and stronger, but you’re learning the correct technique to avoid injury. The gym also has a diverse range of classes on offer including Boxing, Kickboxing, Brazilian Jiu Jitsu, MMA, Wrestling, Personal-training, and High-Intensity fitness classes.

They currently have an awesome 8 day trial for just $40 where you can train in any of their classes and use any of the facilities for 8 consecutive days. Worth a shot if you’re new to Boxing in town  and fancy trying it out.

Visit: boxingworks.com

 

Corporate Fighter (Surry Hills)

This is one of Sydney’s premier Boxing and Crossfit Gym and with over 50% female membership this gym is for everyone from beginners to pro boxers. You’ll find any class, for any level that you are looking for. They also have ‘The Corporate Fighter’ programme which is an opportunity for amateurs to try their hand in a professional boxing environment against another beginner following a 12-week training program. Now that’s cool.

Visit: corporatefighter.com