The calming smell of eucalyptus fills the room before you dive into a high intensity workout at Circuit of Change, a series of unique fitness movements that combine yoga, meditation, tribal movement and kickboxing.
Their classes will leave you dripping sweat, but your body will thank you for putting it through an intense class.
Owner and founder Brian Delmonico opened Circuit of Change in New York City (NYC) on 57 West 16th Street about six years ago. A grand opening of their second location at 101 Main St. in New Paltz took place on Nov. 7 and held free classes all week.
The New Paltz community drew Delmonico in to opening up a second location in town. He and his wife, Alyssa, had been visiting the area for about three years and dreamed of opening another location outside of NYC.
“It was really nice for my wife and I because we have such an inviting community for Circuit of Change, but for us, too, we have to find our own community and feel connected to people and New Paltz was just that real middle ground for us,” Delmonico said.
Delmonico’s background includes gymnastics, martial arts, taekwondo, muitai and yoga. When he first moved to NYC, he worked as a personal trainer and a consultant for fitness while researching the idea of having his own facility. After some time, he decided to move to Thailand for three months to dedicate himself to traveling around the country and studying yoga and meditation, which he described as a journey to mindfulness.
“I felt the effects of [the trip] in a physical way as well, so I decided that when I come back I really need to put these components together of everything that I believe in,” Delmonico said. “Here I am, I have gymnastics, martial arts, high intensity sports and that’s how Circuit of Change kind of came in.”
When he opened his facility in NYC, he found a unique niche group – people that were doing high intensity fitness routines looking for something with more mindfulness and yogis that wanted to speed up their movements. This was also around the time Alyssa came in and became one of his star teachers.
While commuting back and forth to NYC, Brian and Alyssa each taught a class every day in the morning and evening from Nov. 7 to Nov. 13. The two classes they held were Mind Body Bootcamp and Tribal Flow, each taught a little differently depending on the energy of the class.
Mind Body Bootcamp mixes yoga, kickboxing, tribal movement and meditation. The class begins with some stretching and within minutes the music and workout kicks up to high gear.
Tribal Flow is similar to Mind Body Bootcamp, but without kickboxing and jumping. There is strong emphasis of core and full-body strengthening with playful tribal movements.
“People see it like a class that may be easier than Mind Body Bootcamp, but sometimes not,” Delmonico said. “It’s just a matter of where everyone is personally because of flexibility and breathing, mindfulness and surrendering.”
As a yogi herself, Rachel Heinemann, a fourth-year environmental geoscience major, heard about the grand opening when she received a card in the mail and did some research online. The balloons outside the facility also caught her eye.
She took the Mind Body Bootcamp class and enjoyed the kickboxing portion of it. It was out of her element, but she felt a good sore afterwards.
“I was nervous it wasn’t going to be as fun as it was and more of a serious focus, but I’m happy that the class and the people were so open,” Heinemann said. “The title and description definitely will catch many different interested people.”