FORT RILEY, Kan. -- With the new year, Eyster Pool is bringing two new fitness classes to Fort Riley -- BOGA Fit and BOGA Yoga.
Held almost every day of the week, BOGA Fit and BOGA Yoga take yoga to the water using specialized mats that feel similar to a paddle board. During the weekdays, the classes will rotate on which is held, but Sundays will have both classes available.
"BOGA Fit is yoga in the water," said Tatiana Ferracioli Da Silva, BOGA Fit instructor and lifeguard, Fort Riley Aquatics Program, Directorate of Family and Morale, Welfare and Recreation. "Since we don't have the ocean around here, we've created a way for us to use a mat instead of a paddle board, but it feels just like a board … They've combined different yoga and Pilates (moves) and some aspects of paddle board racing and some aspects of surfing."
BOGA Fit and BOGA Yoga differ slightly with the former focusing on strengthening and engaging the core and the latter working toward mindfulness and personal balance.
"One of the classes will be more similar to yoga in the traditional sense," Ferracioli Da Silva said. "The difference is because we will be on top of the water, we'll have that instability that will make you be more aware of the muscles that you are using and that's one of things I like about it."
Ferracioli Da Silva said she spent years surfing in Japan and Hawaii, but with no ocean near Fort Riley, she put her time into life guarding and teaching yoga classes. Those are what led her to discover BOGA Yoga and BOGA Fit, offering a combination of two things she loves.
She said the classes will help people relax and build new relationships as some of the moves will require a partner.
"We're going to do a lot of things that require working together," Ferracioli Da Silva said. "They're going to meet a lot of people and make new friends."
Space is limited in the classes as there are only 11 mats available. Participants do not need to know how to swim to take the class.
BOGA Yoga and BOGA Fit are $3 per class. A punch card and monthly pass are also available. For more information, call 785-239-4854.
Social Sharing