In September, Four Seasons Resort and Club Dallas at Las Colinas is rolling out an exciting new workout endorsed by celebrities like Gwyneth Paltrow and Lena Dunham. Called AntiGravity Aerial Yoga, it involves a soft fabric hammock connected to the ceiling like a giant swing. Participants travel through various poses while sitting, reclining, or even spinning upside down.
Founder Christopher Harrison spent years as a dancer and acrobat, and he longed for a way to soothe his body, which had gotten pretty banged up. He started doing his same types of shows on hanging apparatuses, which made the moves less taxing.
His company starting performing these aerial shows, and its popularity was almost instantaneous. Harrison shared in a Tony Award, and his trademarked hammocks appeared at the medal ceremonies in the 2002 Salt Lake City Olympics and President Barack Obama’s inauguration.
During his time performing in the air, Harrison realized his new sport was improving his health, and he wanted to help others. In 2007, he created AntiGravity Aerial Yoga.
Four Seasons is the first club to offer it in the United States, and you won’t find this AntiGravity workout anywhere else in Texas. Here are the top five reasons why 6,000 people a day are enjoying these classes in more than 30 countries around the world.
1. It improves posture.
Is working at a desk every day leaving you hunched over? AntiGravity Aerial Yoga increases joint mobility, loosens tight muscles, and restacks bones for better posture. With the Harrison AntiGravity Hammock, you can stretch your muscles further and create traction for your joints.
2. It provides relief from back pain.
Aerial yoga is known to get the kinks out of your back by applying traction. Creating space between your vertebral discs for the nerves of your spinal cord also hydrates the soft tissue, which often helps relieve back pain. AntiGravity Aerial Yoga proponents say you can tell a difference in just one class.
3. It gets all the right things moving.
The benefits of zero-compression inversions are many, but a few of particular interest include triggering hormonal release from glands, refreshing the circulatory and endocrine systems while unclogging the digestive system, sending fresh blood to the brain (which releases neurotransmitters), and increasing spatial awareness and agility.
4. It encourages mindfulness.
One can’t deny the mental and physical benefits of yoga in general. However, hanging in the air while practicing poses takes your concentration and control to a new level. Levitating meditations will have you blocking out all of the noise in your head in no time. By focusing awareness on the present moment, AntiGravity Aerial Yoga can be therapeutic.
5. It’s safe for everyone active.
This practice, which encompasses more than 1,000 moves, is appropriate for anyone active. It’s a good, low-impact cardio workout that blasts calories and aids in weight loss without being too hard on your joints. A bonus? AntiGravity exercises promise to stretch you to your maximum height, which could make participants between one quarter and one-and-a-half inches taller.
To find out how you can take advantage of AntiGravity Aerial Yoga through a Four Seasons Resort and Club membership, check out The Sports Club website, or contact the membership sales team at 972-717-2525.
