Rule #2: Hang Time

Rule #2 of Gravity Yoga is called ‘Hang Time,’ because we hold each pose for 2 to 5 minutes.

If you’re used to a quick bounce up and down before or after a workout, or a few neck rolls at your desk during work, stretching for minutes as opposed to seconds will…

…hmmm, how should put this?…

…humble you.

Now why are we holding each pose for that long?

Because by waiting minutes as opposed to seconds, your body will have had much more time to relax, which in turn creates permanent muscle lengthening.

How?

It has to do with something called fascia, a gelatinous material weaved throughout your entire body. In fact, out of the approximately 600 muscles linking your bones together, every single one of them is surrounded by fascia.

Fascia is what gives you your shape; without it, you’d be a literal bag of muscles and bones wheezing on the floor.

What’s interesting about fascia is that when you first pull on it, it’s elastic like a rubber band. This means it will warp → change shape → and then snap back to its original form.

Over time and with consistency, though, pulling on fascia deforms it plastically. Aka it will permanently change its shape.

Imagine a plastic bag you get from the grocery store: give it a slight tug and it will stretch elastically, coming back to its original position. Apply enough force, though, and the polymer chains will split and stretch out for good, leaving you with a longer (and more flexible) bag than before.

The same thing will happen to your body during these Gravity Yoga classes.

Apply enough pressure and wait long enough, and your fascia will change its shape for good.

And what does this mean for someone like you? It means better posture with less effort, gliding through life with permanently open hips, and feeling less cramped within your physical body.

Yes, it’s intense as hell to hold certain poses for minutes as opposed to seconds — you’ll shake, you’ll complain, you’ll doubt — but time under tension is the only way muscle length change can become permanent.

Ok there’s one last rule that I’d like to take you through, and it will make the whole practice far more interesting. It turns Gravity Yoga into a game. Get ready for Rule #3: ‘Lunar Breathing.’

See you there.
– Ethan ॐ

P.S. It’s very important you embody these lessons, so please scroll down to the practice video on this page to get the “hang” of “Hang Time” with a little “Hang Man” stretch. 😉