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Anti-gravity yoga review: A white-knuckle ride in a hammock

"You will need to cling on for dear life"

I've just spent an hour trapped in a room with a woman who I am pretty sure was trying to kill me. Well, no, she wasn't, but I'm certain that if I'd followed her instructions to backflip while hanging upside down with only a precariously folded hammock preventing me from falling on the hard wooden floor below, I would have done myself serious damage.

Before starting anti-gravity yoga - a class where you perform a mixture of classic yoga and dance all while suspended from the ceiling in a hammock -  we were told there was one rule: hold on tight.

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You will need to cling on for dear life, but I'd add another rule. Participants will also need to be able to interpret what I like to call instructorise, a version of English that I've had issues with ever since being told to breathe in through my left nostril and out through my right in a previous yoga class.

"Hands go high, legs go wide", this particular instructor announces before seamlessly launching into a handstand. The rest of the class seem to have no issue in understanding her commands but I stand there, confused, sweaty and mildly terrified.

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Seconds earlier we'd been climbing up our hammocks before somersaulting back onto the ground. All the blood has rushed to my head, and all I can think is that I need to get out of here. That's when I realise I'm actually having a fight or flight reaction to an exercise class.

So, the full verdict? I've lived off a diet of grapefruit, eggs and black coffee, delivered blankets to pensioners alongside Page 3 girls and worked 22 hour straight shifts but I'm pretty sure anti-gravity yoga is the worst thing I've ever done in the name of journalism.

The 5 best gym kit essentials

The 5 best gym kit essentials

  • 1/5 OI all in one milk

    £17.95, davines.com

    Making sure hair is clean of conditioner can take ages and this no-rinse treatment will save plenty of time. It will make combing out tangles much easier when applied to towel-dried hair.

  • 2/5 Neutrogena

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    If you are prone to break-outs and blemishes, don't be put off from working up a sweat – a gentle but effective face wash will leave your skin clean without irritating it further.

  • 3/5 Shampoo bar in Jumping Juniper

    £5.95, lush.co.uk

    Some people can spritz a bit of dry shampoo and go, but I get too sweaty. Lush's solid shampoos are nicely portable, and juniper and citrus provide a great deep clean.

  • 4/5 Normaderm 3in1

    £12, vichy.co.uk

    Red-faced and shiny isn't the best way to go about your day.This mask will help decongest your skin, leaving it pleasingly matte. It can also be an exfoliating scrub.

  • 5/5 In shower body moisturiser for dry skin

    £3.69, Nivea, boots.com

    Not comfortable with being naked in the changing room? Don't tangle yourself in a towel trying to keep covered up – use this in the shower and you can get dried and dressed straightaway.

What I thought would be an hour of fun (yoga! hammocks! gravity! what's not to like?) turned into a white knuckle ride. Try this by all means if you are either super fit or super adventurous, but for anyone else I'd recommend keeping your feet firmly on the ground when working out. 

Anti-Gravity Yoga is available through the Wonderush activities website. New subscribers get their first month for £5 using the code HIGHFIVE.

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