Healthy Living: Antigravity Yoga with Natalie Langston
I recently had the opportunity to try an exhilarating antigravity yoga class taught by Vancouver yogi, Eric McClurg with my friends from the Vancouver Whitecaps Corey, Greg and Bryce for Fitness on the Run on Novus TV. What is antigravity yoga you ask? None of us knew or had tried this unusual and unconventional workout before but were all interested to see how it worked. Ever since Pink performed at the Grammy’s, flying high above the crowd in silks, with such ease, poise and strength making it look effortless, I have wanted to give it a go. This was my chance and I was ready.
We started with floor standing warm ups and stretches which lead to grabbing on to the silks balancing ourselves to pull our bodies up and inside. Once we were able to finally get ourselves in without falling, we were cocooned in giant silks hanging from the ceiling. It wasn’t as hard as I am making it out to be. It was quite easy actually; it just looks a lot harder than it is. The most important and probably the hardest part about antigravity yoga is trust. Trust in yourself and the hammock.
After getting nestled in and being able to trust our duvet-cocoons it was easy to see the fear subside throughout our class. That being said our instructor Eric began taking us through some rather complicated routines and by the end of the hour we were flipping, swinging, twisting, upside down, flying through the air like nobody’s business. I felt free as a bird. I even thought about taking my act on the road, but came to my senses quite quickly after regaining my balance with two feet on the ground and my head out of the clouds.
I also found out some rather interesting and beneficial facts, that this fitness regimen using antigravity hammocks (silk-like slings) is designed to increase strength, flexibility and agility with the added decompressive benefits of hanging upside down.
What I also found out while hanging upside down was that antigravity yoga is an effective treatment for back pain; it stretches out the spine and relieves tension. With over 80% of adults suffering from back pain, myself included, suspension fitness takes gravity out of the equation, allowing the spine to fully extend and align without the force of body weight. AGY is offered at Steve Nash Sports Club in group or private classes – check out their website for more details.
Get fit, have fun, be good to your body and feel like a circus performer!
Enjoy this glimpse into the beauty of anti-gravity yoga as the Vancouver Whitecaps and I turn our fitness upside down on Novus TV’s Fitness on the Run!
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