Salti is about to get bigger and better than ever

Posted on 26 August, 2019

The creators of Canberra’s coolest way to get fit—float yoga—are expanding their reach.

With the help of a Participation innovation Grant from the ACT Government, Salti floating exercise mats are coming to a body of water near you.

“I was an inactive kid growing up, traditional sport didn’t sit well with me. It took me years to find my ‘thing’,” explains yoga instructor and Salti co-founder Jo Flynn.

“I started discovering other ways to move my body as I got older and then came a turning point where I realised I wanted to be able to give Canberra alternative ways to get active too, especially if people were faced with the same challenges I experienced growing up.”

Both Jo and her partner Brendan have a deep love for water. Jo discovered that SUPing and surfing require a deep level of concentration that is almost meditative, so she wanted to create a more accessible activity that provided those same benefits. That’s where Salti floats come in.

“It’s a really good workout, you don’t realise how much it’s working until after,” says Jo. “We created Salti to introduce people to an active lifestyle that is fun, light-hearted, non-competitive. And something to get people out of their heads and into the present moment.”

After a thorough development phase, Jo and Brendan launched Salti in 2017. It was the first product of its kind in Australia, initially launched in Canberra under Jo’s Joga Yoga class and later expanding to other venues across Australia so they could run their own classes.

This year, the Salti team applied for the ACT Government’s Participation Innovation Grant so they could offer even more opportunities for the Canberra community to get active.

“As someone who grew up in Tuggeranong, I know how challenging it can be to get to other areas of Canberra. This is something that became really obvious running my own classes in central Canberra, so many people missed our due to geographical restraints.”

Jo knew there was high demand for classes, so she and Brendan put their heads together to create an affordable set of classes that will be run by multiple venues around the city.

The venues will offer three different programs, with new classes regularly released. Firstly, Salti Sweat will be a fast-paced, high-intensity fitness program designed to spike your heart rate and burn calories.

The second, Salti Stretch, will be a slower-paced, yoga-inspired program to improve balance, mobility and flexibility. Finally, Salti Strength will be a moderate intensity program that is a fusion of pilates and traditional bodyweight exercises to tone and build strength.

The Participation Innovation Grant will go towards equipment, training of fitness, regular program releases to support instructors, business, marketing, program support and implementation during the rollout of the new Salti offerings around Canberra.

“With indoor aquatic centres situated in north and south Canberra, Salti classes are an ideal way to get Canberrans active all year round, without having to consider outside elements,” says Jo.

“The implementation of this exciting initiative will make Salti classes more accessible and affordable.”

Keep up with all the Salti news on the website or Facebook page.