Anti Gravity yoga benefits
I had never imagined that my solution to the problem of an aching back would be found not on my yoga mat, but lying in the air. I had been sitting huddled over a desk like many of you, and my body was suffering. When a friend took me to an anti-gravity yoga, I was skeptical to say the least. The thought of having a silk hammock to do the poses looked more like a show than an exercise. But I can tell you that the first class was an eye-opener.
I am not a convert, I am an evangelist. I would like to discuss with you the life-changing anti-gravity yoga advantages I applied myself in this deep dive. We will touch upon the spinal decompression up to the sheer, raw delight of floating, as well as why this activity may form the missing puzzle in your personal wellness puzzle.
What is Anti-Gravity Yoga, and What Does it Mean?
But first of all, before we go on and talk about the incredible benefits, we should demystify what we are actually talking about. Anti-gravity yoga, also referred to as aerial yoga is a form of fitness activity, which involves the use of soft, silk hammock that is suspended on the ceiling to support your body.
Consider the hammock to be multi-purpose. It is a stick, a swing, and a cocoon. This exercise was developed by Christopher Harrison, a former gymnast from New York, and combines traditional yoga poses, Pilates, dance, and calisthenics, performed using the hammock as special support. The point here is the aspect of the anti-gravity.
The hammock enables you to get into positions with much easier movement of your body, without exerting much strain on your joints, compared to standing on the floor. It has nothing to do with brute strength; it has to do with smart, assisted motion.
The 10 Benefits of Anti-Gravity Yoga that Convinced Me.
This is not just theoretical with me. These changes were experienced in my own body and in my own mind. The advantages of this, in my judgment, were the strongest which led me back to my hammock, week after week.
It Made Me Taller in the Spine and Gone Back Pain.
This was my own holy grail. As soon as you experience the reversal, however slight the reversal of the anti gravity yoga effects on your spine, the difference is instant. The hammock massages your back in a slow motion that leaves the spaces in between the vertebrae. Such decompression of the vertebrae offloads the discs and trapped nerves.
The study by Dong et al. (2017) in the International Journal of Yoga reported considerable gains in spinal flexibility and a decrease in lower back pain among participants who had a set of aerial yoga classes. Personally, such persistent, uncomfortable pain in the lower back started to subside within only a few classes. I could almost feel taller and looser.
It Built a Bastion of Main Strength With One Crunch less.
Forget boring sit-ups. All anti-gravity yoga moves involve the use of your core. When trying to stabilize in the hammock, your deep abdominal muscles, oblique and transverse abdominis are always on the go. It is a core exercise which is dynamic and functional and which transfers to your daily life to improve your posture and strength. I also realized that I was not getting bent forward at my PC anymore, and grocery carrying became more comfortable as my core was finally at work.
It Opened Playfulness I Had Sworn Never More To See.
The flexibility is a game-changer with the supported nature of the hammock. It does not risk you falling or extending yourself too much in any attempts of stretching. The hammock can save you because it allows you to avoid the stretch reflex which is the natural action of your body to protect it when the muscles are overstretched.
This implies that you can be able to slowly and comfortably expand the amount of movement you can have. Practices that had previously been far-fetched on the mat, such as a deep hamstring stretch, or a graceful backbend became available and comfortable.
It Calmed my Stress and Cheered Me Up.
Swinging and floating is something joyful in itself. Even the mere fact of being held in the hammock can seem like a warm blanket, and it is a very relaxing experience. The actual magic though is in the inversions. The act of hanging upside down (or even partly), stimulates the vagus nerve that is a major system in your parasympathetic nervous system- your body rest and digest.
This will cause a cause and effect of relaxation in your whole body, reducing the amount of cortisol and making your mind relaxed. I never come out of class a heavier person, physically and mentally, like I had to get rid of the weight of the week.
It gave me a Boost of Circulation and Lymphatic Drainage.
The inversions are a reset button to your circulatory system. This is because you are utilizing the power of gravity to stimulate the distance blood returns to the heart and enhance blood flow to the brain by inverting your body. This may result in elevated power and cognitive acuity. Moreover, this increased circulation is a blessing to your lymphatic system, which depends on body movements to get rid of the poison and waste. It is a natural cleanser that leaves one feeling refreshed and alive.
