Suspension yoga: the hang of it
Energising and relaxing way to exercise body and mind
‘YOU’VE got to let go and trust yourself – trust your body and trust the material,” Dani Smidt whispered to me.
Looking me straight in the eye, Smidt nodded encouragingly as my legs lifted off the ground – the rest of my body hanging from a rolled-up hammock-like sheet, suspended in the air.
But my hands, still on the ground, were shaking from the fear of letting go.
“Trust yourself,” Smidt repeated. “You are protected and will not fall, I’ve got you.”
Something about hanging upside down (inverted) from a rolled-up hammock had sparked some audacity in me, but my mind still was sceptical of my body’s ability.
“Can I trust myself in this position not to fall and make a fool of myself in front of this class of seemingly agile and flexible women, mastering hanging upside down in the air as if it was the most normal thing to do?” I thought to myself.
Of course, Smidt, 30, Virgin Active’s Alice Lane, Sandton, branch group exercise manager, was paying closer attention to me as I was new to the suspension yoga class offered at that gym.
Maybe now is the opportune time to note that I’m not new to yoga, I have been waking up almost every day this year to practise the discipline and work out from the comfort of my spare bedroom – watching and learning from my favourite YouTube instructor.
So going into the suspension class, which was introduced at the gym four years ago, I was confident I would get some of the basic core work and moves right.
What I hadn’t anticipated were the initial fearful and tense responses of my body when it touched the material it would have to suspend itself over. And quite embarrassingly, I suffered a cramp in my left thigh muscle because I felt so tense.
Patrick Dlamini-Evans, the class instructor, glided over to my mat as the class carried on, offering a warm “You’re doing so well” as I sweated through more movements after the cramp had dissipated.
I didn’t know where the determination was coming from – all I know is that something about finally letting go and really shutting up my mind made me feel free and almost like a child.
Dlamini-Evans completed the class with a calming shavasana – where we were instructed to fully immerse and cover our bodies in the hammock-sheet, while stretching and cooling down after the intense workout.
Smidt’s voice guided the class through a meditative state – prompting us to think deeply about a safe space in our minds that relaxed my body.
Speaking to Smidt and Dlamini-Evans after the class, I was surprised that some of the inner conversations I had with myself and some of the “work” I had to do mentally were quite normal.
Dlamini-Evans said, as if reading my mind: “This class builds trust… you need to trust yourself, trust your body, trust your instructor and you need to trust the material, which can hold a baby elephant!” To which Smidt added: “It is quite scary when you start, yes, the initial first impression is fear.
“We are wired to stand upright and now you’re expected to hang upsidedown… But something truly special happens when you’re hanging upside down that unwinds you – that disconnects you from the outside world. But you also feel supported and safe.”
Dlamini-Evans, 24, has been an instructor for nine years. He said what also motivated him was seeing progression in his class members from when they began the class to becoming stronger in their bodies and the routines.
Smidt said are three types of offerings within the suspension studio – one is suspension pilates, cardio and yoga. Once you get the hang of it, excuse the pun, you stop sweating and stumbling as much and you find it more relaxing.
Virgin Active Collection Clubs, the premium offering in the Virgin Active health club stable, offer suspension yoga classes in Sandton, Pretoria and Cape Town.
Hammock strong enough to hold a baby elephant