Aerial Yoga Style
It’s Summertime and both #NationalFrenchFryDay and #NationalIceCreamDay are this week, so we’re feeling the need for a healthy dose of fitness in our lives.
There are all kinds of amazing exercises out there perfect for some Summer stretching, toning, and sweating. But the latest exercise craze we’ve tried is a little bit different, mostly because it involves hanging midair, often upside down.
We’re talking aerial yoga or Anti-Gravity Yoga as Crunch Fitness calls it. Yes, that’s the yoga where you hang in the air from a silk (not actually made from silk!)
We’ve always looked longingly at those Instagrams of friends flying high in those silks thinking maybe just maybe we could do it. Turns out, you actually can do it! And you don’t even have to be a yoga expert, or super strong!
Anti-Gravity Yoga is the perfect summer workout because it involves all the centering, calming elements of yoga with additional stretching and strengthening from working with the silk. Here’s how our Anti-Gravity Yoga first time experience went:
THE BASICS
At Crunch’s Anti-Gravity Yoga, Instructor Kelley Green walked us through the basic safety bits (make sure your silk is far enough off the ground so you don’t hit your head! Precious cargo!) before kicking things off with some fun movements.
We quickly learned that the most important thing to remember is stop being afraid! If you follow all the movements and instructions, you WON’T fall to your death, AND even if you do fall, the silk would catch you.
THE MOVES
It’s amazing how easy it is to do a handstand in the air when you have an instructor walking you through each pose.
Throughout the class, your instructor will walk you through various poses to focus your energy or your stretch in different ways. Some might involve a little upper body work, some legs, and all of them will give you a great stretch.
Our personal favs involves doing a split midair and hanging upside down while swinging. It’s amazing the energy boost and calm that washes over you during these exercises.
THE ENERGY
What we loved most about the class was the amazing sense of energy, calming, and centering we got out of it. It’s like a normal yoga class x10! We got out of there feeling like we had accomplished so much, but also so at peace with the world – and that’s something when you’re stepping out into the busy streets of Manhattan!
What could be better after a long Summer week (or busy Summer weekend) than a moment to relax, center, and get a good workout? Next time you’re on ClassPass or visiting Crunch, be sure to look for their Anti-Gravity classes. We hear they also offer an Anti-Gravity Cocooning class, which sounds pretty much like meditating in midair, which we LOVE!
See ya there!
