To better live the lockdown, Vatel Bordeaux set up free online sport classes: pilates, stretching, yoga, strengthening… Here is the testimony of Antonia Feldmann, a second-year Bachelor student.

With the experts ‘Spinbreak’ and ‘Yoga with you’, Vatel Bordeaux started free online sport courses from April to June 2020 dedicated to its students, teachers and the school team.

Antonia Feldmann, a Bachelor student from Hambourg tells us all the benefits she got.

‘First of all, I think it is a great initiative that the school took to make these online classes possible and for free. It is super interesting and fun to have different teachers, different sessions and therefore different objectives for each lesson.

My two favourite classes were the strengthening class with Sandrine Werner and the Yoga class, Saturday morning with Aurelie Poles.

The muscle strengthening class was super fun, tough and got you sweating. I loved the short sets of specific workouts and the variety of muscles that were demanded to work. It was dynamic and left me feeling super energized for the rest of the day. The yoga class with Aurelie was one of my week’s highlights. Deep stretches, strong positions and a special focus on our breathing, what else do you need to get ready for the day?

Aurelie, the yoga teacher, is a great teacher who motivates and cheers for us during the session. It is great that she takes the time to explain what certain positions are good for and what their initial purpose is. Many of us had turned their webcams off while working out. For the ones that had left their cameras on, our teacher supported us with some corrections of specific positions and gave good advice. Obviously, it is a bit difficult for the teacher to “position” us students without being in the same room, but she was very engaged and tried as best as she good. That was really great.

All the teachers that I had the chance to meet so far, were great and have adapted to the different levels of the participants. It does not matter whether you are beginner or an Advanced yogi.

For the ones with previous experience, they are often familiar with specific positions to “spice the movements up a bit” for yourself. In the sense that one knows how swap the position to a possibly more advanced one, which suits you better. The atmosphere is super relaxed. Everyone who participates is kind and respectful towards each other and I start to get the impression that a little Vatel Bordeaux sport community is cultivating as a result of the weekly classes.

The time frame of the sessions is perfect. One hour gives us the option to have a little chat at the beginning and end and to give some sleepy heads a couple of minutes to get ready, plus, the “relaxation phase” (Savasana) towards the end of the course, which I love. Taking a moment to appreciate the work you have done and to give yourself a smile, before getting back to the daily study routine, never disappoints me. I am super happy to have the opportunity to take part in these classes. Thank you Vatel Bordeaux!