Director Chaney Mills wasn't necessarily thinking about introducing fitness classes at the Pelham Racquet Club. However, when a local yoga instructor who just happened to be a tennis player offered her services to teach, an entire world of possibilities opened up.
Former first-grade teacher April Wittmann noticed the remodeling at the Pelham Racquet Club and messaged Chaney to discuss the possibility of offering yoga classes in the renovated upstairs space at the clubhouse. April, a fitness enthusiast who received her yoga certification over a year ago, had perfect timing when she approached Chaney with her idea.
“I had been thinking about options to utilize the new space in addition to rentals, and April’s offer of yoga classes made sense. She contacted me at just the right time, and we sat down to meet. We felt we could make it work and were excited about offering something that would benefit tennis players and community members," Chaney recalled.
After some planning, April began teaching yoga classes at Pelham Racquet Club in mid-August. She teaches classes Monday through Thursday at various times of the day. Two different courses are offered: Yoga Flow and Tennis Yoga. Although the lessons are geared towards stretching and preventing injury in tennis players, anyone can attend the classes, and the yoga principles can be applied to various lifestyles and people from all walks of life.
Yoga Flow is a Hatha-style yoga practice that uses deep breathing, plus standing and seated poses, to stretch, strengthen, and balance. Tennis Yoga is a basic yoga practice that improves flexibility, strength, core strength, and balance. This class focuses on common tennis-related injuries or imbalances to prevent injury and improve your game.
“Yoga improves flexibility and decreases stress and anxiety,” said April. “The benefits are incredible. Yoga improves strength, reduces injury, helps you maintain balance, and builds mental toughness,” she added.
Many might not know, but yoga can streamline breathing and expand lung capacity. April explained, “It is good for those with asthma. As your breathing rate decreases, stress and anxiety are reduced. Controlling your breath can help manage stress and stress-related conditions.”
April has a keen sense of adapting her classes to the needs of the people in them. “When I have a class of people new to yoga or older people who haven’t exercised in a while, I slow things down. In advanced classes, I go faster, and there’s more of a flow.”
April has been a fitness instructor for 15 years. She has taught classes in strength, Pilates, and other forms of exercise. When her children were out of the house and in college, April decided to tackle the long process of becoming a certified yoga instructor. “The program is around 200 hours in total. It took a lot of commitment outside of my regular job. After I received my certification, I quit my teaching career and started building my fitness practice.”
April’s interest in yoga came about organically. “I ran a lot, and I found benefits to yoga. I realized it helped me not to get injured. When parts of your body that you use for specific sports and activities are tight, you get in trouble.”
Using tennis players as an example, she said tennis yoga focuses on specific body areas such as wrists, shoulders, hips, and hamstrings. “The tennis yoga classes are focused on these areas, but most people could benefit from this focused workout.”
April said she’s passionate about helping people prevent injuries. “My daughter was a cheerleader and tore her ACL last year. After she experienced that injury, I looked around and realized other girls who were cheerleaders were tearing their ACLs.” April talked to coaches and doctors to see what could be causing the high number of injuries. She found out that teens, as well as adults, often overtrain in the same sport. “They’re banging on the same muscles over and over. Five minutes of stretching before play is not going to do it. I started training the cheerleaders with yoga. We focused on their glutes, hips, and hamstrings. I found most of them suffered from extreme tightness. When these areas are tight, the way you walk and jump is different, and you put pressure on your knees and ankles. This leads to injuries.”
April advised, “Pay attention when you have pain. Find out where it stems from. Sometimes, yoga helps pinpoint those areas. If your body is telling you this, and you’re feeling pain, it’s time to address it”.
Chaney Mills is thrilled to welcome members and regular players to yoga classes at the Pelham Racquet Club and realizes the great opportunity to introduce the facility to those who might not otherwise have a reason to go. “Our main focus is providing a space for people to move and exercise. We hope to provide another outlet for movement to anyone who wants to do so. We are excited to welcome new people who come through our doors and give them a chance to see what tennis may offer them or someone in their family.” Chaney said Pelham Racquet Club will work to build the yoga program before considering other forms of exercise classes, but the future is unlimited.
The newly renovated upstairs space at the Pelham Racquet Club offers privacy and comfortably holds about 20 people. April Wittmann said class participants can bring their yoga mats, but she has a few mats to loan to people who may want to try yoga before they buy their own.
Please visit the Pelham Racquet Club website to view the schedule of classes and to register.