Yoga can be challenging enough, but some practitioners are trying it suspended in the air.
Using special fabric hammocks that don't rip and don't stretch, Crunch Fitness's "AntiGravity Yoga" may leave you feeling part-yogi, part-superhero.
The sport club's national yoga director, Jess Gronholm, developed the class in conjunction with the AntiGravity aerialist performance team.
“What we've done is we've worked with them to create that same kind of dynamic feeling that their performers have 30 feet up in the air, but within a gym setting on a much safer place,” said Gronholm.
The class, which combines yoga, a bit of dance, pilates and strength conditioning, starts out with a progression of simple moves to get bodies used to being supported by the hammock.
Then it builds up to back flips, forward flips and low-flying yogi inversions that will do a little more than just sweep you off your feet.
If you're in the mood to feel a little less grounded, a suspended yoga workout lets exercisers soar to new heights. Health reporter Kafi Drexel filed the following report.
Not only does it look cool, but Gronholm said the suspension helps to release tension in the joints and improve body alignment.
“It's really important. These kind of weightless inversions that we create really help as we turn upside down and hang,” said Gronholm. “It helps to create that space between each vertebrae and create that length through the spine.”
Students agree that getting their feet off the ground actually helps them find new ways of getting their bodies into place.
“I find that a lot of poses on the floor, if you don't align yourself correctly you could do it wrong,” said participant Jun Sassa. “But using the hammock, the gravity actually aligns you, you don't have to do anything. You just hang there.”
“In a normal workout, you just don't get the sort of total body experience that I usually get here and it’s really fun,” said participant Judy Greengold. “I mean, there is a sense of humor about it, and I've always wanted to be on a trapeze anyway.”
For those wondering about a weight requirement, the sling is sturdy holding at least 1,000 pounds, a half-ton.
These trapeze-inspired yoga lovers say it's pretty good comfort for doing everything from being able to hang like a bat to twisting themselves into the serenity of what could be called a “fitness cocoon.”