Asian American and Pacific Islander Heritage Month
Studio Client Spotlight: Ji Young Yu
May is Asian American and Pacific Islander Heritage (AAPI) Month, and we’re so excited to be celebrating it all month long. Throughout May, watch the B3 Magazine and barre3 Instagram for stories highlighting members of our global barre3 community who identify as AAPI.
Today, we’re featuring Ji Young Yu, a member at barre3 Cedar Mill. When Ji moved from Indonesia to Portland in late 2019, she was eager to find a community she could connect with—and after her first class at barre3 Cedar Mill, she knew she had found it. But then COVID hit, and suddenly she felt isolated and alone. Read on to learn how barre3 Livestream classes helped her find a purpose during a difficult time and how the lessons she’s learned in class have helped her be true to herself and feel proud of her identity.
B3 MAGAZINE: You moved to Portland from Indonesia. That’s a big change!
JI: It was a huge move. I’m Korean, but I’m from Indonesia, and I moved from there when I got married in 2019. Honestly, it was really difficult for me. I went to college in California, but it’s really different moving somewhere as an adult. My friends kept telling me “you need a community.” They suggested finding a gym, and one of my friends asked if I’d ever heard of barre workouts. I never had, but I googled it, and barre3 popped up. The Cedar Mill studio was the closest to where I live, so I went to a class there and loved it. I immediately knew I wanted to join.
B3 MAGAZINE: Do you remember how you felt during that first class?
JI: I went in with no expectations—I really had no idea what I was getting into! The instructor, Lindsey Snodgrass, used every single prop—the Core Sliders, the Resistance Band, weights, the ball, everything. I remember doing Narrow Athletic V and the instructor told us to go down an inch, and I was thinking, How am I supposed to move in this position?
But the instructor was so kind. Honestly, it was the kindness I felt from her and from the people at the front desk that made me know this was something I wanted to try.
B3 MAGAZINE: Was it at that point that you became a member?
JI: Yes, I joined right when the January Challenge started. After doing more classes and meeting other instructors, I started to notice how often they talked about modifications and how taking a modification isn’t a weakness—it’s standing up for yourself, making choices for yourself. That really spoke to me, especially at that time. I was so new to Portland, and I felt really lost and lonely. I was going through the green-card process and couldn’t legally get a job yet. It just felt really good to have someone tell me that I was strong, that I could make choices for myself.
B3 MAGAZINE: It was only a few months later that COVID hit and we all went into lockdown. How did that affect you?
JI: I got really depressed. I had no friends, no family other than my husband, and I couldn’t go out and meet people because of COVID. In a way, I felt like I didn’t have an identity. Barre3 started doing Livestream classes, and honestly, they became my purpose. They gave me so much structure. I couldn’t go out and meet people or fly home to see my family, but the one thing I could do was get up and practice barre3.
B3 MAGAZINE: I love that it provided not just a workout, but a reason to get up in the morning.
JI: It really brought me so much joy. I took Stacy Foster’s class a lot, and once she reached out to me by email just to say hello. It meant so much to me—it brought me to tears. She used to say “We are resilient” during breathwork, and I still say it to myself today.
B3 MAGAZINE: Sometimes the smallest gestures mean the most! It sounds like you did workouts a lot—did you have a regular cadence?
JI: Every single day! I know teaching livestream classes must have been so hard for the instructors after being used to teaching in the studio. I felt like, if they’re committing their time, Livestreaming from their homes, I will commit, too. I love that moment, when you first log on to a live workout, and the instructor says hi to you—just you. It’s one thing to be nice—anyone can do that. But it’s different at barre3. It’s not just niceness, it’s kindness. It comes from the heart. I felt it in the studio, and I can feel it through the screen.
B3 MAGAZINE: What a great way to explain the distinction between being nice and being kind. And honestly, it goes both ways—the instructors feel genuine kindness from the clients, too.
JI: It meant everything to me. I was having an identity crisis when I moved here. A lot of people feel this when they move to different countries. You feel like you have to adjust, to be someone else to fit in. But at barre3, I’m able to be true to myself. I remember feeling afraid of joining a new community. I was thinking, Will people accept me? But at barre3, it’s not about other people accepting you, it’s about accepting yourself.
Join us in celebrating Asian American and Pacific Islander Heritage Month all throughout May and beyond. Follow along on Instagram and tune in right here on the B3 Magazine for in-depth interviews, features, and more. And if you’d like to start your barre3 journey, sign up and get your first month of barre3 online for $1, or find your local studio.
