{"id":67138,"date":"2014-08-26T09:50:00","date_gmt":"2014-08-26T07:50:00","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/germistoncitynews.co.za\/67138\/gcn-team-looks-at-life-upside-down\/"},"modified":"2014-08-26T09:59:12","modified_gmt":"2014-08-26T07:59:12","slug":"gcn-team-looks-at-life-upside-down","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/develop.citizen.co.za\/germiston-city-news\/news-headlines\/2014\/08\/26\/gcn-team-looks-at-life-upside-down\/","title":{"rendered":"GCN team looks at life upside down"},"content":{"rendered":"

It’s all the rage in the celebrity world at the moment.<\/p>\n

The latest way to keep fit, tone the body and find inner peace.<\/p>

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What am I talking about?<\/p>\n

Aerial yoga, that’s what.<\/p>

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Journalist Leigh Hodgson and I recently had the opportunity to visit Mystic Blue Yoga, in Third Street, Lambton.<\/p>\n

We were rather nervous, as the thought of being suspended upside down while exercising did not really appeal to either of us.<\/p>\n

Putting our fears aside, however, we arrived to meet aerial yoga instructor Carolyn van der Vyver.<\/p>\n

Carolyn has been doing yoga for 11 years and has taught pilates for seven years.<\/p>\n

She ventured into teaching aerial yoga about six months ago, as she saw the unique benefits offered by this form of yoga.<\/p>\n

“You will able to reach the different positions far more easily than you would if you were doing normal yoga,” she said.<\/p>\n

“The support of the hammock allows everyone to reach a target and helps you to feel stronger and energised, among other benefits.”<\/p>\n

Aerial yoga is a fun, challenging workout routine which combines aspects of yoga, pilates, aerial arts and strength training designed to increase strength, mobility and flexibility, and you will always have a great time doing it.<\/p>\n

Carolyn made Leigh and I feel at ease from the start and, before beginning the actual workout routine, we took a few minutes to centre ourselves and to focus on peace and keeping calm.<\/p>\n

Then the fun began.<\/p>\n

I must admit that I am not the fittest person out there and neither is Leigh, but we managed to keep up with the exercises, albeit with lots of giggling and some groaning.<\/p>\n

As you get into the routine, you can feel your muscles lengthening and you can feel muscles in your body that you didn’t even know existed.<\/p>\n

I felt those muscles for a few days after visiting the studio!<\/p>\n

The class consisted on floor work, aerial exercises, stretches and relaxation.<\/p>\n

When it was time for the aerial exercises I was quite fearful, but attempted them anyway.<\/p>\n

Leigh, on the other hand, took to them like a duck to water and enjoyed hanging upside down in the “monkey” position.<\/p>\n

I think if I continued with classes I, too, would soon manage to tip myself upside down with ease and get my body into the correct positions.<\/p>\n

I must say it was wonderful to feel the stretches and how my muscles were working, and I loved lying in the hammock at the end of the session, gently rocking back and forth and thinking of nothing.<\/p>\n

“One of the benefits of aerial yoga is decompression of the spine and joints, and it leaves the body feeling stretched and taller,” Carolyn said.<\/p>\n

“It helps people with both knee and hip problems and can also help in people who suffer with headaches, as well as with arthritis.”<\/p>\n

Leigh and I thoroughly enjoyed our aerial yoga session and we can see why it is all the rage.<\/p>\n

It is great fun and a fantastic workout.<\/p>\n

To find out more about aerial yoga, call Carolyn on 083 415 6165.<\/p>\n