Alternative Movement Studio has officially been running for 6 months (we know, seems just like yesterday we launched our rebrand). In this post we catch up with Head Coach Sabina and on her love of movement, how AMS is going, what may be coming up in the future and how her beloved mighty Tigers are faring in the AFL.
As always, we’re a community so if you have any feedback or compliments please get in touch – we’d love to hear from you.
When did your love of movement first kick off?
I’ve always been active. As a single parent my dad was super supportive and encouraged us growing up. It was through his support and encouragement that I really thrived. Dad encouraged me and my sis (Lisa, another of our fabulous coaches) to go for gold. He would take us to anything we wanted to try out. Although I only lasted about 10 seconds at calisthenics. I was 5 and hated being on stage, lathered in fake tan. It was the 80’s. I reckon I cried all day either side of the “performance”. It was way too scary and just way shit.
I preferred team sports from an early age; being part of a team’s challenging and fun.
Dad ended up coaching our netball side for years.
I played through injury and many challenges with health and family issues. No matter what Dad would fight for us on and off the court, always giving us a platform and opportunity. His epicness is something I’ll be forever grateful for.
Alternative Movement Studio has been up and running for the last six months now (happy anniversary); what have you observed in the change to a movement-based philosophy?
Yay! Thanks! It’s off to a not so scary but slow start - everything always takes way longer than you think, like web updates and curating awesome schedules.
When I login in or jump on the website to load classes, I am reminded to try to be the change I wanna see.
That change manifests in things like offering online classes or in the way we deliver our stuff. Always shifting and evolving is the key. Which is funny, because I hate change. Well last min changes anyway. But if it’s something thought about and planned for, I’m all about it.
We change with the seasons – a majority of our members are in the Southern Hemisphere so tweaking the schedule to needs / climate is something we take into account. But we also work with other studios and coaches in the northern hemisphere, which has been a fun collaborative approach that helps me maintain a level of excitement and accountability.
It can be very lonely working on stuff by yourself, so I’m forever engaging with others and seeking out appropriate collabs where poss.
I’ve noticed a shift in the way I teach, the classes offered and the overall offering is now way more achievable. Changing to a ‘movement’ studio has removed the stigma around many aspects of this industry, including the one that suggests you have to be fit to join. Anyone can join in; it’s not about fitness, it’s about the bloody joy of movement.
What’s something that’s occurred that you weren’t expecting?
By shifting away from women-centric messaging, we have opened up the classes to more people. My partner loves SJ’s classes. I love chatting to him especially as he now knows what/who the hell I’m talking about.
He (my partner) loves doing Yoga classes online; he finds them challenging and enjoys the playlists. Our puppy Suze joins in too so it’s become a real family affair.
I feel less divided at home around what I do and this is super important.
Noticing that others are inviting their partners or friends to join has been a really cool development. I’m sure members bang on about how much they love stuff and their partners or male friends may have previously felt left out or not included.
We’re into the Goth Epica theme as we write, what themes can we look forward to in the next six months?
I love the idea of themed music concepts, it’s a great way to learn about new/old music and a fun way to share via socials or in class.
Playlist are issued via Spotify, and although this is not the best way to remunerate artists, it has enabled us to share great music. We like the idea that others might discover a band they love and show support by going to see them live, getting their merch and purchasing their stuff on platforms like Band Camp.
We love the darker heavier stuff all year round and theming stuff every 2-4 weeks to help mix up the vibes and maybe even reflect the mood of the sessions. The style of the class can also dictate the soundtrack, and direct where we are headed.
There’s been a recent change to the booking calendar layout, how’s that been received?
The new layout was an initiative I requested from the app provider. I know I’m flat-out and I’m sure our members are super busy. There’s so much going on these days; I just though by simplifying the schedule’s look/feel it would be less overwhelming and easier to work out how you can fit movement into your daily life/ schedule.
Essentially we love being part of members’ schedules and we attempt to program classes around convenient times. So let us know what you reckon about the new booking layout.
You’re working toward obtaining yoga teaching credentials; how do you reckon that new knowledge will enhance classes?
I’m so excited to do some further learning around certain flows and revisit how my body works. The challenge for me is that I actually find it very difficult to get my body to perform many of the yoga poses.
I’d like to figure out everything about Yoga and use that to potentially create my own modified versions. I encourage people to modify movement if something feels funky, but this will be next level around my own body and how I convert that messaging to a yoga practice.
I love how calming the practice can be in any form of yoga, from Yin to a challenging flow. The practice is super beneficial for my chronic illness and I wanna know more.
Yoga has many different disciplines/teachings/forms of movement. As a practitioner, which one of them are you drawn to the most?
I’m keen on learning how I can modify all forms of yoga, I guess how I modify them will be revealed when I’m knee deep in learnings and practice.
Do you think your approach may change with more study?
Absolutely. And that’s the study of not just the practical side of yoga, but how I hope to transform mentally from additional learnings. I’m look forward to putting my new knowledge into practice over the next 4-8 months.
What guest coaches/classes are coming back?
I actually just secretly scheduled in a Slayer pop up, along with maybe some Lisa time. And I’ve been engaging with some new coaches who will jump onboard in a pop-up capacity to gauge interest before they commit to a regular spot.
How’re the Tiges doing?
haha... The Tigers finally won a game recently. Heaps of tight games, I still love ‘em. I'm more looking forward to the AFLW season.
What’s your very favourite Siouxsie and the Banshees song ploise?
All of them, but recently I’ve been listening to “Trophy” heaps.
We look forward to the next six months of AMS and working with you, our community. If you have any requests for our first birthday celebration, feel free to contact Sab.
