Lura Quotes Los Angeles Times 15 March 2005

Rene Lynch quotes Lura Astor
At the time, I was teaching at Equinox Fitness Center, Caltech and other workshop sites, out of Pasadena, CA

... adopting a more laid-back approach to fitness may get you closer to your goal by encouraging consistency. Some people can't face the thought of a long, hard aerobics class after a long, hard day at work, so they skip their workout entirely. A kinder, gentler class can be an attractive lure.


That's a philosophy embraced by Lura Astor, who teaches a twice-weekly class at Equinox Fitness club in Pasadena called "Simply Stretch." It draws on a mix of Tai Chi, yoga, core body work and what she calls "body re-education movements" designed to counteract hours spent hunched over a keyboard or gripping a steering wheel.

"People think, 'If I'm going to go to the gym I need to be running, running, running; lifting, lifting; and burning calories,' " said Astor, who believes that attitude is misguided. Taking time out to gently tend to a body that has been over- or under-worked or is just plain tired is time well spent, she said. "I tell students that you have to create a balance."

Students say they walk out of her class standing taller and feeling relaxed. "I feel really great afterward," said student Tania Nasir, who has been taking Astor's class for about two months to help nurse a back injury. "I sense a difference in my posture, and my abs really feel it too. So you are working out."

High-end clubs like Crunch and Equinox aren't the only ones catering to this growing demand for alternative exercise options.

slideshow: Moon Dreams lastor

Sit Up!

Sitting with good posture with ease is one of the toughest things to do throughout life.

A client with a painful neck and overly tight shoulders had been told to stand up straight while growing up. Rebelling her mom, she says to me, "She never told me to sit up straight, so I still slouch when I sit!"

There are other ways to rebel
... like having damned good posture.

photo: Stretch 'n' Talk