Is the gravity of it all weighing you down?

In the metaphors we live by, ‘gravity’ is a consistent reminder. As a physical force that literally pulls our body to the center of the earth, it has a way of moving past a light tethering to a serious heaviness that can make us feel old (regardless of age). If we do not train its counter forces, gravity can get the best of us. It can be tiresome to use brute force strength to spiral up.
Some times, we literally need a lift!  

Take a 5 minute break….

INSIGHT
(what we need)

Gravity naturally causes constriction and depression in our systems – which could use a little extra help lifting up!

How lucky we are to have a gravitational force keeping us tethered to the ground, for without it we’d end up floating away. Like all good things, too much it can produce a negative effect. And in the case of gravity, it is the lived experience of feeling heavy, hunkered down, and literally caving in on ourselves.

We create a pattern of protection. When we approach uncertain environments or unfamiliar foes, our bodies react as the hunkered down cowered animal we evolved to be unless trained to protect or fight back. Some have mastered their power poses to strut into a room with a territorial air. It is even possible to train the body to ‘look big’ with fearful adrenaline pumping through our systems regardless of our perceived ferocity. In nature, this farce is necessary for survival. In a boardroom, it can feel performative. Paying attention to that slight closing, withholding or constricting can bring new awareness to how stress begins to create a pattern of protection. Which eventually turns into a global pattern of protecting and limiting our opinions, differences and behaviors. Making it harder to open up to new possibilities in the world rather than defend what we deem ‘right.’ 

We are less trained to uplift and expand. Not in a Polly Anna disposition type-of-way…but subtlety in our bodies when things start to feel heavy. The protective response to this has been pure brute force grit. Which is great for survival, but less resourceful when it comes to powerful expansion. We can then begin to lose in the fight against gravity unless we learn the adaptive counter force of expansion (not protection). Gravity can then be a highly positive stressor if we learn how the weighing down can act as a signal to condition a sense of levity.

We can train a balancing act of forces. As someone who practices standing meditation, awareness on how to harness the tensile forces that holds me up against gravity with less effort helps build insight into the constant balancing act of living upright against external forces: heavy ones like hurtful blows and light ones like a long day. The conditioning towards uplift builds strength against the weighing down: like a version of positive psychology (or “positive physiology”) for the body. This constant expansion without effort makes lightness a habituation and less a conscious choice.

Soaring above it all! Aging is the systematic and efficacious closing in of a system that’s losing its lubrication and luminosity. Our fasciae literally does this as a protective mechanism against a declining strength-to-weight ratio, compression of the spine, clumping of blood vessels, and drying out of joints and tissue. There are many ways to slow down this process by taking better care of our bodies with the basics (rest, nutrition, fitness) but few comprehensive systems that specifically work against the forces of gravity pulling us down and inwards (physically and psychologically). In a time when our collective disposition is extra ‘hunkered down’ due to negative external influences, is there a way to actively practice soaring above it all without losing our grounding? 

INSPIRATION
(what we want)

Antigravity: an aerial technique of unlocking movement in all spatial directions to break through limitations and facilitate fitness. 

• Antigravity (AG) is the originator of the aerial fitness genre — sparking the entire aerial yoga movement since its conception by founder, pioneer and innovator Christopher Harris in the 1990s. 

• Much more than doing moves in the air, this seamless experience is one of soaring exploration and self-actualization by systematically (and safely) freeing oneself from the constraints of gravity. 

• Break free from habitual patterns that have been holding you back in fun ways, inviting you to show up lighter, trusting, and adventurous.

• This unique codified system teaches not only poses: but a language of movement that expands ones knowledge and capabilities around kinesthetic intelligence and movement fluency.

• Deeply therapeutic as well, these techniques include a series of strength, mobility, spring and traction-like poses (along with their famed Zero-Decompression Inversion) to build a strong, adaptive body and mind.

• As the gold standard in aerial fitness, Antigravity has taught over 9000 students across 50+ countries and is internationally accredited by many bodies (NASM, AFAA, Fitness Australia, CYQ).

INNOVATION
(what we wish for)

UpLift: suspension immersion therapy for spas.

Shifting the spa experience from passive to active by training the nervous system through principles of sensory integration and suspension therapy. 

• Lifting the treatment into the air, this interactive therapy uses a low-impact approach to rejuvenate bodies and minds from the daily effects of gravity.

• Borrowing from the principles of rehabilitation, this light swing experience aids in correcting muscle and spinal imbalances that lead to poor posture and excess energy expenditure.

• Slight neuromuscular control moves (like isometric holds or mobility exercises) improve coordination and balance, while suspension supports full relaxation.

• Guided by a body worker who supports light movement and massage within the hammock, the client moves from the floor to the air from light active stretches to eventual sensory cocooning and touch. 

• Integrating breath work and sensory stimulation trains attentive exploration along with adaptive motor and behavioral responses. 

We have treatments of the earth (mud baths, grounding), and water (floatation, watsu)…now it’s time to take it to the air. 

“Replacing the facelift with an uplift.” 

Note to investors: this project is currently underway if interested in funding opportunities.