Inside Susan Marchand and Lorilin Braymer’s 90-degree hot yoga studio, they each guide LSU athletes through different poses working every aspect of the athletes’ bodies. One hour of a Yoglates II class is equivalent to an hour of cardio, stretching and weight lifting.
“Once you start doing the classes, you get addicted.” Marchand said.
Yoglates II , which is located off Perkins Road next to Juban’s restaurant, is a local fitness center that incorporates yoga, pilates and calisthenics in a large gym studio with the temperature set at 90 degrees.
“We have the temperature hot because it elevates the heart rate and makes the muscles more flexible, thereby reducing the chance of injury,” Braymer said.
Braymer, the original owner of Yoglates II, built a relationship with the LSU Athletic Department 10 years ago, and Braymer and Marchand both cheered at LSU. For the last 10 years, she and Marchand have been helping athletes improve different skills that can help them in their careers.
“For us to be able to train and work with the athletes and the LSU athletic department is an honor and humbling,” Marchand said. “It’s humbling to know that they trust us to put the athletes in our care.”
Many current LSU athletes attend classes at Yoglates II during the off season to stay in shape and improve core stability and strength. Several pro athletes who have played at LSU attend Yoglates II and train periodically.
Teams and players will also get private classes to target specific areas of the body that may need rehabilitation or improvement.
“All of the athletes benefit from our classes,” Marchand said. “We try to work the smaller muscle fibers, fast-twitch, slow-twitch. We really try to work their core.”
Braymer’s motto “Train outside the box,” is a motto LSU athletes live by each time they walk in to Yoglates II.
Marchand explained how taking the classes makes the athletes more efficient in their sports, less prone to injury and more flexible.
“A lot of those kids [athletes] don’t have much time in their daily lives to stop and focus and really channel energy, rest, rehab,” Braymer said. “This one hour or 45 minute class gives them that chance to do that.”
Focus and discipline is a major component for athletes and that is a trait Marchand and other instructors push.
Yoglates II has over 15 instructors who all go through a written and physical exam to earn certification to teach. Randi Hines wanted to start teaching after she attended her first Yoglates II class.
“The exam is exhausting but well worth it,” Hines said. “We take information home to learn about the body and how to be encouraging to members. We also learn how to build relationships with members and create a community. That’s part of the reason I fell in love with this place. It was a home away from home while I was in college.”
Yoglates II works closely with the LSU gymnastics team to help improve their focus. The team meets with Yoglates II instructors weekly for a private lesson.
“With the gymnasts, let’s say they have a sore back one week, so we tailor the routine to stretch them out a whole lot and not give them a lot,” Marchand said. “We don’t want to give them any more back pain.”
When the athletes are out of season, they train with all participants in that class.
The relationship between Yoglates II and the LSU Athletic Department started after an athletics employee started attending classes. She saw the benefits firsthand and believed that LSU athletes would too.
Not only is Yoglates II for LSU athletes, but anyone in the local community is welcome to join, Marchand said. The mother of New York Giants wide receiver Odell Beckham Jr. commutes from New Orleans to participate in classes at Yoglates II.
For any participant, there are mental and physical health benefits, such as weight loss, improved muscle strength and a full body workout.
“When our members come here, they simply focus on themselves,” Braymer said. “You don’t know what the person next to you has been through. You don’t know if they are recovering from a hamstring injury or if a mother can do a full squat because she just had a child because every person is focusing on themselves.”
Yoglates II also offers a discounted rate for students. Students can pay $50 for one month, $90 for three months or $11 per class. There are several classes each day and students can attend as many classes as they wish. There is no contract, so participants can come as they want and pay as they go.
“We welcome everyone, regardless of their age or size. We want people to know that you don’t have to be fit to come here because this is a judge-free zone,” Marchand said.

Gallery • 1 Photos

Kate Roy

Instructor Randi Hines (left) and owners Susan Marchand (middle) and Lorilin Braymer (right) prepare for an afternoon Hot Yoga session on Jan. 9, 2017 at Yoglates II off of Perkins Road.