Such a great idea for people involved in Cirque to open up their own studio. I've been to a few of their shows on the Strip, and have always been impressed by their fitness and athleticism. Of course, I was also pretty sure that I wouldn't be able to do anything like that myself.
Kelly teaches the Anti-Gravity Yoga class at Shine, and she assured me that anyone can follow along and learn some of the tricks and inverted moves. The classes are kept small.. there was about 6 or 7 of us when I went. That was good, because we could all get personalized attention. And we didn't have to worry about swinging into each other when we were cocooned in our silk hammocks.
Yes, the poses and exercises that you do in the class all involved a suspended silk hammock that is adjusted to your height. Kelly recognizes that there are some trust issues that come up when you're asked to climb aboard a piece of fabric. She eases you into different exercises, and lets you figure out how comfortable you are. Surprisingly, it is easy to turn yourself upside down.. and it's kind of relaxing to hang there for a while. Of course, I was a bit light-headed when the class was over. I guess my brain isn't used to having that much blood rush in.
I also realized the next day that hanging upside down takes a lot of core strength. My abs were in immense pain for a couple days. I have even more respect for Cirque aerialists and acrobats now.
Shine has a variety of other classes that look interesting. And they offer a Facebook discount, so be sure to "like" them to get a few dollars off. Definitely worth the price to try a different kind of workout.