GCN team looks at life upside down
Aerial yoga is a great way to keep fit and have fun at the same time.
It’s all the rage in the celebrity world at the moment.
The latest way to keep fit, tone the body and find inner peace.
What am I talking about?
Aerial yoga, that’s what.
Journalist Leigh Hodgson and I recently had the opportunity to visit Mystic Blue Yoga, in Third Street, Lambton.
We were rather nervous, as the thought of being suspended upside down while exercising did not really appeal to either of us.
Putting our fears aside, however, we arrived to meet aerial yoga instructor Carolyn van der Vyver.
Carolyn has been doing yoga for 11 years and has taught pilates for seven years.
She ventured into teaching aerial yoga about six months ago, as she saw the unique benefits offered by this form of yoga.
“You will able to reach the different positions far more easily than you would if you were doing normal yoga,” she said.
“The support of the hammock allows everyone to reach a target and helps you to feel stronger and energised, among other benefits.”
Aerial yoga is a fun, challenging workout routine which combines aspects of yoga, pilates, aerial arts and strength training designed to increase strength, mobility and flexibility, and you will always have a great time doing it.
Carolyn made Leigh and I feel at ease from the start and, before beginning the actual workout routine, we took a few minutes to centre ourselves and to focus on peace and keeping calm.
Then the fun began.
I must admit that I am not the fittest person out there and neither is Leigh, but we managed to keep up with the exercises, albeit with lots of giggling and some groaning.
As you get into the routine, you can feel your muscles lengthening and you can feel muscles in your body that you didn’t even know existed.
I felt those muscles for a few days after visiting the studio!
The class consisted on floor work, aerial exercises, stretches and relaxation.
When it was time for the aerial exercises I was quite fearful, but attempted them anyway.
Leigh, on the other hand, took to them like a duck to water and enjoyed hanging upside down in the “monkey” position.
I think if I continued with classes I, too, would soon manage to tip myself upside down with ease and get my body into the correct positions.
I must say it was wonderful to feel the stretches and how my muscles were working, and I loved lying in the hammock at the end of the session, gently rocking back and forth and thinking of nothing.
“One of the benefits of aerial yoga is decompression of the spine and joints, and it leaves the body feeling stretched and taller,” Carolyn said.
“It helps people with both knee and hip problems and can also help in people who suffer with headaches, as well as with arthritis.”
Leigh and I thoroughly enjoyed our aerial yoga session and we can see why it is all the rage.
It is great fun and a fantastic workout.
To find out more about aerial yoga, call Carolyn on 083 415 6165.
