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REVIEWED: Aerial yoga – the exhilarating new yoga class celebrities are swearing by, performed upside down in a silk hammock

aerial yoga orange

The exhilarating new yoga class celebrities like Gwyneth Paltrow and Kourtney Kardashian are swearing by, performed upside down in a silk hammock, Healthista reviews aerial yoga – the trend to watch

Evolve Wellness Centre situated two minutes from South Kensington celebrated their fifth birthday last week and to mark the event they held an open day trialling taster sessions of each of their yoga classes.

Aerial yoga is an extremely flexible workout suiting both those wanting a cardiovascular workout and those wanting a relaxing yoga class. There are only four hammocks available so the class instantly feels more personal and individual. We were each asked at the beginning of the class what style of workout we wanted and what are aims were during the class. Our answers all differed entirely, from an intense workout to healing an injury, our instructor worked around each of our needs accordingly, tailoring the exercises to our individual goals.

 

aerial yoga

 

I opted for a slightly more intense cardio workout, and was amazed at how liberating it felt to be able to float around in the air suspended only by a thin, silk hammock. It is easy to feel a little light headed to begin with due to the blood rushing to your head, however after a couple of minutes of getting used to this new style of exercise your body adjusts and feels content balancing upside down. The other participants in my class chose the lower intensity style of aerial yoga and primarily used the hammock as a massage tool and way to help and improve alignment of the back.

I worked through a series of yoga poses by twisting and flipping through the hammock into different asanas

You begin the class lying in the hammock entirely, in order to relax your body into a state fit to workout. Once the hammock is raised above the ground and you begin to transition your body through the inversions, you can really feel the blood flowing around your body.

 

hammock

 

The class was 90 minutes long, split between a cardiovascular workout, relaxation methods and a massage technique. I was taken through an ab workout compilation, in which I attempted sit ups whilst dangling out of the hammock and held a plank pose on the ground with my legs suspended in the hammock. I worked through a series of yoga poses by twisting and flipping through the hammock into different asanas which was both exhilarating and calming at the same time.

suspended yoga

 

Aerial yoga can really help to tone the upper body as it requires a lot of core and arm strength to be able to pull yourself through the harder poses such as bow pose. If you are new to yoga and want to try a slightly more acrobatic style of workout to improve flexibility or simply looking to try something new and relaxing then this class is the perfect choice for you. Celebrities such as Gwenyth Paltrow swear by aerial yoga as a way to improve agility, posture and balance.

 

Prices for Aerial yoga start from £17 for a drop in class.
There is also an introductory offer of £40 for a 20 day trial of all classes.

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