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| - I went on a Groupon and tried three classes: the mandatory intro class, balanced lotus, and tough lotus. The three classes were pretty similar, except that the intro class had a sales pitch and the tough lotus class incorporated a flexible pole for resistance training.
The hour-long class had the same structure as any other yoga class, the instructor remained in front and talked the class through/demonstrated the poses; students followed at their own pace. It was private and non-judgmental, although the instructor would step in if someone was doing something dangerous. Most of the class was spent doing standard yoga poses: forward folds, lunges, twists, standing splits, planks, hero's pose, etc. The hammock was used for support, kind of like a ballet bar. Towards the end of each class we would do a full inversion and hang suspended for a few minutes. It was probably the best way to practice a handstand outside of actually having a partner there holding your feet. Savasana was done either in the hammock or on the floor with feet elevated in the hammock, both versions were super relaxing.
The studio itself was nice: cool, low lighting, quiet part of the shopping center. The instructors were professional and friendly. The hammocks were well-maintained, and were switched out/washed between classes. Yoga mats were provided for people who didn't bring their own.
I'm not very flexible, so the idea of supported yoga really appeals to me. But, I think I would have to do this several times a week in order to see any real improvements, and at $12.40 per class it is a little out of my price range. If the Groupon price (~$8) was the regular price or if I could buy a 1-month pass for say, $60, I would be all over it! I will keep an eye on the Tough Lotus website, and hopefully I will be able to come back soon.
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