Last week I attended my first class of Aerial Yoga via the Cocoon Yoga Studio Belfast. I had stumbled across this page on Facebook whilst looking into what yoga classes were available in Belfast and was immediately intrigued by the pictures I found there! They were certainly not what I was expecting…
Well, this looks interesting….!
Aerial Yoga is also known as Antigravity Yoga and according the UK website; ‘AntiGravity Yoga is a fitness regime designed to increase one’s overall health and physical agility while having fun and creating beauty’ – well who wouldn’t like the sound of that?!
The technique involves using an AntiGravity Hammock which is basically a large piece of silk attached to the ceiling by 2 points – it’s kind of like a big soft swing which is only a few inches off the ground ( so no excuses of being scared of heights!) and I was assured it could hold over 1000lbs!
The class I attended was a one-off in addition to the Monday and Wednesday classes Sandra is hoping to kick off as regular weekly classes. Everyone there was a newbie. There was a simmering air of anticipation and anxiety amongst us as no one really had any idea what to expect or whether we would actually be able to perform the moves we had seen online.
We started the class by climbing into our hammocks in a womb pose with the lights off and some soothing music playing whilst we relaxed and mediated. This was the perfect way to ease our anxieties and encourage us to unwind.
We then got straight down to business with our first inversion – the Monkey! Inversions are basically poses that turn the body upside down leaving you at a point where your feet are above your head. To begin with, I was certain I was never getting this! Essentially, this involves hanging upside down with the hammock under your bottom and then wrapped around your legs with your knees bent and your feet touching. After Sandra explained all the steps to getting into this pose and I took a leap of faith and made it!!
Monkeying Around
We then moved through some ‘typical yoga poses’ which have been modified to incorporate the hammock; mountain pose, prayer, warrior, sun salutation. It was great that Sandra references the names of the position you are in as it helps connects the dots with traditional styles of yoga.
Feel The Burn
Then came the tricky part – the handstand! Being the type of gal who has NEVER accomplished a handstand in my life, I was not convinced I would be able to do this…
First Ever Handstand!
TAAADAAAA! Ok – it’s not perfect, but I think it’s a damn fine first attempt! From here we moved on to the skydive. Now this is where you really have to trust the hammock will hold you as it’s pretty much the handstand but with no hands – EEEKKK!
INCOMING!!!!
By now, I’m pretty much a pro!
Next we advanced to flying. That’s right – FYLING! Now this was great fun! Again everyone was a bit anxious of this move but once we got into the swing of things (boom boom) it was so enjoyable.
Swinging Together
We finished with some more mediation and relaxation which got me in the perfect mind frame for the rest of my evening after a busy week of work.
Some of the benefits of aerial yoga include improving core strength, stability, decompression of the spine, improvement in joint tightness and lengthening benefits (literally – apparently you can gain a quarter of an inch). I found that I came away from the class feeling truly relaxed and had literally, the best night’s sleep I have had in months. The following day I could really feel that I had worked my abdominal and leg muscles and would highly recommend to anyone looking for a unique exercise experience in Belfast.
You can find more details about Cocoon Yoga Studio Belfast here
A xo
bellefastlife 