23. Try Anti-gravity yoga

My brother joined Rhoda and I when we decided to try Anti-gravity yoga at Beyond Yoga at BCG. Like our TRX Suspension training, we first experienced Fly Fitness which is usually practiced by regulars, for first timers it would be better to try Fundamentals first. Since we were already there in class, Teacher Paulo introduced himself and the anti-gravity hammock to us.

My new love. The Anti-gravity hammock. Made out of 12ft x 9ft synthetic fiber.

The first thing he taught us was to trust our hammock. If you are doubting that the cloth could hold your weight, don’t. It could carry more than 1000lbs. Yep. Perfectly safe. Don’t forget to remove any jewelry before mounting your hammock so that you don’t snag yourself or the hammock.  Next, he taught us how to properly mount our hammock and said “Hi! And I’m sorry. Later you’ll understand why.” Oh my, that didn’t sound so encouraging…

The first pose we learned was called The Womb (see left, top most picture above) it may not look pretty but it is a very relaxing pose and i became a quick favorite. I was a bit disappointed when we needed to change poses because I wanted to stay in the womb a bit longer. 😛

Next pose: The Inverted Monkey Pose. For the first two sessions, this pose hurt a lot. Only on our third class which is a Fundamentals class did we learn that the hammock was placed higher than where it is supposed to be that’s why it hurts. The hammock should be just where your low-rise jeans end before you do any inversions. Trying this pose for the first time was a bit scary. I know the hammock would hold but I just cant help it. It took a few seconds before I was able to let the hammock go and place my hands on the floor, palms facing the ceiling. During our Fly Fitness classes, Paulo made us do inverted crunches. In wasn’t able to do a lot of crunches because the hammock was really hurting my back. What you have to remember in this pose is NEVER to try to push on the floor to hold yourself up. During our Fundamentals class, Teacher Roxanne made another student stop her inversion. She told us that pushing on the floor will create slack on the hammock and you’ll end up hitting your head on the floor.

Third pose is another inverted pose. I didn’t catch the name of the pose, sorry. From the Inverted Monkey pose, you just have to unwrap your leg from the hammock and touch your feet with both hands. At first, I didn’t have problems with the pose. But when we needed to switch legs holding us up, I got a little scared when my left leg was the one wrapped in the hammock. I needed to grab on the hammock and was only able to let go when I’m sure that my leg could hold me. Haha.

Next pose in the picture above is called the Angel’s Wings pose. After our second class, I asked Paulo for a simple pose for beginners and this was what he taught me. We also did this pose on our Fundamentals class.

The Star pose was taught during our Fundamentals class. Your hands must be placed on your chest, Rhoda was just using her hands to cover her face because she looks like Pucca in all inverted poses. Hahaha. This pose may look hard but it really isn’t. But the Swan Dive Pose looks scarier. It is basically the same pose only with your feet together. What’s going to hold you up if your legs are together? The Hammock. Trust me. I was able to do it, so can you. ^__^

The last pose above was taught during our Fly Fitness classes and only my brother managed to get the pose.

Overall, anti-gravity is so different from the yoga I used to know. I was used quiet classes where only the yogi master was the one talking in the room and there are minimal interactions with the other students. In anti-gravity we are encouraged to laugh and make side comments. This could be a little stressful compared to other yoga practices because of the fear that you’ll fall on your head. Just listen to your yogi master and you’ll be good. Teacher Rox taught me alot during your Fundamentals class. Trust. Big word, but that is all you need in anti-gravity yoga. Trust yourself. Trust the hammock. Trust your teacher. At the end of the Fundamentals class, we congratulated ourselves for doing something good for our body. We also learned that we grew 1/4 of an inch which will last for only an hour. Ha!

I will surely miss the hammock.

New mantra: “Let it go. Let it be. It’s done.”

Beyond Yoga:

http://igobeyondyoga.com/