Anti-Gravity Yoga Are you always up for new, unusual ideas when it comes to exercise? Then you might already be familiar with the current yoga trend " Anti-Gravity Yoga ." While this style isn't yet very popular in Germany, it's experiencing a sustained boom in the US. So, anyone who has always assumed that yoga is a relatively solid and therefore sometimes somewhat rigid form of exercise should prepare for a few surprises. Because, as we all know, everything looks different from the air, and this is precisely where the majority of yoga exercises take place.
Born out of necessity – the creation and development of an extraordinary yoga training
As we all know, every great invention begins with an idea. In the case of the yoga style under discussion here, this idea came to the American Christopher Harrison, who was looking for new ways to keep his acrobatic group, AntiGravity, in shape between performances. The result was a creative combination of his own work life and his personal interest in yoga. In concrete terms, this means that the yoga poses originally performed on the floor are now practiced in a suspended state. The most important piece of equipment is the acrobatic cloth, in which all the exercises take place. It's an invention that promises a great deal of variety and fun simply because of its chosen location. The large trapeze cloth acts as a kind of swing, which you can sit on or hang from. Asanas that are particularly difficult for beginners become child's play in the air. At least, that's how it seems, since even a longer and more intense workout flies by thanks to the comparatively high fun factor of anti-gravity yoga. Apart from that, there are, of course, a wealth of other benefits that the training brings on various levels. Physically, practicing anti-gravity yoga strengthens the back and core muscles, which in turn contributes to optimizing balance. Exercises performed while hanging also help prevent tension and relieve pressure on the neck and back.
Special features of Anti-Gravity Yoga
If you compare this aerial yoga variation with its classic counterpart, you'll notice other differences besides the 'venue' of the action. You have to imagine the fun, light, and playful world of the acrobats for whom this workout was created to get a rough idea of the flair of an anti-gravity yoga class. Here, too, the focus is on the joy of doing, rather than the dull repetition of the same yoga poses . Furthermore, the spiritual factor seems to take a back seat in this 'aerial variation' to make room for the positive physical effects. But once you embark on this adventure yourself, you'll quickly realize that a certain mindset is being trained here, too, and that yoga classes in free 'flight' require a fair amount of trust and confidence. And if you don't yet have these skills, you'll surely develop them quickly after overcoming your fear and maneuvering yourself headfirst into pleasure or into a specific asana posture a few times. Another advantage of this style of yoga is an increase in your self-confidence. This, too, is closely linked to the constructive management of your fears. Swinging in the trapeze fabric also triggers childhood memories and thus conveys feelings of security, safety, and comfort. Because the legs and feet don't hold the body, but rather hang in the air in an inverted position without any weight pressure, the spine can stretch again, effectively preventing back injuries.
In summary, Anti-Gravity Yoga promises not only physical fitness but also a lot of enjoyment while practicing and is therefore recommended to all those who want a more relaxed approach to the traditional Indian physical exercise form of yoga.
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