AERIAL YOGA Yoga in the air might be the best new way to unwind in Gainesville. I signed up for an early evening class and headed to one of Gainesville’s fitness studios named Flowspace. When I arrived, a long purple aerial yoga hammock was hanging from the ceiling creating a U-shape above a yoga mat and floor mat. A few of the windows were propped open, letting the cool breeze move through the large room. Breathing deeply through my nose, I wrapped my wrists once around the hammock. Upon exhaling, I lifted my body off the ground and started following instructor Lexi McCaughey as she guided me through different yoga poses. Although your body will be off of the ground for most of the moves, you'll be eased into each pose, and your instructor will guide and spot you until you are comfortable. The hammocks are strong and can hold up to 2,000 pounds. McCaughey mastered her aerial yoga skills by going to a circus school in Colorado when a yoga studio she managed near Chicago wanted to bring something new to the studio. There is something relaxing about moving your body through yoga poses that feels even more amazing in an aerial hammock. “I really like how [aerial yoga] offers a lot of support to you where you don't feel it sometimes,” McCaughey said. “You can hold on to the fabric and give your weight into it a lot, which opens up a lot of doors for you, but then you can also flip around and completely scare yourself. It has the widest range for how it can make you feel. You can surrender in it or get your heart pumping and get really sore.”
STADIUM WORKOUT
For more information on class times and prices, visit facebook.com/FlowSpaceGnv.
Top Photo By Lisandranette Rios / Bottom Photo By Mireillee Lamourt
Are you easing out of the gym-rat mode and want to try something new but have a tight budget to manage? Another alternative way to work out is by using the world around you. In Gainesville, Ben Hill Griffin Stadium is the perfect place to get your sweat on. Even if it rains, you can still use the covered concourse to workout. Every Monday at student section 44 by gate 15 of the stadium, a group of all ages joins Danielle Gertner of Gertner Grind for a free or by-donation workout. Gertner is a graduate of the University of Florida and has her own business to help people motivate others to live a healthy lifestyle and work out. She uses the bleachers, stairs and ramps for body strengthening and total body exercises. Using the donated money, the company purchases new equipment for the group to use during the workouts. Some of the equipment includes kettlebells, jump ropes and resistance bands. Because the workouts are on an incline and decline, you are sure to get your heart working and body sweating. The workouts are modified to your fitness level, so don’t worry about being able to keep up with others in the group. Gertner said she just wants to help people get on their “grind.” “I think a lot of people have this image of just going to the gym and lifting weights when there is so much more,” she said. “There's so much you could do. The world is your gym.”
For more information on Gertner Grind, visit facebook.com/gertnergrind.
38