It Developed Workable, Slim Body Mass.
The fancy movement is a deception because anti-gravity yoga is a whole body exercise. You will pull yourself with your upper body to support yourself and take your positions, your core to take them and your lower body to push and manage your swings. You are basically lifting and moving your own body weight in various directions of motion and this creates long, lean and functional muscles. I was shocked to have muscles in my back and my arms that I did not even know existed!
It Made me feel more confident and body conscious.
Learning how to fly in the hammock such as the legendary Flying Lotus gives one an amazing feeling of achievement. It takes you out of your comfort zone and instills confidence in yourself and what you are capable of. This trust is transferred to other spheres of your life. There is also an increase in proprioception- the body being aware of its position in space. This will have you more on your feet and elegant on and off the hammock.
It Reintroduced Fun in My Workout.
We adults tend to forget about playing. Anti-gravity yoga is a way of returning that aspect of fun, pure and childish, to exercise. It is thrilling to swing and spin and fall in a safe place. It makes any exercise more of a treat than a burden and thus you are more likely to continue. There is a lot of laughing in my class and that is an advantage in itself.
It Gave Slight Relief of Joint Pains.
Since the hammock has a great percentage of your body weight on it, it has a significant decrease in the effect on your joints. This helps it to be a superior exercise among people with arthritis, knee problems or hip pain because they may not feel comfortable in exercises that are based on the floor. It enables strengthening and stretching without much compression of the joints.
It Made Me Balanced and Enhanced my Posture.
The continual micro-adjustments necessary to remain steady on the hammock is a workout to your balance muscles such as nothing is. This enhanced balance will be translated into your daily life where there is the low possibility of trips and falls. More so, the practice also helps you to look longer and more upright by strengthening your core and back and decompressing your spine, so you do not even need to think about it.
What I Wish I Had Known My First Class.
When I was first stepping in the classroom I felt nervous. These are my tips on how you can successfully make your first experience in aerial yoga a success:
Wear the Right Clothes: Do not wear loose baggy clothes that will that will tilt over your head when you invert. Use fitted breathable tops and leggings that go to cover the backs of your knees to avoid the hammock burn.
The Hammock: It can support more than 1,000 pounds. It can hold you. The first fear is natural although your instructor will take you through safe progressions.
Listen to Your Body: It is the golden rule. There is no need to strain to go into a full inversion on the first day. Even a small supported backbend has tremendous anti gravity yoga benefits.
Eat Before: You should make sure you leave at least 1-2 hours between meals and class. Trust me on this one.
Frequently Asked Question (FAQs)
Q1: I’m not flexible at all. Is it possible to continue doing anti-gravity yoga?
A: Absolutely! This is among the greatest fallacies. The hammock is in reality a wonderful gift to make you more flexible. It helps you, and your muscles can get relaxed and lengthen, which would not be possible on the ground.
Q2: Is it safe? It looks kind of dangerous.
A: It is highly safe when it is practiced in a good studio under a certified teacher and with the right equipment installed. Teachers are taught to lead you on poses in a safe manner and will never deny you a modification. Also make sure to inform your instructor about any injuries or conditions (such as glaucoma, high blood pressure or pregnancy) in advance.
Q3: Do I feel dizzy because of the inversions?
A: Some individuals experience some kind of dizziness at the beginning, but it is completely natural. Your teacher will show you how to crawl out of inversions. The more you train, the more your body becomes used to the training and the dizziness usually passes.
Q4: What if I’m afraid of heights?
A: The hammock is not much more than a few feet above the ground. Majority of the preparatory work is performed when your feet or hands remain in contact with the floor. You can decide the level you want to reach at all times and you can progressively create your level of comfort.
Q5: What makes this dissimilar to simply using inversion boots?
A: Inversion boots cause a lot of stress to your ankles and knees. Anti-gravity yoga hammocks support the full torso of the body and redistribute the pressure in a comfortable manner in the hips, the back, and the legs, which is a considerably more affordable and less painful type of inversion.