As
published
VC Reporter’s “Fitness Guide,”
January 2014
Aerial Exercise
Fly
your way to fitness.
 |
| Courtesy photo provided by AIReal Yoga ™ |
Move over pole
dancing and boot camp, the newest fitness craze will have you flying through
the air like a circus acrobat.
Kathy
Lopez of V-FIT Studio in midtown is teaching what’s known as AIReal Yoga ™, fully
accredited by the Yoga Alliance and created by local Carmen Curtis of
Airealistic Circus and Flying School, whose background includes gymnastics and
work with Cirque du Soleil. Using a thick and tightly woven red silk fashioned
into a hammock swiveling freely from a single point in the ceiling, the
luxurious fabric molds to your body comfortably, allowing you to perform yoga
poses unencumbered mid-air.
Safety
is given top priority with this exercise. Fear subsides, giving way to trust in
self and the professionally-rigged equipment. You’re never far from the ground
since the straps are customized according to your height plus a few inches to
make you hover over the floor from a safe distance. Carabiners keep the straps
safely anchored, and the hammock acts as a built-in spotter, but still allows you
to challenge your balance while building strength.
Using
the looped silk just like the trained professionals you see in the circus, the
assistance and resistance provided by the hammock helps you find muscles you
never knew you had and takes advantage of deeper stretches than you ever
imagined. When was the last time you did a handstand? With the help of the
silks and a creative intertwining of your legs, that handstand that seemed
impossible becomes a reality. It’s one of Lopez’s clients’ favorite exercises.
“They
love the inversions – hanging upside down,” says Lopez. Leveraging the strength
and safety of the silk straps against the weight and support of your own body makes
these gravity-defying moves a cinch. Another simple pose on the hammock allows for
a deep backbend with arms wide open and floating. These inversions take away joint
pressure, decompress the spine, bring blood-flow to the brain and allow tension
in hips, back and neck to melt away.
More
challenging moves get the heart rate up and build strength, like the handstand
pushup, which targets chest and shoulder muscles a simple floor pushup can’t
begin to tackle. Core work is central to most of the choreography, building
tighter abs and a strong healthy back. For some, yoga can seem boring and nondynamic,
but yoga suspended up in the air makes for a thrilling and fluid workout.
All
fitness levels can experience the pure grace and freedom of movement of a
professional aerial ballerina. But make no mistake, sore muscles the next day
will remind you this is an intense workout.
Go for it:
V-FIT
is located at 4561 Market Street, Suite C. For more information visit www.vfitstudio.com.
Airealistic
Circus and Flying School is located at 4476 DuPont Court, Suite B. For more
information visit www.venturacircus.com.
