Complex poses, impressive combinations of movements in the air, a lot of joy and an invigorating effect. Beauty editor of Psychologies Nina Nabokova talks about her passion for an unusual kind of yoga.
I first learned about yoga in hammocks (aka “yoga in the air” and “anti-gravity yoga”) from a French magazine about five years ago. The material was illustrated by spectacular photographs: people hung upside down in special hammocks, sat in them in the lotus position and stretched with the help of special slings. Everything looked extremely unusual, I immediately wanted to get to the training, but in Moscow no one had heard of this then. So I was able to feel the beauty of antigravity only a couple of years later. And immediately became a fan of this modern direction of ancient practice.
What it is?
The founder of the anti-gravity yoga technique is Broadway dancer and choreographer Christopher Harrison. He staged concert numbers for such stars as Beyoncé, Britney Spears and Gwen Stefani. To create spectacular aerial tricks, Christopher often used the so-called anti-gravity hammock, which he himself invented. One day he realized that a few exercises and flips in this hammock can relieve fatigue, improve mood and cause a surge of strength. This is how anti-gravity yoga was born.
Classes are held in a durable and lightweight hammock, which creates a feeling of flight and helps the body adapt to the load. The basic asanas are borrowed from ordinary yoga, but adapted for the “suspended state”, making even the notorious “Downward Dog” easier to do than on the rug. You bend over a hammock, it supports the body and takes some of the load.
Getting off the ground
When I came to the first lesson, I could not think that in an hour I would be hanging upside down in the “Bat” position. It seemed that the performance of such asanas required a long preparation, or at least natural flexibility and dexterity. But in reality, everything is much simpler.
The hammock does half the work by lifting the body and turning it over. At the same time, the load on the spine is minimal, as is the likelihood of a fall: the body is securely fixed. But there is one difficult psychological moment – you have to trust a shaky structure, and this is not so easy. Under beginners, the hammock always shakes due to the fact that a person is not confident in himself, uses a bunch of “extra” muscles and begins to “flicker”.
Even the simplest of the inverted asanas makes you feel like an aerialist performing without insurance.
In anti-gravity yoga, concentration is important, as in classical yoga. Each movement must be performed very clearly: sit in a hammock, like on a swing, wrap your legs around its sides and roll over in one movement. Bat is the simplest of the inverted asanas, but even it makes you feel like an aerialist performing without insurance. And believe me, it’s an incredible feeling!
Of course, at first, doing “suspended asanas”, I kept thinking about balance, straining my back muscles and abs. Only after a couple of lessons I was able to get comfortable, overcame the fear of falling and insecurity.
Lullaby
The final part of each workout is devoted to psycho-emotional relaxation. One of the exercises already by its name – “Fish in the Water” – sets you in a serene mood. To perform it, you need to stretch the hammock as much as possible, lie across it on your side and “swim” – that is, slowly, without sudden movements, alternately “fold” inward and bend outward.
At this moment, an incredible freedom is felt throughout the body, as if you are diving into the depths or floating in weightlessness under lulling mantras, completely detached from reality.
Head over heels
Pleasure is the key word for yoga in the air. She doesn’t do much exercise. Lose weight, pump up the press or seriously work out the arms and legs will not work here. Although if you have not been involved in sports at all, after a workout, the muscles will make themselves felt with pleasant pain.
And yet, anti-gravity yoga is, first of all, a great way to relieve psychological stress and improve mood. There is a simple physiological explanation for this. When performing asanas in a suspended state, blood rushes to the brain, and it is saturated with oxygen, the mechanism of self-renewal of the body automatically starts. That’s why after every workout there is an incredible clarity of thought.
In many asanas, the spine is completely straightened – you feel relaxed and at the same time full of energy.
In addition, in many asanas the spine is completely straightened – you feel relaxed and at the same time full of energy, as after a good massage.
And for me personally, the main charm of yoga in hammocks is the ability to soar above the ground in every sense and experience sublime feelings.
Where to try
- Fitness club “Terrasport Copernicus”, st. Bolshaya Yakimanka, 22, bldg. 3.
- Network of fitness clubs WorldClass.
- Fitness studio “Easy”, st. Berzarina, 12.
- “Fitness on the roof”, Novinsky Blvd., 25, building 1 (classes only in the warm season)
- Center for Yoga and Dance iYoga, B. Kiselny lane, 7, building 2