BODY POLITIC
New studio, GoodBodyFeel, focuses on link between social activism, politics and the body
New yoga studio offers exercise with a side of social activism,
Robin Lacambra’s goal is simple: to make you feel good about moving your body.
But Lacambra’s mission, reflected in the name of her new studio — GoodBodyFeel — goes deeper than most traditional yoga studios.
Lacambra says she approaches movement and exercise “from an anti-oppression lens.” That means special attention is paid to people who may feel marginalized by the yoga and Pilates industries — particularly by the perception that fitness classes are the domain of the thin, white and wealthy.
At GoodBodyFeel, there are classes reserved for people of colour and seniors, and Lacambra is working on creating a regular class for members of the LGBTQ+ community. Mats are provided, eliminating the affordability barrier, and clothing is available for those who may need it. Upwards of 80 per cent of the classes are on a sliding price scale, starting at $5.
Everyone, she says, should be able to walk into her studio and leave feeling empowered.
“What I hope for this studio is to inspire a perspective shift on how we use our bodies,” said Lacambra, 33. “I want more people to feel like they can’t live without movement. Can we move well, can we move with intention and can we move with acceptance of our body exactly the way it is?”
Lacambra’s path to opening GoodBodyFeel began in elementary school. As a student at a small Catholic school in Etobicoke, she was the only person of colour in her class and among the few people of colour in the entire school. As a result, she said, she was bullied and ostracized by classmates.
“It’s been this ongoing lifetime journey of acceptance, because that’s not what I had,” she said. “The way that I run GoodBodyFeel is definitely the result of my healing journey.”
When Lacambra was in Grade 4, she began struggling with body image issues and disordered eating habits. She began to work out, specifically using VHS tapes of Pilates routines that she would follow before and after school.
“Because of those body issues, I was using those tapes vigilantly — thinking that if I lost weight, people would like me,” she said. “My fitness regime was really about punishing myself or earning the right to eat. There was no joy in it.”
It wasn’t until Lacambra began high school that things changed.
“When high school happened, it was a fresh start for me. My body was more able to fit in,” she said. “The bullying stopped, and I started to see how much of a big deal it was to have other people that look like you in order to feel accepted and to feel welcomed.”
In 2005, she took her first yoga class, inspired by a friend she had met at university.
“That’s when I first experienced the healing aspect of movement,” she said. “Moving doesn’t have to be for punishment — it can be for joy, and mindfulness, and ease and peace.”
Lacambra says the response to GoodBodyFeel has been incredibly positive. She says it’s the only studio in Hamilton that’s attuned to the link between social activism, politics and the body. And while GoodBodyFeel offers many classes that are open to everyone, she says it’s also the only studio in the city offering classes geared toward people of colour.
“The idea is to create exclusive spaces to create safer spaces. When you’re the only one, you question whether or not you’re welcome,” she said. “That’s what people of colour face daily, everywhere. It’s hard to come home to your body if your body is singled out.”
Lacambra says creating spaces for those who may have felt alienated lets them relax and enjoy yoga’s benefits, as the fear of being excluded or singled out is taken out of the equation.
Her own history struggling with body image issues helps inform her teaching, she says. She keeps her language genderneutral and avoids words that could trigger feelings of shame or inadequacy in those struggling with accepting their bodies. She encourages participants to get out of their heads and into their bodies — while still maintaining a playful approach (including a cathartic move she calls “scream squats,” which are a highlight of her R&B Pilates classes).