TaraFit

You don’t have to lose your sense of humor to feel centered. At least not according to Tara Okhovatian. She’s a yoga practitioner and belly dancer who believes in the power of joy, and she works to help students feel strong in their minds and spirits as well as in their bodies. On her website, Tara describes her yoga and belly-dance classes as “challenging yet fun, adventurous yet safe, energizing yet cleansing, serious yet playful.” It’s a delicate balance to achieve, but Tara does just that. And to help her clients feel even more comfortable, she offers specialty classes such as gentle seniors’ yoga.

Though yoga and belly dance seem pretty different at first glance, Tara believes that the disciplines are actually linked. No matter the style, most of her classes are centered on strengthening the hips, abdominal muscles, and lower back. In order to further the core-strengthening benefits, she often incorporates elements of Pilates into her classes. The end result is a calendar packed with Tara’s positivity-focused style, which encourages reflection, sweat, and smiles in equal measure.

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