We Tried A Pilates Class In An Immersive Art Gallery

If you’ve ever dimmed the lights and lit a candle to enhance your yoga or Pilates experience at home, you’ll know that it’s only so effective when the neighbours start mow the lawn, or the kids are arguing in the next room. It can be close impossible to focus and enjoy the session.

Enter The Lume Melbourne. While it’s known for their immersive art exhibitions, they have recently launched a wellness program with yoga, Pilates and meditation classes. That’s right, immersive art plus exercise.

Let’s get immersive

So, what is an immersive exercise class, anyway? It’s a traditional yoga or Pilates class that adds sensory elements for a more engaging experience. This can include technologies to stimulate the senses and deepen the connection between mind and body. Immersive exercise classes might have ambient soundscapes, special lighting or visual effects, aromatherapy, or even use virtual or augmented reality technology.

At The Lume, the gallery comes alive with relaxing images of natural landscapes like waterfalls and mountains, and soft soundscapes as the backdrop promises to “ignite every sense with unique immersive wellness experiences that combine nature-inspired themes, evocative soundscapes and our signature perfume," says the gallery.

It feels like the space has been designed to help you tune out the world, with ambient lighting, soft music, good soundproofing and room to move without having to push the dog off your mat.

There have been various immersive yoga classes in Australia but it’s hard to beat the space and scale of The Lume.

Trying an immersive exercise class

At my Pilates class, I’m treated to a rare collaboration of the exhibition at the time, Connection: a celebration of First Peoples’ art and music. Art from more than 110 visual and musical artists project onto the vast interiors of the space.

The usually white walls tower around me, now displaying the colourful patterns and scenes of this intricate expression of art projected from the ceiling way above. The floor also forms a canvas, with the lights projecting slowly morphing images across my mat in front of me. Soft music plays all around, as other Pilates die-hards trickle into the huge space and set themselves up.

At the top of the room, two Pilates instructors sit side by side, lit generously to help the cameras streaming them to oversized TV screens hung all around the space, making sure those at the back of the class don’t miss a thing.

Once we’re all in, our Pilates instructors explain the current exhibition is a special treat as it is closing the next day, and the usual landscapes will return for future classes. I’m curious to find out if the experience varies depending on the projections, so make a mental note to come back on a ‘normal’ week.

We then start off with meditative breathing and the music and projections gradually intensify, covering us in dappled light and soothing our breath. I peek out from under my lashes at the room to see if anyone else is as transfixed as I am by the light show, and I catch someone taking a sneaky photo just as I turn around and photo-bomb them. Oops. I close my eyes and get back to my breathing.

With my eyes closed, I can still sense the colours in the room changing. It’s an odd sensation but it’s not unpleasant or distracting. It feels like I have large, luminous candles flickering all around me. We move on to some cat-cow stretches on the mat (with eyes open) while the imagery around us slowly continues to shift.

At one point as I’m looking down at my mat, the image projected over it blurs and shudders slightly, as the tiny shaking of the lights above us is amplified on the floor. As someone prone to motion sickness, it’s a little disconcerting at first, but the feeling soon passes as I focus on lifting my leg like a dog on a tree, and doesn’t return.

Fancy doing yoga underwater? Try an immersive yoga class, complete with underwater sounds and images.

The workout

The class is a challenging full body workout, building on our core strength while also allowing moments of rest and reflection. We move smoothly from one pose to the next, with the instructors offering modifications to suit all levels of experience. Their voices are calm and encouraging, perfectly complementing the serene environment. As we transition into the final relaxation pose, it’s as if the outside world has completely vanished, leaving only the present moment.

Pilates has many physical benefits, including boosting posture, flexibility, strength, balance and body awareness, reports Better Health Victoria. While there isn’t much research into immersive exercise classes, we know that music helps us relax and regulate our mood. And working out to music can boost physical performance and helps you forget you’re feeling the burn, according to a 2020 research review.

The verdict?

As the art and music helped me kept my focus, I felt like it was a winning combination. Immersed in the colourful swirls of the projected exhibition, I felt refreshed and energised, with the music layering a calm focus to the room. I could give my workout the attention it deserved without being distracted by the outside world, resulting in a more effective workout session.

Would I go again? Absolutely! The opportunity to try out the different nature schemes and potentially experience some of the upcoming exhibitions at the same time will bring me back to The Lume every chance I get. I left feeling rejuvenated, inspired, and eager to return. If you're looking for a new way to enhance your practice, an immersive class might just be the transformative experience you’re seeking – just make sure you book ahead!