Wanderlust: Expat Life & Style in Thailand April / May 2015 - The Health & Wellness Issue | Page 31
HEALTH & well-being
plines — a combination of circus
tricks and dance moves. In aerial
silks, performers climb, wrap, swing
and fall using a length of material
suspended from the ceiling. Using
strength and grace, performers
defy gravity as they hold elegant
poses mid-air before unwrapping
and tumbling to the ground. Aerial
hoops is a more dynamic discipline,
requiring rock solid core strength
to create striking shapes and poses
using a suspended hoop.
Aerial yoga with
Ching Matthews of
Synergy Fitness
HOW IT'S DONE
Silks and hoops look more like
an art form that an exercise,
but few things will give you a better — or more enjoyable—
core and upper-body workout
as you rely on your own strength
to lift and control your body’s vertical movement. Classes follow
the usual set up of stretching,
strength and conditioning training, and movement training,
with the very important cooldown period afterwards. Perhaps
you’ll be asked to climb up the silk
for the first time, try holding
static balance poses, or practice
swing techniques using your
aerial hoop. Whatever you do,
ultimately you’ll be toning your
body and strengthening your core
and upper body like never before! And all this swinging on silks
or hoops suspended from the ceiling. What’s not to like?
WHERE TO TRY
Aerial Factory is a professional
circus school here in Bangkok offering classes for both aerial hoop
and aerial silks. They have an extensive timetable and professional
instructors. Check out their classes
and prices via their Facebook page
www.facebook.com/aerialfactorybangkok
AERIAL YOGA
es the spine while training upper
body, grip, and core strength.
Sometimes called anti-gravity
yoga, it’s a great way to work
on your balance and strength at
the same time. It’s an especially
attractive form of exercise for those
with spinal issues such as sclerosis.
HOW IT'S DONE
First, your instructor will help
you adjust your hammock so that
it is at a proper height for you.
How high you are off the ground
depends on skill level and your
body type. The class begins with
stretches and twists using the silks
with your body mostly on the floor
and either arms or legs suspended.
After a warm up, you’ll hold poses
while fully inside of the hammock
and hovering above ground. The
poses are progressively more
difficult. If something is beyond your skill level, do as much
as you can but without pushing
yourself too far. This form of exercise requires practice to master,
but the benefits reaped make
it well worth it.
WHAT IT IS
WHERE TO TRY
Aerial yoga is closely related
to aerial gymnastics. But instead
of tricks and dance moves, aerial
yoga involves performing yoga
poses and stretches while suspended from silk hammocks. This
graceful form of yoga decompress-
Synergy Fitness, run by
internationally certified trainer
Ching Matthews, and is located close
to Ekkamai BTS near the Gateway
Mall. In addition to aerial yoga,
Synergy offers classes in Rebound,
Freeform, Pilates, and more.
See their website for more at
www.synergyfitnessthailand.com
ROLLER DERBY
WHAT IT IS
Roller derby is a fast and furious
full-contact sport played on skates
around an oval track. Originating from American sports entertainment in the 70’s, the recent
explosion of roller derby worldwide started in the USA in 2010.
The sport, dominated by women but known for its inclusivity,
is a team game. The aim? To score
more points than the opposing
team during frantic 2-minute
segments called jams. How?
A team’s ‘jammer’ scores a point
every time she legally passes
an opposing ‘blocker’. The blockers’ job is to prevent this using
a ferocious array of blocks, knocks
and stops whilst the jammers
dodge and race around the track.
HOW IT'S DONE
Newbies learn basic skating, stops
and falls first, just what you need
to prepare for the main training session. The main session with BRD usually starts with dynamic stretches
focusing on arm and leg rotations,
then onto a lap drill that works
on the group’s fitness levels
and skating speed. What follows
can be a mixture of derby-focused
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