I couldn't imagine me, a 200+ pound woman, hanging from what I thought was a sheet three feet above the ground doing flips. It was just unrealistic, but I wanted to try! I held out for a while and during that time I did a little research and came across this video. This video intrigued me even more so I tweeted my friend and said something along the lines of, "You're doing this with me."
Sometime last week we both scheduled a 5:30 p.m. FUNdamentals class (recommended for first timers). On the way there, the only thing I could think about was trying not to...pass gas. But of course I did...when it was dead silent! I giggle now that it's over.
The studio was smaller than I expected but very peaceful with the turquoise hammocks and wood-like floors. My favorite part was the minimal furniture (there were cubbies for our belongings, a water dispenser and a small wooden table that held the speaker). The music totally set the mood too. There were a myriad of students; two guys (one of them the instructor) and about nine girls.
The hardest part was to trust the hammock. I was so afraid that I was going to break the foundation holding this beautiful art form together. But as soon as I put my weight insecurities behind me and I trusted my hammock, the moves got easier and easier. Another hard part was me genetically having very short legs. That picture of me hanging upside down did not happen without the help of our instructor. He needed to teach me a special way to get my legs to wrap around the hammock like that because honestly, I did not look like that first time I did it (now I wish I had a picture of that!).
My favorite part of the class was placing the hammock below my tummy (in my pelvic area), walking forward and just hard core swinging! Yes, that's an actual move and it's freaking awesome! My other favorite move is called "cocooning." Basically we got into a position in the hammock where we were lying down. Since I am short I was completely hiding inside of that thing like a caterpillar. It was kind of hard to relax during my first cocoon sesh because I forgot that the alarm on my phone still rings even though my phone is on silent mode. Luckily, it didn't go off during class, but I look forward to cocooning soon.
The health benefits are great as well! My back feels a bit realigned and I feel less stress in my neck (except for right now because I'm lying on my tummy while typing). My triceps are a bit sore, but nothing to painful. My body was so relaxed by the time I got home that I wanted to go to bed ASAP!
Here are some pictures of Tawnee hanging around as well:
The Hangout is located on 810 Pohukaina St. #102 Honolulu, HI 96813. You can learn more about The Hangout and classes offered here. Newbies get 50% off their first class with code AGYfirstclass.
Have you tried Antigravity Yoga or any aerial classes before? What was your first time like? What's a "flying" class like?