Not your average fitness workout, The Class by Taryn Toomey has been attracting women from around the world, including celebs such as Naomi Watts ad Jennifer Aniston, to transform themselves and continue to live the practice outside of the studio. Life-changing experiences are just some of the side effects of The Class. We caught up with Taryn Toomey to talk music, fave hotels and what it is that’s so different about The Class
WHAT INSPIRED YOU TO START THE CLASS?
The intensity of life! It was really an organic process, built slowly over a few years. But, when it first started, it was after my career in fashion. I did a yoga teacher training to deepen my own practice – I remember thinking I would study and then potentially go back to fashion. But I was lead to stay the course to The Class by an unsettled feeling – a dull ache in the soul, if you will – that was hard to define. I kept moving, gathering and exploring. I taught the earliest days of The Class for two years before I even called it anything formal. I wanted the name to allow people to experience in whatever way they needed, without labels or expectations.
HOW DID YOU DEVELOP IT? HOW DID YOU KNOW PEOPLE WOULD HAVE SUCH GREAT RESULTS?
It turns out, there were many others who were also searching for a space to check MANY boxes in their movement practice. We started in the basement of my NYC apartment building and almost two years later, we moved into a dance studio – and The Class was officially born. There is no way to know that people would have such life changing experiences, but they did. And then more came and the movement spread. I’m confident in the method because I’m also a student and I have lived the results. We don’t teach anything we have not experienced ourselves. We are practicing the intensity of life in the room, and it stays with you and informs a real practice outside of the studio.
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THE CLASS IS A VERY TRANSFORMATIONAL AND CATHARTIC EXPERIENCE. WHO IS THIS CLASS FOR?
The Class is for everyone. The basic description is a music-driven practice of self-study through physical conditioning. You can join us for 6 minutes of burpees, 1 minute of burpees, or simply stand and be present with the magnetic energy around you. A key point of The Class is to drop into, and listen to, your body. Women and men of all ages experience The Class for different reasons – a great workout, a way to break through a creative block, or to move their body to thoughtfully curated music.
MY TRAVEL ATTIRE
My must-haves on trips are leggings, a cape, a Janessa Leone hat and my favorite Isabel Marant booties.
TREASURED HOTEL OR RESORT
The Faena Hotel Miami Beach.
The Cotton House on the island of Mustique.
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FAVORITE HOLIDAY DESTINATION
My favorite destinations are the ones I bring people on for retreats. I pick those because they are incredible places to visit. We just held one of our Retreatments in the Dominican Republic and will be traveling to Mustique in May.
One of my most beloved places to visit is The Sacred Valley in Peru. I haven’t been back there in over a decade. It’s time for a return visit!
See also: Alex Herrera Combines Movement Culture and Martial Arts
BOOKS ON MY BEDSIDE TABLE
The Untethered Soul by Michael A. Singer. It’s a life-changing book that fits with whatever stage of life you are experiencing. I pick it up and re-read it all the time.
3 THINGS YOU WOULD PACK
Pursoma After The Class bath salts, the Dr. Barbara Sturm Hyaluronic Serum, and a Janessa Leone hat.
WHAT’S ON YOUR PLAYLIST?
I have hundreds of playlists – it’s too hard to narrow down just one. Music is a major part of my work and life, which is why I just launched on Spotify. There, you’ll find lists for all my moods and travels.
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WHAT’S NEXT FOR THE CLASS?
A lot – we’re just getting started. From new Residency locations in NYC and LA, to meditation workshops, to retail collaborations and over a dozen Retreatments around the world, 2019 is gearing up to be another exciting year for The Class.
