AntiGravity® Aerial Yoga (also known as “Aerial Yoga”) is all the rage. No yoga mat required. All you need is a silk hammock hanging from the ceiling and a few Cirque de Soleil moves.
I’ve been wanting to try it out for a while and this weekend I had the chance at Raffa Yoga in Providence, Rhode Island. The ride was just an hour from Boston in my Toyota Highlander. Toyota was kind enough to let me test drive the car for the week.
I was ready for a little R & R when I arrived at the yoga studio/spa.
Looking into the AntiGravity® Aerial Yoga room before class was a bit intimidating. I was starring into a room filled with the same Hammocks that Pink used during her performance at the Grammy’s.
I wasn’t quite sure how I would like dangling from the ceiling in a hammock doing yoga poses. As much as I love Cirque de Soleil, I like to watch the performance from a stable seat in the audience.
What is AntiGravity® Aerial Yoga?
Founded by former gymnast and dancer Christopher Harrison, AntiGravity® Aerial Yoga is a comprehensive fitness technique which allows you to practice yoga poses using a hammock. The hammock acts as a soft trapeze throughout the practice, much of which is spent in an inverted position.
Here I am looking happy in a pose. What you don’t see are the multiple steps it took to actually end up in this pose. I was in an inverted position for what felt like an eternity and then had to pull myself up using the sides of the hammock into this position.
Benefits of AntiGravity® Aerial Yoga
- Conquer your fears. You’ll probably be doing flips and inversions by the end of class.
- Huge core workout.
- Decompression of the spine through zero-compression inversions.
- Total body workout.
- Keeps your workouts interesting.
- Enables creativity through the use of poses.
My thoughts on AntiGravity® Aerial Yoga
The class was interesting and challenging. It was also empowering. Several postures seemed impossible initially, but when I tried them they were doable. I did flips, hung from my feet and laughed a lot.
I did feel a bit nauseous from all the inversions. There were times when the hammock was digging deep into my hip flexer and I wanted to scream. My understanding is that this intense sensation is part of the practice and gets better over time.
My favorite pose was Shavasana in the hammock. I had my own private cocoon.
Have you tried or are you interested in trying AntiGravity® Aerial Yoga?
That sounds/looks like SO much fun! I would love to try it someday.
It’s great to learn a bit more about this – it sounds so fun!
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It is an interesting hour and a half! I’m curious to know if there’s a class in Minneapolis.
I think you would love it Marsha. It’s catching on so hopefully their classes will be offered in more locations.
So fun! I would love to try this too. Love the pic of you in happy pose.
I look happy Lindsay, but I was so uncomfortable! I think you would love it…..
I tried aerial a couple of months ago at South Boston Yoga. Agreed that the ropes dig into hip flexors and that shavasana is the best pose! (I actually fell asleep in that hammock….!)
I’m impressed that you fell asleep Hanna! It was definitely relaxing after all that “sensation”!
Aerial Yoga is a wonderful complement to your mat practice. I love it because it is my new favorite thing!
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