Take flight with a new fitness regime
Pacemaker Press Belfast 15-02-2012: Hammock Antigravity Yoga at Ladies Workout Express, Castlereagh, Belfast. Emma Deighan pictured with Sandra Hutchinson. Picture By: Arthur Allison.
EMMA DEIGHAN recently took part in the first ever Antigravity Yoga class in Castlereagh, a new fitness phenomenon that is still in its infancy even across the pond in America - and literally fell head over heels in love with it
‘THE Vampire’, ‘Swoosh’ and ‘Monkey’ are just three of the daunting names given to endless positions performed at the first ever ‘Antigravity Yoga’ class in Northern Ireland.
They sound enough to put the standard gym-goer on edge - but that needn’t have been the case, I found out.
I visited Sandra Hutchinson’s gym on Belfast’s Montgomery Road recently to sample a new type of exercise that is still so ahead of time it’s only emerging as a craze in the world’s fitness capital, LA. So novel in fact is AY, that New York City has only recently introduced its uber cool fitness enthusiasts to it. A major coup I think, for our modest little ‘Norn Iron’ to be among the first.
But Sandra’s a bit of a pioneer when it comes to setting up innovative fitness classes in Northern Ireland, as I learned.
She brought Zumba to Belfast in 2007, years before the dance trend had worked its way into every local gym, and she also hosts ‘Power Hooping’ – hoola hooping with a weighted hoop - among many other unusual fitness routines.
Sandra is a qualified fitness instructor with a passion for sourcing unique and alternative means of exercise for her customers and Antigravity Yoga definitely feeds that enthusiasm.
She will travel the world to discover and learn new fitness routines, and it was in LA’s Crunch gym (a chain favoured by A-list celebs) that she encountered Antigravity Yoga and went on to train as an instructor in Drogheda before bringing it to Belfast in August last year.
Created by acrobat and gymnast, Christopher Harrison (also a one time Broadway dancer) AY combines yoga with acrobatic moves, dance and Pilates using the support of a flexible hammock (that can, I was assured, hold up to 1,000 pounds!).
Referred to as ‘aerial’ yoga, AY is strictly monitored and all instructors are required to use the same equipment and embark on annual refresher courses, that is, after completing an initial, intensive five week course.
It’s a class that allows you to build on your strength, acquire a new skill, increase agility and promote physical wellbeing and it’s easy in spite of how complex it looks, I discovered.
“It’s got a bit of everything in it,” Sandra began as she introduced me to her peaceful studio where over eight hanging hammocks and accompanying yoga mats awaited me.
“Madonna has launched it in her gym, Hard Candy in Moscow, and she’s going to roll it out across all of the chain and Mariah Carey does it alongside Pink who performed from an Antigravity hammock at a former Grammy Awards event,” she continued.
The fact that Madonna was a fan did worry me. While she may be in her 50s, her body and physical ability could ‘out-challenge’ a teenager and it did little to reassure me that I could do even a basic ‘Womb’ manoeuvre in the hammock.
“I have women in their 60s coming to the class. I have people of all abilities, shapes and sizes, male and female,” Sandra reassured me and before I knew it, I was barefooted and about to perform the Swoosh, a position that allowed me to take flight across the studio.
It was fantastic, liberating to say the least, and once I overcame the trust issue I had with the hammock I was ready for anything.
Next move was the Monkey, which involves hanging upside down; gripping on to the hammock with your ankles – good for the circulation system, I was told - and I could feel it.
Sandra’s confident and slow paced teaching methods made AY almost bit too enjoyable for an exercise routine, but then that’s its beauty.
“People are just blown away by how fun it is and how easy they pick it up and after a few weeks they notice the benefits,” said Sandra, who is the perfect model for AY, boasting a flat stomach and trim, toned physique just months after giving birth.
“I’ve had customers with disc problems and back pain even stop taking their medication because of Antigravity Yoga,” Sandra added.
In fact, AY is the perfect choice for those with weaknesses in their joints or other ailments as it is proven to decompress the spine, relieving pressure and hydrating disks, it realigns the vertebrae, making space for nerves and it triggers hormonal release from glands, unclogs the digestive system and much more, and I for one don’t doubt these claims.
I can’t remember the last time I was upside down, or used the kind of moves that are demanded of AY. After a few minutes, I could feel my core working hard and my upper body strength was certainly encountering a challenge.
Testament to AY’s ability to promote strength is its following of sportsmen and Olympians.
“There’s a huge strength aspect to Antigravity Yoga. I know of high profile, professional boxers who use it as part of their training and there are many Olympic gold medallists experiencing the benefits of it too,” explained Sandra.
With AY not just a craze among typically erratic celebrities, but recognised by leading sportspeople, I was convinced very quickly that this was a routine that I needed in my life.
While a hard slog at the gym releases endorphins and produces a feeling of satisfaction, it’s also a challenge to get there and realistically not that enjoyable.
But AY, while it’s not so much of a cardio work-out, it tones and strengthens and more importantly is almost medicinal, and with the Cocoon and Womb positions there for a well needed rest, there’s an element of meditation that forces fast-paced individuals like myself to relax.
Each class lasts one and a half hours at Sandra’s Ladies’ Work-out Express studio. A course is recommended and lasts five weeks with two sessions per week on Tuesday and Thursday evenings, with a little taster available for those who want to ‘try before they buy’ on Thursdays at 6.30pm.
It was extremely easy to pick up in the first instance and I imagine after one class, perfecting positions wouldn’t be too much of a task.
While I was learning the basics, Sandra’s eight year old son, Philip, was effortlessly entwined in his hammock, informing me of his favourite moves and assuring me that I would find it easy, and he was right.
The nine metres of fabric suspended from the ceiling can hold a baby elephant after all and provides security and support that conventional yoga and other routines don’t.
It also offers a fun factor and you get to experience a sense of achievement when you find you can pull off what look like extremely complex movements, while the closing sedentary positions that allow you to relax and unwind ensure each class gives you not just a physical but a spiritual workout, that left me feeling more fulfilled than I would have done after a sweaty work-out.
With each session lasting an hour and a half, twice weekly, I have no doubt that the rewards of AY would be quickly experienced.
I for one can’t wait to get back into the Monkey and Swoosh positions and believe in time, reputable fitness instructors province-wide will be following in Sandra’s revolutionary footsteps.
For more information, log on to www.ladiesworkoutexpress.co.uk or search for Cocoon Yoga Studio Belfast on Facebook, telephone 028 9079 1778 or call in and see Sandra at Unit 1, 38 Montgomery Business Park, Montgomery Road, Belfast, BT6 9HL.
Email to a friend
Print this page
Looking for...
Featured advertisers
Jobs
Search for a job
Motors
Search for a car
Property
Search for a house
Weather for Belfast
Friday 25 May 2012
Today
Sunny
Temperature: 13 C to 24 C
Wind Speed: 17 mph
Wind direction: East
Tomorrow
Sunny
Temperature: 11 C to 22 C
Wind Speed: 20 mph
Wind direction: East
