What if we tell you that there exists a form of fitness training that not only helps you shape up but also gives you an opportunity to swing back and forth blissfully like a carefree child?
Aerial yoga, alternatively termed as Antigravity Yoga is a hybrid gravity-defying fitness training which is a combination of yoga postures, pilates, aerial acrobatics, ballet, and calisthenics with the aid of silk hammocks suspended mid-air. Crafted by American choreographer and fitness professional Christopher Harrison, this form of workout is gathering worldwide momentum and is being widely endorsed by Hollywood celebrities including Gwyneth Paltrow, Pink, Mariah Carey, and Lena Dunham who swear by its tremendous effectiveness. So let’s take a look at this hot new form of workout which is taking the world of fitness by a storm and make a quick list of the various benefits it has on offer.
A Complete Body Workout
Aerial yoga is designed to ensure that each and every body part is involved in the workout one way or the other. The body bends at various degrees with the help of a supportive hammock which facilitates better muscle stretching without the fear of sudden sprains. Aerial yoga offers an opportunity to achieve an overall muscle toning and joint regeneration. Its powerful yet stress-free stretches firms up the body by allowing it to bend at angles which previously might have seemed impossible. A majority of participants soon discover stronger joints and firmer bodies over the course of just a couple of aerial yoga classes because the body has to work much harder when it is working against the forces of gravity.
Bid Adieu To Backaches
Christopher Harrison is a big believer in how gravitational forces can have ill effects on one’s body over a long period of time. Just sitting at a desk all day can put severe pressure on one’s back and cause long term health hazards. Aerial Yoga, by providing the participants with a chance to suspend freely from the air, makes sure that the spinal cord gets a good workout as it lengthens and stretches. This act of decompression provides instant relief to those who have been suffering from perennial back pains.
A Mind-Body And Spirit Exercise
Aerial yoga is a comprehensive form of exercise because it coherently harmonizes the mind, body, and spirit. The mind is strengthened as its ability to focus improves. Since the postures require a great deal of attention, the mind needs to concentrate much harder in order to get used to the unnatural positions of mid-air suspension and complete inversions. A vertical shift from the comfort zone of ground-level workout increases mental awareness and sharpens one’s senses. It has been observed that practitioners of this form of workout agree that aerial yoga builds their self-confidence by ridding them of their negative self-images. Just a glimpse of how gracefully each one’s body bends in coordination with the hammock has been enough to generate in them the sort of joy that trapeze artists feel while performing high in the air. Many even report feeling more creative after performing this form of exercise over a long period of time.
Stress Reliever
The meditative state which the mind achieves while performing aerial yoga is known to eliminate stress. By indulging in a fitness regime that is completely new, the body gets instantly fuelled with feel-good energies and happy hormones that are known to combat stress. This is the point where aerial yoga wins over traditional yoga, even though the conventional yoga postures are also great for minimizing stress, they become predictable to the body over the years. Engaging in a brand new form of workout which challenges how to fit you imagined yourself to fill your mind with positive feelings and get rid of stressful thoughts.
A Single Workout For Everyone
Those who have been suffering from backaches for a long time could never have done the sort of inversions that the silk hammock facilitates. Because the hammock acts like strong support the body gets to bend at various angles without putting any undue pressure on a particular sore point. Aerial yoga might outwardly appear to be something created solely for young twenty-somethings but in fact, it can be adjusted to suit people from various age groups. Harrison, it is said, has also encouraged his 70-year-old mother to give this hammock supported exercise a try and if reports are to be believed his mother in spite of her heavy built and history of hip replacement surgery has responded well to the fitness program and is now a regular practitioner of aerial yoga. Since the height of the hammock can be adjusted according to individual needs and levels of expertise, this new form of yoga is really made keeping everyone’s needs in mind.
Working Out Finally Becomes Fun
This is the ultimate ticket to release the trapeze artist you’ve been hiding within you since those childhood days. Flipping upside down, swinging from side to side and turning your body into all possible angles, while all the time knowing that you won’t hurt yourself because you can always adjust the height of the hammock according to your convenience, is nothing short of pure bliss.
Almost everyone leaves with a smile on their face after a complete session of aerial yoga. Simply hanging upside down on the silk hammock is so addictive that many confess it to be the best part of their workout regime and they look forward to nothing else with more enthusiasm because it gives them a fresh perspective to life and it makes them feel like gleeful children once again.
Aerial Yoga For Healthy Internal Organs
This new form of yoga not only strengthens your core muscles but also works to improve the health of your internal organs. Prolonged practice of anti-gravity yoga has been linked with better functioning of the digestive system as it helps the organs responsible for metabolism work smoothly, so common digestive ailments like heartburn, constipation, and indigestion are cured effectively without the hassle of any medication.
