Taryn Toomey is the founder and CEO of The Class, a unique fitness method that harnesses dynamic movement inspired by yoga, pilates and dance cardio to provide emotional release. Described as part fitness instructor and cult icon, Taryn makes a case for movement as therapy, and emotional release as a means of radical awakening. In these recent times where our anxious minds seek deliberate escape, Taryn urges us notice our interior life and lean in.
I hope that the work of The Class never ends and carries on for generations.
Taryn Toomey
Q: Could you describe your journey towards creating The Class?
Taryn Toomey: The creation of The Class was such an organic process. It really began with the intention to combine my self-prescribed medicine of music and embodied movement with community and strength. That said, I truly had no hope or expectation for what it could become, I was simply sharing my journey. I feel incredibly grateful that this work has been able to positively impact as many people as it has.
Q: What makes the method unique?
TT: The Class cleanses the physical, emotional and spiritual pathways through intense physical conditioning, guided instruction and heart-pumping music. We use the discomfort in the body to engage the mind and notice what the mind is saying about the feeling. Through physical exercise, we can “work out” mental and emotional behaviours to create new ways to experience life. The Class is a transformative workout of the body and mind.
Q: Do you think movement is integral to our personal evolution?
TT: 100 percent. I view the body as the home you live in, the one your spirit chose to take a ride out in this lifetime. If you think about it that way, your body as your home, you have to open the windows, shake out the bed linens, hit the drain button after the spin cycle on the washing machine! Otherwise the mind and heart get cluttered.
Q: What are the greatest lessons our body can teach us?
TT: The body is in constant communication with us. Think about the feeling you get in your belly when you know something is off or how your body feels after you eat certain foods. When one gets still and truly listens, the body serves as a compass. It is your intuition. When in doubt, close the eyes, tune into the body and listen. The wisdom is in there.
Q: What wisdom do our emotions carry?
TT: Our emotions carry information, which oftentimes can be unexpressed or unhealed moments from our history. Tune into the emotion and ask yourself if it is a current day feeling or something that is being activated from the past.
Q: What has been your greatest asset in navigating these challenging times?
TT: The ability to hold space inside my body and not become enmeshed with another’s point of view. I was able to bring my insecurities into the room and notice when “my stuff” was getting activated and when it was a projection from someone because of what the work was activating in them.
Q: What interests you the most these days?
TT: Human connection. How to stay true to the spirit and ethos of what we do in The Class while bringing it to the masses digitally. Stay tuned.
Q: Is there a goal you hope to achieve?
TT: My personal end goal is to reach as many people as possible and create positive impact and lasting change. But if I’m thinking about the actual end – I hope that the work of The Class never ends and carries on for generations.
The Class by Taryn Toomey is a transformative workout of the body and mind. Through simple, repetitive calisthenics and plyometrics, participants challenge the body to engage the mind. With guided instruction and powerful music, The Class invites students to witness their resistance to discomfort. The result is an expansive, heart-clearing and body-strengthening release. This Class will challenge and enlighten you all while building an incredibly strong, lean, resilient body. You will learn tools to empower your life.
