I'm flying!

The gym I belong to—the unfortunately named Crunch—prides itself on offering new forms of traditional exercise classes. Most of the innovations involve silly equipment (circular yoga mats for Lyrical Yoga) or unbearably loud music (The Ride), but there's one class that is actually magical: Antigravity Yoga "Wings."

The equipment consists of floaty nylon hammocks hung from the ceiling of the yoga studio. Stretch them out, and lie on them for Savasana, or corpse pose. Or bunch them up, and wrap your legs around them monkey-style and hang upside down. It may sound like a cheap gimmick, but it actually makes sound yoga sense. In its funny passive way, the hammock acts like a teacher giving an adjustment. In Savasana, for instance, being swaddled by the hammock encourages you to let go of muscular tension. And in suspended Adho Mukha Vriksasana, or handstand, the lift of the hammock prevents you from sinking into your lower back. Plus, the hammocks have all the eerie, simple beauty of a Cristo installation.