‘Inside the hammock, you close off everything around you and have awareness of mind, body and spirit,’ said creator Christopher Harrison, who came up with the system while playing with hammocks at an Indian retreat in 1996.
The classes helped those who could not do yoga poses on the ground because of joint pains, said the professional dancer. ‘My mother wanted to exercise but she struggled because of a back problem,’ he added. ‘But she tried Ant-Gravity yoga and was successful.’ Hanging upside down is said to refresh the body’s systems and help blood flow, while allowing everyone to try postures such as the headstand and handstand. The sessions use a fusion of yoga with dance, gymnastics, pilates and other styles. Mr Harrison, 50, runs classes in New York and franchises have been set up in Ireland and Italy, with some planned for Britain. He said: ‘There are already similar classes springing up in England. We’d like people to find out about the original.’