Yoga Meets Martial Arts for a Capoeira Workout That'll Get You Seriously Sweaty
Just call it the "hot new yoga"
Jaclyn Emerick | Apr 12, 2016
Take the stretch-and-strengthen powers of yoga, then turn up its burn with the fluid, dance-like movements of the Brazilian martial art Capoeira, and you get Yoga Brazil, a body-sculpting, fat-melting workout created by the celebrity fitness pro Brett Hoebel. As you flow through the poses in a perma-crouch, your muscles are constantly contracted, leaving you tighter, lighter—and quivering—once the routine is over.
It's a vinyasa sequence composed of six pairs of moves that fuse the best of both techniques. For the first pair, you'll start in a downward dog, then step into a low lunge (a Capoeira staple) and undulate from one side of the mat to the other. "This helps create your flow," Hoebel says. As each new combo is added, it's seamlessly tacked on to the previous pair—and then the circuit resets at downward dog all over again—until you've linked all six pairs together for one continuous, powerful flow. Then you'll repeat the process from the top, this time on the other side. "It's a true calorie-burning and booty-sculpting experience," he says.
Take your time on each set of exercises and try notto skip ahead or do them all at once. They're placed in this progression to help you build heat, finesse your form, and lose yourself a little in the rhythm. That, and to shape a sleeker, stronger, fiercer physique. (Want more? Try this 20-Minute Workout to Help You Get Fit, Get Toned, and Get On with Your Day.)
How it works: Start with pair 1. Then do pair 2. Next, do pair 1, then pair 2. Then do pair 3. After that, you'll combine them, doing pair 1, then 2, then 3. You'll repeat this process of introducing a new pair of moves and then combining all the pairs from the beginning until you've combined pairs 1 through 6.
Total Time: up to 30 minutes
You will need: Mat
1. Down Dog Into Low Lunge
A. Start on floor in plank on palms. Push hips up and back so that body forms an inverted V. Step left foot forward between hands, bending leg 90 degrees and lowering right knee toward floor.
B. Lower torso toward left knee, and keeping left palm planted, bring right forearm in front of chin with elbow bent. Replant right palm and step left leg back to down dog. Complete reps, then switch sides and repeat.
Sets: 1 Reps: 8
2. Figure-Eight Block Into Side Sweep
A. Stand with feet wide and toes turned out, elbows bent with hands near chin and palms facing each other. Bend left leg 90 degrees and lean torso over left thigh, swaying arms so that fingertips point toward left.
B. Fluidly bend right knee, leaning torso over right thigh and arcing arms to right.
C. Without pausing, switch sides again.
D. Then straighten left leg and turn right toes out to face the back of mat as you bend right leg 90 degrees, planting right palm outside of foot, leaning torso over right thigh, and reaching left hand overhead toward the right. Complete reps then switch sides and repeat.
Sets: 1 Reps: 4