May is Asian American and Pacific Islander Heritage (AAPI) Month, and we’re so excited to be celebrating it all month long. Throughout May, watch the B3 Magazine and barre3 Instagram for stories highlighting members of our global barre3 community who identify as AAPI.
Today, we’re featuring Ji Young Yu, a member at barre3 Cedar Mill. When Ji moved from Indonesia to Portland in late 2019, she was eager to find a community she could connect with—and after her first class at barre3 Cedar Mill, she knew she had found it. But then COVID hit, and suddenly she felt isolated and alone. Read on to learn how barre3 Livestream classes helped her find a purpose during a difficult time and how the lessons she’s learned in class have helped her be true to herself and feel proud of her identity.
B3 MAGAZINE: You moved to Portland from Indonesia. That’s a big change!
JI: It was a huge move. I’m Korean, but I’m from Indonesia, and I moved from there when I got married in 2019. Honestly, it was really difficult for me. I went to college in California, but it’s really different moving somewhere as an adult. My friends kept telling me “you need a community.” They suggested finding a gym, and one of my friends asked if I’d ever heard of barre workouts. I never had, but I googled it, and barre3 popped up. The Cedar Mill studio was the closest to where I live, so I went to a class there and loved it. I immediately knew I wanted to join.
B3 MAGAZINE: Do you remember how you felt during that first class?
JI: I went in with no expectations—I really had no idea what I was getting into! The instructor, Lindsey Snodgrass, used every single prop—the Core Sliders, the Resistance Band, weights, the ball, everything. I remember doing Narrow Athletic V and the instructor told us to go down an inch, and I was thinking, How am I supposed to move in this position?
But the instructor was so kind. Honestly, it was the kindness I felt from her and from the people at the front desk that made me know this was something I wanted to try.
B3 MAGAZINE: Was it at that point that you became a member?
JI: Yes, I joined right when the January Challenge started. After doing more classes and meeting other instructors, I started to notice how often they talked about modifications and how taking a modification isn’t a weakness—it’s standing up for yourself, making choices for yourself. That really spoke to me, especially at that time. I was so new to Portland, and I felt really lost and lonely. I was going through the green-card process and couldn’t legally get a job yet. It just felt really good to have someone tell me that I was strong, that I could make choices for myself.
B3 MAGAZINE: It was only a few months later that COVID hit and we all went into lockdown. How did that affect you?
JI: I got really depressed. I had no friends, no family other than my husband, and I couldn’t go out and meet people because of COVID. In a way, I felt like I didn’t have an identity. Barre3 started doing Livestream classes, and honestly, they became my purpose. They gave me so much structure. I couldn’t go out and meet people or fly home to see my family, but the one thing I could do was get up and practice barre3.
B3 MAGAZINE: I love that it provided not just a workout, but a reason to get up in the morning.
JI: It really brought me so much joy. I took Stacy Foster’s class a lot, and once she reached out to me by email just to say hello. It meant so much to me—it brought me to tears. She used to say “We are resilient” during breathwork, and I still say it to myself today.
B3 MAGAZINE: Sometimes the smallest gestures mean the most! It sounds like you did workouts a lot—did you have a regular cadence?
JI: Every single day! I know teaching livestream classes must have been so hard for the instructors after being used to teaching in the studio. I felt like, if they’re committing their time, Livestreaming from their homes, I will commit, too. I love that moment, when you first log on to a live workout, and the instructor says hi to you—just you. It’s one thing to be nice—anyone can do that. But it’s different at barre3. It’s not just niceness, it’s kindness. It comes from the heart. I felt it in the studio, and I can feel it through the screen.
B3 MAGAZINE: What a great way to explain the distinction between being nice and being kind. And honestly, it goes both ways—the instructors feel genuine kindness from the clients, too.
JI: It meant everything to me. I was having an identity crisis when I moved here. A lot of people feel this when they move to different countries. You feel like you have to adjust, to be someone else to fit in. But at barre3, I’m able to be true to myself. I remember feeling afraid of joining a new community. I was thinking, Will people accept me? But at barre3, it’s not about other people accepting you, it’s about accepting yourself.
Join us in celebrating Asian American and Pacific Islander Heritage Month all throughout May and beyond. Follow along on Instagram and tune in right here on the B3 Magazine for in-depth interviews, features, and more. And if you’d like to start your barre3 journey, sign up and get your first month of barre3 online for $1, or find your local studio.
