You must have heard about Yoga of Patanjali which is an entire system consisting of components such as dhyana, dharana, pranayama and so forth but have you ever heard about anti gravity yoga. If not then let us discuss about this concept which is gaining immense popularity specifically in the continent of North America.
What is Anti Gravity Yoga
As the name itself suggests, the word anti gravity + yoga is a combination of exercises which combine the exercises of yoga, aerobics, pilates and so forth and these poses are performed in a manner which act against gravity as is evident from the picture given alongside.
AntiGravity Yoga
Basically the anti gravity yoga is performed in a sort of silk sling which is suspended from the roof and is known as a hammock. It must be stated here most beginners have a psychological fear of putting their entire weight on a coloured silk cloth hanging from the roof thinking that they might fall down or break, especially the people who are having higher than normal weight.
This is pretty normal so do not be afraid if you feel so, and do remember that a standard hammock can bear as much weight as nearly 1000 kilograms so even the heaviest of human beings can easily let go himself or herself at the hammock and no harm will come.
Origin of Anti Gravity Yoga
As you can imagine, this sort of yoga must have been started by some sports person and rightly so. Anti gravity yoga is said to be the brainwork of Christopher Harrison, who is gymnast and choreographer. He devised this art combining the ancient art of Yoga and the modern exercises along with his own knowledge and experience from sports and choreography.
Who All Can Do Anti Gravity Yoga?
Irrespective of the source and origin of anti gravity yoga, the fact is that it is a good exercise since it combines many disciplines and can be well suited for anyone interested to work out, relieve stress, having backpain and so forth.
Of course there are certain exceptions such as people who suffer from vertigo or have some specific medical conditions which may not be suitable for such anti gravity acts, should not do it or should consult their physicians before trying to attempt any such act or ladies who are pregnant should avoid doing these exercises.
Back Pain Benefits
Spinal decompression is one of the main benefits of anti gravity yoga and it is done in a much better manner as compared to other means such as the inversion table. Because of the flexibility of doing it on a hammock, the effects are much more and most people who have been practicing this form of yoga for some time have reported lot of improvement in their condition specifically related to back pain.
Having said that we will not recommend anyone with back pain to simply do anti gravity yoga but it would depend on a case to case basis. For example if a person is suffering from some disc problem or having spinal injury it is common sense and quite obvious that he or she needs to consult a physician not only before doing anti gravity yoga but any type of yoga for that manner.
Yet one wrong notion is there about anti gravity yoga that a person needs to be fit to a certain extent at least before starting to practice this form of yoga. Well this is a total misnomer and even if you have not lifted a finger in terms of yoga, aerobics or any other exercise you can still jump on the band wagon of anti gravity yogis and benefit immensely from it.
Gaining in Popularity
As mentioned earlier this form of yoga is finding immense popularity amongst the masses and even celebrities are using these techniques in their performances like the famous pop artist Pink used a Hammock during her performances for the Grammy Awards ceremony in 2010.
We hope you enjoyed learning about anti gravity yoga and benefit from it by joining any of your nearby centers. You can also contact us for more information on this topic.