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First-of-its-kind studio offers vibration yoga in Del Mar

VibeFlow Yoga uses vertical vibration plates
Posted at 4:03 PM, Dec 05, 2019
and last updated 2019-12-05 21:17:43-05

DEL MAR (KGTV) -- You may have heard of power yoga, hot yoga or goat yoga, but now there’s a first-of-its kind yoga studio in Del Mar offering a high-tech take on the ancient exercise regimen.

VibeFlow Yoga at One Paseo is billed as the world’s first yoga studio to utilize vertical vibration plates built into the floor. The vibrations are designed to create a more efficient workout by recruiting more muscle fibers.

“When the plates come on, it creates G-forces,” said founder Billy Borja. “What that does is create an unstable environment to the body. Now the body is going all-hands-on-deck and now it starts to recruit a lot more muscles that often lie dormant when we exercise.”

Borja, a veteran fitness entrepreneur, opened San Diego’s first Orangetheory Fitness.

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He said the plates, which vibrate 20 to 60 times a second, can help alleviate joint and muscle pain.

The technology was first developed by the Soviets during the space race in 1960s to preserve bone-mineral density and muscle mass in cosmonauts.

“Major League Baseball, the NFL, the NHL, the UFC and the US military train athletes on these plates because it increases performance, increases their vertical leap and power training, and increases or improves recovery,” he said.

One study found whole-body vibration improved vertical jumping by nearly 4 percent and power output in a vertical leg press by 7 percent. Studies in rats have suggested it can enhance muscle strength and counteract muscle loss, although some experts have warned that excessive exposure to vibration plates can upset the digestive tract.

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Borja said new members begin with a low vibration setting of 20 hertz and take several classes before moving to higher settings.

In the typically zen environment of a yoga studio, the plates are somewhat loud. VibeFlow participants wear noise-canceling headphones that broadcast music and the instructor’s voice.

“I was skeptical in the very beginning,” said Yelena Resnick, who has been taking classes for a few months. “Having the headsets on, it’s a different experience.”

“You have your headphones on. You have your music. The lights are kind of dim. You concentrate more on yourself,” she added.