Yoga poses can make you dizzy even when you’re on the ground. So it’s no small feat that Aerial Yoga has developed such a following.
Developed by Park Sloper Michelle Dortignac, this workout is performed in a “fabric trapeze,” a soft sling raised off the ground, and combines the traditional yoga workout with aspects of acrobatics. It uses gravity to work muscles in new and challenging ways.
“I’m trying to get people to open up and take charge of their own health,” Dortignac told us this week. She says her workout can do just that by lifting people up and out of the traditional — into the air to be exact — with her unique combination of yoga and acrobatics.
Trading on experience as a dancer, yoga instructor and aerial performer, Dortignac developed the workout in 2006, now she has two weekly classes — Saturdays are especially popular— and is planning on launching similar classes nationwide.
If you’re on the lookout for a new way to trim and tone, aerial yoga might be the way to go. The only muscle you’ve got to have already is a strong stomach.
Aerial Yoga is offered at SLAM (51 N. First St. at Kent Avenue in Williamsburg) on Tuesday at 6 pm and Saturday at 11:30 am. Each class is $15. Reservations are recommended. For information, call (646) 205-3210 or visit www.aerialyoga.com.
