(JULY 20) Check out the latest update that WBAN received on retired world champion, Vaia Zaganas!  Vaia told WBAN the following:

"I just moved to Los Angeles 4 months ago to pursue acting and stunt work. I attended a full time acting program for the first 4 months. In my class I met a guy who is also new to Los Angeles, he taught yoga back in Boston. We both talked about how we missed teaching and thought it would be really fun to teach a class together. I felt that a fusion of bootcamp and yoga would really work because a lot of people think that they don't get a good workout doing yoga and also athletes rarely stretch enough after a hard workout.I would also love to teach a women's boxing class like I did in Vancouver, so that's coming soon as well. Here are the details below."

Get in shape and have fun! Bootcamp Yoga is a complete fitness system that is a fusion of boxing and "bootcamp" exercises that help maximize burning fat, gaining muscle, and increasing one's metabolism, followed by a series of corrective, strengthening and relaxing yoga postures. This one hour class is perfect for people of all fitness levels. An individual can customize their workout by adjusting their intensity to the level to best suited for their fitness goals. This class is broken up in to two half hour parts:

1st half hour:

The first half hour is a total body workout broken up in to five 5 minute rounds - Warm Up, Upper Body, Lower Body, Boxing, and Core. Bootcamp workouts are intense exercise sessions that challenge every muscle in your body. By rapidly moving from exercise to exercise with little rest in between, you tone and firm muscles while getting a good cardiovascular workout at the same time.

2nd half hour:

The perfect compliment to the first half of class = getting your stretch on. By applying the muscular awareness gained in the first half hour, you will be led through a series of Tai Chi inspired vinyasa (flowing yoga postures), static and dynamic stretching, and corrective exercises aimed at enhancing mobility and reducing tension in the body. Synchronized breath and movement are encouraged to hone focus and bring clarity to the mind. Class ends with a guided relaxation to holistically integrate and balance the body, mind, and spirit. Leave feeling stronger, more flexible, centered, and with a greater sense of well being.

Where: North Hollywood park on Tujunga and Magnolia, directly across the street from the East Valley Family YMCA, 5142 Tujunga Ave., North Hollywood, CA 91601

When: Mondays and Wednesdays 9am (beginning Wednesday, July 13 , 2011)

What to bring: cold water, sunscreen and a yoga mat or towel

Parking: there is plenty of free parking on Tujunga, as well as 2 hr parking on nearby residential streets

Cost: by donation, $15-20 recommended, cash only

Contact: For more information and to register please contact Vaia Zaganas at vaiazaganas@gmail.com  or Jon Brandi at jon@bromyoga.com

About the Instructors:

Jon Brandi (Brom) is a certified hatha yoga instructor, and Reiki Master. In addition, he has studied Mindfulness Meditation, Anusara & Ashtanga yoga. He was inspired to start taking yoga after watching a documentary on the artist Sting in 1997. Struggling for most of his teenage years with anxiety, Jon came to yoga in search of a quiet mind, a fit body, and a way to deepen his spirituality. A musician, illustrator and performer for most of his life, Jon brings his creativity, humor, and enthusiasm to his classes. He is the developer of the BromYoga approach and is committed to helping students cultivate peace within and develop compassionate bodily awareness.

Vaia Zaganas is a certified boxing coach, personal trainer and an accomplished female boxing champion in the world. Always an athletic person, she has competed in numerous sports including gymnastics, track, cross country, and martial arts. After discovering boxing, she felt that she had found her calling and dedicated full time to the sport. Some highlights of her amateur career include winning the Canadian National Championships twice, being ranked #1 in the world in the light flyweight division, and earning Canada’s “Rookie of The Year” award for best performance in international competition, male or female. As a professional, she continued her success in the ring by winning two world titles and became widely regarded as one of the best pound-for-pound boxers in the world. Now retired from the ring, Vaia lives in Los Angeles and enjoys helping others achieve their fitness goals while having fun doing it!