Katie Benner
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As I crawled with shaking limbs like a lizard across the floor, I realized that this celeb-heavy workout had not yet arrived for me.
But Budokon is not your typical gym class, the kind that combines a terrifying instructor and type-A participants with the hope for physical perfection to create a 45-minute, sweaty, heart-pounding swirl. It's part of a larger trend in fitness for the elite that combines spirituality with rigorous physical activity, where humbling yourself before your shortcomings is an essential part of the workout. "Budokon is a really nice blend of martial arts, yoga and meditation. It addresses physical skill, meditation and the discipline of living. It's a lifestyle, like martial arts," says Carol Expel, national director of group fitness at Equinox, the first national fitness chain to bring Budokon beyond the realm of movie stars and the uber-rich. Core fusion, which was created by husband and wife team Fred DeVito and Elisabeth Halfpapp, is another blend of Eastern traditions and physical challenge, melding core conditioning, Pilates, yoga and orthopedic stretching to produce a sense of peace along with long muscles and a flexible, youthful body. "Core fusion work is just really smart exercise that reshapes the body and transforms a person from the inside out," says DeVito. "You learn to deal with challenges when you put yourself in challenging situations. It's not about winning and losing. It's about recognizing limitations, working humbly on them and feeling like you're moving the needle physically and mentally." The workout is proprietary to the Exhale spas that have opened in New York, Massachusetts, Illinois, California and Texas, and is considered an integral part of their positive, healing atmosphere Exhale hopes to bring to urban jungles nationwide.
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