We often take it for granted, but every step we take, every time we stand up, our bodies are engaged in a constant, silent battle against gravity. And it’s not our skeleton that’s keeping us upright. We can lift ourselves off the ground due to the incredible work of what we call our antigravity muscles. So, I will be teaching a Yoga for Antigravity Strength course with a focus on these muscles. It will make everyday movements feel lighter, more effortless, and leave you feeling stronger and more balanced than ever.
What Exactly Are Antigravity Muscles?
Think about how a baby learns to stand. It’s a complex process of engaging specific muscle groups to lift themselves against the downward pull of the Earth. These are your antigravity muscles at work! Primarily, they include the muscles in your:
- Core: Your deep abdominal and back muscles that stabilize your spine.
- Glutes: Powerful muscles in your buttocks that extend your hips.
- Quadriceps: The large muscles at the front of your thighs crucial for straightening your knees and lifting.
- Calves: Muscles in your lower legs that help with pushing off and maintaining balance.
- Spinal Erectors: Muscles running along your spine that help keep you upright.
These muscles are constantly working, often without us realising it, to maintain our posture, keep our balance, and allow us to move with stability.
Why Focus on Them?
In our daily lives, these muscles are often underused or imbalanced due to too much sitting, poor posture, or uneven loading. Over time, this can lead to chronic pain, fatigue, tightness, loss of balance or even falls as we age.
By specifically targeting and strengthening your antigravity muscles, you can experience a profound improvement in the way you move.
How Yoga Helps You Defy Gravity
Yoga is very well suited to strengthening your antigravity muscles.
I will be teaching a new “Yoga for Antigravity Strength” course in September in which you will:
- Strengthen Your Core: We will use yoga poses and mindful movement to build up the strength in your abdominal and back muscles.
- Enhance Spinal Support: We will work to fortify the muscles that support your spine, improving posture.
- Improve Balance and Stability: We will challenge and refine our sense proprioception – our body’s awareness in space – and strengthen and integrate the smaller stabilising muscles in the body.
- Lengthen and Decompress: We’ll also focus on creating space and length in your spine, counteracting the compressive forces of gravity.
- Cultivate Body Awareness: Through mindful movement and breathwork, you’ll become more attuned to how your body moves and holds itself, allowing you to activate these muscles more effectively in daily life.
Each class is designed to strengthen your ability to rise, stand tall, and move through life with ease.
If you would like to join me, please get in touch or register your interest here.
Photo by madison lavern on Unsplash
