Flying yoga

The originator of flying yoga, Christopher Harrison is both an athlete and a dancer. Using his abilities, he started AntiGravity Fitness, which is a workout program that incorporates aerial performances with the concept of fitness. Later on in Korea, this developed into flying yoga. Flying yoga is quite different from yoga, which focuses on finding peace of mind by moving one’s body. It also differs from Pilates, which aims to strengthen one’s core. Flying yoga can be a fun exercise routine for anyone, even for those who are not really interested in exercise. Using a yoga hammock, often called an aerial silk, flying yoga is easy, accessible and is a great way to exercise. The program claims that if you practice flying yoga regularly, your crooked back and shoulders will straighten up. It’s good for your blood circulation as well, as the yoga hammock will help your muscles contract and relax and because the inversion poses put you in an upside down position. Relieving the pressure on your hip joints will help your body to rid itself of toxins. You want a simpler explanation? I know I may sound like a psychic, but flying yoga will make you taller, your mind clearer and your mood happier. I mean it.

Since I like to work out, I’ve basically lived at the gym for the past three years and even had a personal trainer for a year. I had always had a healthy amount of self-confidence—at least until I stood in front of the silk hammock. I just kept staring back and forth from the ceiling to the floor. I was pretty scared that the hammock hanging down from the ceiling might break due to my weight. Making each pose, I kept saying: “I think this is going to break” and I was told: “It won’t. It can actually hold an elephant.” (In fact, this hammock is designed to withstand more than 1,000kgs.) Without even noticing, I completed all the poses (and I did pretty well). I’m always stressed out and never satisfied with myself (especially when it comes to my appearance). However, this experience allowed me to gain some faith in the hammock, what I was doing and myself. For the last five minutes, I cocooned myself in the hammock and mediated. “Be proud of yourself as you finished all the poses.” The words touched my heart and I choked up. When the session was finished I felt refreshed and full of energy.

To cut to the chase, they are all basically the same. When AntiGravity was first designed by Christopher Harrison, people didn’t really understand what it was. Director of FLYing YOGA in New York, Lee Sang-mi started using the term “flying yoga” to make it more comprehensible and it’s the term that people go by here in Korea.