Defy the laws of gravity with aerial yoga, a discipline that combines relaxation, strengthening, and letting go. Sarah Bellagamba, the AntiGravity teacher at the White Club in Paris, tells us all about this soaring concept.
Do not touch the ground again. Also called AntiGravity or Fly Yoga, aerial yoga is an atypical discipline combining yoga, Pilates, and circus arts. Suspended in a hammock that can support up to 500 kilos, you float in the air, rediscovering your body and new sensations. An awakening of the body and mind is tonic and amazing.
What is aerial yoga?
The original discipline, then called AntiGravity Yoga, was developed in the United States by the gymnast and choreographer, Christopher Harrison who after an injury discovered that exercises and postures were easier to perform in the air. On our side of the Atlantic, in 2008, Florie Ravinet inspired by this aerial yoga created her own method, Fly Yoga, which she developed with a team of physiotherapists.
What is the principle?
If aerial yoga has different names, the principle is the same: train in a hammock alternating a few movements with ground support and aerial postures. A work in suspension that allows to stretch the body and the spine as a whole and to strengthen the muscles in depth. At the key, flexibility, tone, and relaxation, all without impact. "The hammock is an additional support that allows us to access inversions, to put them within the reach of as many people as possible," explains Sarah Bellagamba, yoga and AntiGravity teacher at Blanche, in Paris. It also creates instability a bit like you would have with a Swiss Ball for deep muscular work." Some classes focus more or less on strengthening and inversions while others like Prenatal Fly Yoga, intended for pregnant women, are softer.
To know: The hammock is located about 1 meter from the ground, high enough not to have the head touching the ground during inversions, but not too high either for the arms to touch the ground when support on the hands is necessary on certain postures.
What are the benefits of aerial yoga?
Suspension training offers many possibilities for postures and exercises for a complete work of the whole body and benefits both physically mentally and emotionally. Freed from the supports, aerial yoga also allows us to perform certain movements that we could not do because of small pains: "For example, the candle quotes the teacher. There, the hammock makes it possible to do it.'
The body being solicited in its entirety, we tone in a harmonious way. We muscle the upper and lower body, the abdominal strap is constantly engaged. Also, thanks to weightlessness, stretching is facilitated, the body and joints relax and untie gently. We also improve our agility, flexibility, build muscle and strengthen our deep muscles in a fun way. "We release muscle tension, strengthen the center of the body, improve its proprioception, its joint mobility, continues the teacher. We also work on self-esteem because we challenge ourselves a little, there is also a playful and artistic dimension. We work all at once!' If yoga is a complete discipline, for the teacher, its number one advantage is: 'the decompression it provides at the level of the spine. Thanks to inversions, the vertebrae are decompressed, the muscles are relaxed. A decompression would be beneficial to relieve tension and relieve some back pain. "It's very good for vertebral problems," advises prof.
The aerial and gliding dimension is of course the other asset of this discipline. With your head down, you learn to trust yourself, to let go. Playful and regressive inversions are a good way to clear your mind, to change your mind while working on your strength, mobility, flexibility.
What are the contraindications?
Aerial yoga is accessible to all but still has contraindications as Sarah reminds us: 'All inversions are not recommended for pregnant women. Aerial yoga is also not recommended for people with heart problems, blood pressure, suffering from glaucoma. Do not practice within 6 hours of a Botox injection!'. And then, to jump into the air, even if it is not a question of crazy acrobatics, it is better not to have a problem with being upside down.
For whom? Everyone and especially for yoga and Pilates enthusiasts who want something new and for those who want to challenge themselves and have fun training suspended in the air.
Where to do aerial yoga in Paris?
Here are the best places to practice aerial yoga in Paris:
- AntiGravity at Blanche and Klay
- Fly Yoga at the Fly Yoga Center
- Aerial yoga at Somasana
What does an aerial yoga class look like?
After quickly taming the hammock and settling in, the AntiGravity course begins smoothly with a moment of relaxation sitting in the hammock. Then, we continue with stretching on a rhythmic playlist. Not so easy to stretch wrapped in the fabric, but it feels like in a cocoon and the sensations of the pendulum are pleasant. Then, it's time for a few exercises inspired by yoga postures in front of and behind the hammock, feet on the ground. On this day, there are many regulars, so we quickly move on to serious things namely: inversions. Finding yourself upside down a few centimeters from the ground, like when you were making the pear tree as a child is a little destabilizing. We are a little afraid of falling. Sarah, listening, advises us and gives us time to get used to these new sensations. After a few moments of breathing and concentration, we finally let go and find ourselves completely suspended, upside down, held by the feet and legs wrapped in the fabric.
At this moment, the expression 'letting go' takes on its full meaning. You have to trust yourself but also at the hammock, adapt to this feeling of blood flowing into the head and then you end up relaxing. The session continues between reinforcement exercises, suspended work, and reversals. To keep the balance, you are obliged to keep your abdominal strap sheathed. The arms work hard to lift and hold us back. The wrists are also well solicited which makes their mobility work. For the regulars, all these aerial postures are exhilarating. For me who is prone to seasickness and vertigo, slight discomfort is felt at the end of the course. "Sometimes it happens to feel a little feeling dizzy, reassures Sarah. This can be related to what we ate, the time we had breakfast, our shape of the moment...'. A little against the weather I do not realize the last inversion, I prefer to wrap myself in the hammock and let myself be lulled gently. The end of the course ends with new stretches in the hammock and it is already time to go back down to earth.
The course was very demanding for the arms and abs, I would have some small aches and pains the next day. The AntiGravity is really great for stretching, you come out with a feeling of grandeur as if you already had a better hold. A complete course that allows you to work the whole body in a fun way, the feeling of lightness and flotation in addition.
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