So we all know about yoga, but aerial yoga? When I first heard about this new fitness form, I was skeptical, but the more I looked into it, the more fun and relaxing it looked. Of course, there were no classes offered any closer than 2 hours away, so I was stuck pining over my aerial yoga need, with no way to practice it. That's when I heard about the at home yoga swings. Most people know about the FlyGym, that has been advertised by fellow polers. Unfortunately, I live in an apartment, so the rigging needed to put up a yoga swing, into the ceiling, is not something I can do. I went back to being bummed...until I found out about the omni gym setup. It's a freestanding rig that is easy to set up and take down. It takes me just a few minutes to do both. It was PERFECT for my needs! I have a large living room, so I knew I could make it work. The base is about 8' in diameter and the shortest height the omni gym goes is 7'11" (luckily I have vaulted ceilings.) I purchased my set when they ran a mega-sale over the holidays. I couldn't be happier with this rig. The design is unique and durable. It hooks together by metal poles with snap buttons on each end, making putting the tubes together and taking them apart a snap (pun intended.) It comes with a yoga swing that is padded, for comfort, and several handles to aid in your stretches, and to do TRX style exercises. It's like having a TRX and yoga hammock in one! It also comes with a spring loaded trapeze that functions as a pull-up bar (for us bad-ass poler girls to strength train) and to soften the hang of the swing. The ring, where the swing clips to the rig, swivels so you rotate in the poses! The rig itself has handles on one arm, to aid in stretching and exercises. Below are some photos of the rig in action.
Omni-gym in my living room
stretching upper back
Not sure what to do on the omni gym? They have a poster of moves! They also have a gallery. In addition to those resources, I have two aerial yoga manuals that I like.
In addition to the aerial yoga bug, I was hit with a lyra bug too! So what did I do? I bought a lyra and attached it to my rig! I bought the lyra from Aerial Empowerment. Now, you have to be gentle when using the lyra on the rig. The rig is not meant for bouncing movements, so no drops or jerky movements You need to enter and exit the lyra gently as well. That being said, it has been a fun little endeavor! The lyra isn't very high off the ground, so it poses a challenge, but challenge accepted!
Lyra on my rig
The lyra isn't high off the ground, but I can work around it.
Don't know what to do on your lyra? Aerialdancing.com has a lyra moves manual that I enjoy. It's full of color photos and step by step photos of entries, poses and exits. It has proven quite useful to this lyra newbie. I have also hooked up a yoga hammock to this rig (from aerialempowerment.)
Hi! I love the set-up! You look so graceful. I'm thinking of buying of the omni-gym and rigging a lyra and aerial hammock to it, too. Are you still happy with your purchase?
ReplyDeleteYou mentioned that it was a little close to the ground. I notice that omni-gym makes "height adjustment T's" to make it higher. If you had the space to make the omni gym higher, would that solve that problem? Or given the curved natures of the sides, would it be hard to do certain poses on the hoop? Does the structure wobble a lot?
What sort of sale did you did get this on? So then I can hope they do the sale again? hehe
I guess a better way to phrase one of my questions is...could you do mermaid in the lyra? Or would you hit the bars of the omni gym? ;-P Sorry for so many questions. I'm super stoked that I found your blog though.
ReplyDeleteYou could do that move if you positioned the lyra facing between the bars. Yes, the T's make the lyra higher, but it will still be a bit lower than a normal set up. That being said, yes I am still happy with my set up. You have to be very gentle in the lyra moves though. No drops. The omni gym isn't meant for jerking movements, so it will flex if you bounce too much. The rods do make maneuvering a bit difficult. The lyra will smack the sides, so you can't do any spinning moves. I use it more for practicing the poses themselves.
DeleteI got mine during a pre-release sale, and I believe they are having one right now! :) http://www.yogaswings.com/2014/03/21/spring-pre-arrival-sale/
Thanks for being so detailed in your posts and responses! I'm tempted but I'm still torn between the omni gym and the rig from trapezerigging.com. Do you have any thoughts on which one might be better? The one from trapeze rigging looks wobbly on youtube. Do you think it will help with the problem of the omni gym flexing with jerky movements? https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HuEuKXridak
DeleteThis is the other rig I'm considering: http://trapezerigging.com/products/indoor-rigging
One thing to consider is your ceiling height restrictions. The omni gym has 3 heights possible, depending on the T's you buy. The base is quite large too, so adequate floor space is needed. It looks like the rig you posted is 8-9'. I honestly can't say whether or not I'd like the rig you're looking at without trying it. I suggest you contact the seller to find out it's limitations like downward force, sideways force, etc. The omni gym specifically states in its instructions not to bounce. The gym does flex some when I gently mount the lyra, so no sudden movements should be done. No jerky motions.
DeleteI'm very glad you are enjoying my blog. Thank you. :)
Will do. Thanks for the insight!
ReplyDelete