This nonstop pull of gravity can have some undesired effects in our bodies over the years. Over time, it causes our bodies to literally shrink. Our spinal columns compress, our organs grow sluggish, our skin droops. Even within a single day, gravity causes us to shrink in height, with the average person losing up to an inch from morning to night.

Although we cannot fight gravity, in yoga we can use its pull to our advantage. When we turn the body upside down, we reverse the pull of gravity and create long-lasting benefits for our entire system! Some claim that for every minute spent in headstand, the aging process is suspended. Inversions (even half inversions like downward facing dog or standing forward bend) allow a fresh flow of blood to the brain, they enable you to see the world from a different perspective, and, when you can get your legs above your heart, they provide a much-welcomed rest for the circulatory system. I’ve had many students tell me they measure at least an inch taller after beginning a consistent yoga practice.

On an emotional level, inversions build confidence by helping us to overcome limiting beliefs or fears, and allow us to see the world from a different perspective. The feeling of being upside-down, as an adult, is truly freeing!

Many people resist inversions from fear or a belief that they are not strong enough. To gain benefit from inversions, they must be practiced safely and mindfully, and approached in stages. They should only be learned under the guidance of a knowledgeable teacher. Some physical issues make some inversions ill-advised, for example, someone with a neck injury should not practice traditional headstand or shoulderstand. But there are usually some stages where most people can work safely, or props that can help. When doing any inversion, the breath should be smooth and deep, and the mind calm. It requires patience and persistence to develop a strong inversion practice, but it is well worth the effort.

For those who cannot do traditional yoga inversions, there are still other options for getting upside-down. Partners, props, inversion tables, etc. My favorite is the use of the Aerial Sling. In Aerial Yoga, we use a soft fabric sling hanging from the ceiling to support the body weight in inversions. This allows someone to practice an inversion without their head or hands ever touching the floor! In this position, the pull of gravity creates space in the joints of the spine, instead of compression. The longer you hang upside down while relaxing and breathing deeply, the longer the spine literally becomes. In Aerial Yoga, we practice many traditional yoga postures, like Pigeon Pose, upside down. Some beginners say it is actually easier than traditional yoga postures on the ground, because they don’t have to fight gravity in order to stretch out. Remember, gravity is a powerful force that can work with us or against us.

Regardless of whether you lie on your back and put your legs up a wall, or practice handstand and headstand, or practice aerial yoga, or lie on an inversion table, for many people there is tremendous physical, mental, emotional, and energetic benefit to be gained by reversing the flow of gravity on a regular basis.

Jordan Anderson

www.AerialFit.com
Anti-gravity Yoga & Fitness
Classes, Workshops, & Private Instruction

Because yoga has such a rich tradition, there are many physical styles suitable for different students. Iyengar yoga, for example, focuses on very refined alignment and encourages the use of props to make a pose accessible for any body. Ashtanga yoga includes the same postures, but is performed in a flowing manner with a focus on the breath. Interestingly, the founder of Iyengar yoga and the founder of Ashtanga yoga both had the same teacher! They each took what they learned and then adapted it for their own specific needs and the needs of their students.

Today, many yoga teachers are doing the same. In the past decade, some interesting hybrid styles of yoga have emerged. These styles are not intended to replace a more traditional yoga practice, but to open it up in some way. Each emphasizes the lighthearted side of yoga, or Leela (playfulness). Here is a short list of some of my favorites:

Aerial Yoga: Aerial Yoga (a style that I teach) is a blending of traditional yoga postures and low-to-the-ground aerial work. This style is practiced using the support of a soft fabric “trapeze” (similar to the silks used in Cirque du Soleil) that hangs at waist height. Body weight is distributed between the fabric and the floor, and traditional yoga poses are practiced using the aid of gravity’s pull to elongate the spine and create space in the joints of the body. This practice can be deeply restorative as you relax into gravity’s pull, or highly energetic as you learn to use new muscle groups. Unlike an aerial class, it is not about learning tricks but rather about using the fabric and gravity to gain new insight into your body and breath. It is appropriate for all levels of yoga student, including those new to the practice. The philosophy behind it is about learning to let go and trust, reversing the flow of energy in your body by flipping your relationship to gravity, and having fun with what is often a very serious practice. This is a class where laughter and interaction are encouraged.

Acroyoga: Acroyoga is a blending of yoga, acrobatics, and thai massage. It is practiced with one or more partners, and the philosophy behind it is building a sense of community and the practice of “metta” (loving-kindness). Much (but not all) of this practice is meant for intermediate or advanced level yoga students, and many traditional yoga postures are performed with one partner lying face-up on the ground with their legs in the air, and the second partner balancing in a yoga pose on that person’s feet. Much of the practice involves learning to trust your partner and yourself, and practicing ahimsa (non-harming) toward another person as you practice. Mindfulness is key, and learning to give and receive support. This practice can deepen a students awareness about how they approach relationships, with friends, family, and loved ones.

Doga: Doga is yoga that you do with your dog! It can be practiced in a studio setting or outdoors. Typically a group of students come together with their dogs and learn techniques such as dog massage and assisted stretches. It is a style of yoga where you will laugh a lot and definitely have fun. If you have a big dog, you might practice a warrior pose while lifting the front feet off the floor. The same pose would be practiced with a small dog by lifting the dog up over your head. In every class I’ve seen, most dogs were instantly calmed by the chanting of “Om”, and all were incredibly well-behaved. If yoga is all about being present, then practicing with a dog can be a natural extension, since dogs naturally live in the present!

Slackasana: Slackasana (slackline yoga) is a style of yoga developed by rock-climbers. A slackline (a flat material similar to a tightrope) is suspended anywhere from a couple of feet to a couple dozen feet off the ground, and yoga postures are practiced balancing on the line. This style of yoga is very difficult to learn, as simply standing on the slackline takes considerable practice. But for the dedicated it can be a great way to build strength, balance, and most of all, focus. The philosophy is that you must stay present at every moment, because if your focus wanders even for a second you will fall out of the pose. It can be seen as an extreme form of concentration, which in the 8 limbs of yoga, leads to a state of meditation and eventually enlightenment.

At first glance some of these styles may seem far removed from traditional yoga practice. But the foundation of any yoga practice is the yamas and niyamas (moral precepts like non-harming, truthfulness, etc, and personal observances like self-study, devotion, etc), and each of these hybrid practices takes these concepts at the core. Yoga is about union, and while uniting yoga with disciplines like acrobatics or aerials may not resonate with everyone, there can be real value in taking the practice of yoga out of the traditional studio, off of the traditional mat, and giving yourself freedom to explore. Any serious yoga student can benefit by trying something different, and these blends are attracting new students as well, many who become interested in yoga for the first time and then go on to explore a more traditional practice.

Jordan Anderson

www.AerialFit.com
Anti-gravity Yoga & Fitness
Classes, Workshops, & Private Instruction