Define Body & Mind – Hammock

As you may know, Define Body & Mind is easily one of my favorite go-to studios.  Along with their high energy spin classes and body toning barre, they offer a class called “Hammock”.  I’m going to try to describe exactly what this class is and it’s benefits.

 

So, Hammock is a class that involves a personalized size hammock suspended from a beam above you. The hammock itself has handles on it to leverage you up when you are hanging upside-down (yes that happens) and of course an area for you to sit your tush in.  Think of it almost like you’re sitting in a swing but the fabric is surrounding you and you’re about to perform some Cirque du Soleil moves.  But not to fear, you will NOT fall out of this contraption to the ground below you.  First, because the instructor will be there to guide you through a move if you are uncomfortable and second, because the hammock is designed not to let you fall (as long as you are working the proper techniques).

The class itself is designed to stretch and lengthen your entire body, especially your spine!  A lot of us suffer from tight hips and aching backs.  As a result, you can easily fatigue yourself and, in turn, develop lower back pain, areas of tightness like in your quads and hamstrings, and poor posture.  The idea is to suspend you upside down to let gravity do the work.  When you let yourself hang, gravity is stretching your vertebrate apart and allowing your spine to open up and release trapped in tension that you maybe didn’t even know was there to begin with.    Along with lengthening your spine and stretching, when you are upside down, obviously the blood flow is going down to your brain.  This is very beneficial for muscle recovery and even aesthetic aspects such as “anti-aging.” Being suspended upside down allows for better circulation of blood going to your face and brain which helps your skin to rejuvenate faster!  I love how each class incorporates how your mind and body work as one, and how they need to be in unison in order to be successful in any aspect of your life, especially the active one.

Yes, you will get into some moves that are somewhat questionable and a little awkward at first, but you are never put into a position that is uncomfortable.  But if you are,  just ask for help or simply return back up to a seated position and take a few breaths.  I couldn’t tell you the names of the moves we did, but we spent about 80% of the class upside down. Wee! I felt like such a kid and was giggling most of the time (to myself) because honestly it was a blast and was so different than ANYTHING I’ve ever tried!

This is a class meant for you to relax and rejuvenate your body to get you ready for whatever lies ahead.  The best time to take it would probably be after a really tough, sweaty workout so you can realign and give your body a good stretch.

You guys PLEASE go try this class out along with any of their other classes! I promise you will not be disappointed.  Just make sure to wear socks and be prepared to feel like a kid on a playground again.

And if you have any questions, or have been to a class at Define,  please let me know!  I would love to answer any questions y’all have and hear about the experiences of different fitness fanatics.

Read more about Define Revolution and what the studio offers in a previous post here!

Define Body & Mind:
809 S Lamar Blvd, Austin, TX 78704 (512)222-5711

DEFINE body & mind’s mission is educating people on how to be their absolute best. They believe that physical strength, balance and length impact both states of mind and being.

TIP: The DEFINE method incorporates resistance and strength and resistance  for your entire body. If you are looking to build long, lean and tone muscles,  classes can help you replace the need for weights.

COST: $20 class; more pricing coming soon; ClassPass Accepted!

NOTE: This review was written about the 35th street location, now closed.