By Drui Caldwell

Yoga teachers are about as plentiful in Northwest Philly as traffic lights, but Bucks County native Crystal Widmann, 33, of Roxborough, is a yoga instructor who has carved out a special niche for herself with Y2B Fit Yoga & Barre, which started as a virtual fitness program and is now a recently opened studio at 7101 Emlen St. in West Mt. Airy.

A certified personal trainer, Crystal
 specializes in helping new mothers regain core strength and pelvic stability through her “mommy + me” programs. So far the customer reviews on yelp.com have been unanimously favorable.

For example, Karen B. wrote: “Crystal does a wonderful job making each class unique and slightly different every time. The studio itself is a wonderful calming space in which to exercise. Highly recommend.”

Kat B. wrote: “Great studio for everybody from beginners to experts! The owner is incredibly helpful, and the instructors are really down to earth. They make everybody feel at ease and welcomed and offer plenty of choices for both barre and yoga classes to fit a wide variety of schedules and fitness goals. I signed up for a trial membership to see which classes I liked best, and the only problem is that I like them all!”

Crystal is a health and post-natal fitness expert, specializing in barre and yoga training with over eight years of experience in the yoga and fitness industry.
 She won the 2016 Philadelphia Family Magazine's "Love Award" for Best Personal Trainer for Families.

Crystal graduated from Temple University with a BA in psychology and a master's in education. She earned a second master's degree in exercise science & health promotion from California University of Pennsylvania.  The knowledge gained there, combined with Crystal's personal experience as a new mother, helped her develop her innovative BYO Baby Barre™ technique that targets the specific needs of postnatal women. The program fuses barre technique, traditional fitness training principles and physical therapy elements.

Although the purpose of Y2B fit is to engage mothers in a fitness routine, the classes are open to everyone. The programs offered include yoga, barre, post-natal fitness training and health coaching through either private sessions or online videos and live-streaming.

“While I was getting my degree in psychology,” said Crystal, “I was also doing yoga training, I took a yoga course for a fitness requirement, and that sparked my interest in becoming a teacher. I loved yoga, barre and exercise, and I knew that after I had my son, I wanted to help other new mothers with fitness.”

Participants bond with their newborns while they exercise. The mothers will strap their babies to their chest or lay them on a blanket as they burn calories. The program integrates the barre style, physical therapy and basic fitness training fundamentals.

“Being a mother myself,” said Crystal, “I know how challenging it can be trying to exercise, let alone do anything without your newborn child, so I wanted to share fitness with new mothers through online videos. I later found an open space available that looked great for a studio, and it led me down a whole new path that I never imagined happening.”

Y2B Fit also offers an all new class called SurfSET Fitness. It applies the real motion of surfing to create the reality of surfing while targeting core strength and developing balance and agility. This mix of yoga and cardio is good for burning fat, improving stability and muscle building.

“It is super core strengthening and is a new program we’ve been working on for the last few months … Yoga is all about dedication and making sure you find the time to practice and discipline yourself. Over time you will see the physical growth in your body.”

For more information about Y2B Fit Yoga & Barre, call 267-278-6251 or visit y2bfit.com.