Class review: Invert Yourself with Tessa Callan
16th March
Gymbox member Genevieve Teevan tries Invert Yourself – the hardest thing you can do in a hammock
Invert Yourself involves flips and holds in an aerial hammock – the point is to get an upper body and core workout, as well as to relieve spinal tension. It’s ideal to work on upper body strength without shredding your grip on bars. It’s also meant to be fun and relaxing.
Confession: I tried this once before, felt seasick and bailed after ten minutes – something I should have admitted when Gymbox asked me to review it, but living in this self-belief-is-everything age of “If you can dream it, you can achieve it,” I hauled out my can-do attitude, cycled over to Gymbox Old Street and picked a pretty chartreuse hammock right at the front of class. I was gonna crush it. Maybe.
Sitting and lying back in the hammock was mastered first. Next, we learned the egg position. This is equivalent to the child’s pose in yoga – the one instructors say “is always available to you if you need a rest.” At this point, I came unstuck. To be egg-like, you fold yourself in half with the hammock gathered below your abdomen, your head facing down and your knees held in to your chest. Your hands hang on to the sides of the hammock above you or your arms can dangle.
Invert Yourself teaches skills. It’s not a mere fitness class. You won’t get an intense workout in your first session, but those who master the basics do. Like Pole Tricks, people who get hooked on Gymbox’s aerial offering really love it. After half a dozen sessions, something clicks and it becomes an addiction. Apparently.
The teacher, Tessa Callan recommends it for people who do a lot of yoga and want a new challenge. She says some people feel more secure starting with Trapeze class because you hang on to a bar or CircusFit which involves a variety of apparatus. I’m grateful my membership lets me try these classes without committing beyond a single session because, sadly, this is one for my Supposedly Fun Things I’ll Never Do Again list.