Al Roker is no stranger to fitness challenges: The 72-year-old has conquered some impressive walking feats — like logging 100 miles in under 20 days, celebrating a 200-day walking streak, and even walking the Brooklyn Half Marathon.
But recently, he traded his sneakers for silks as he conquered a new physical feat with 3rd Hour of TODAY co-host Dylan Dreyer: aerial yoga.
The class was Al’s idea: “I wanted to try aerial yoga. I saw it on the interweb and thought, what could possibly go wrong?” Al joked during a Sept. 8 segment on TODAY. Dylan is always down to try new things, especially in the gym, so she was happy to go along for the ride, she said.
After a warmup of dynamic stretches on the aerial sling (also called a hammock), the duo moved on to some core work before getting into the tricks. Al conquered a tree pose standing on the sling and an inverted hang, before watching Dylan try some more challenging moves.
The tree pose requires balance and core stability to hold your body upright while standing on the sling.TODAY
Although aerial yoga may look intimidating, it can be a great workout for people of all ages and fitness levels.
The low-impact movement delivers a full-body workout while being gentle on the joints. Moving through poses on the sling requires core strength and challenges balance and stability — two key factors in maintaining physical health as we age. Because each movement can be modified for strength and flexibility, beginners and more experienced participants can find the right level of challenge regardless of fitness level.
“This is for everybody. This can be super gentle, it can also be pullups, crunches, inverts, crazy tricks. Anyone can take an aerial yoga class,” Kristen Corayer, instructor at Om Factory, told Dylan and Al. “You don’t need to be flexible, you don’t need to be strong. You start aerial yoga to get to those places.”
There’s also a mental health component to the workout. Because the unique movement is unfamiliar to many and unlike anything we do in our daily lives, it helps to bring the mind to the present moment and has a similar mind-body connection to what you’d find in a yoga class. There are also elements of mindfulness woven into the class, including stretching and breath work.
Al and Dylan finished the class with a cool down, lying inside the hammock like a cocoon as Corayer led them through some breathing exercises, which helps to calm the nervous system and release stress and tension.
“This is very relaxing,” Dylan remarked as the two were lying inside the hammock with their eyes closed, slowly swaying.
Reflecting back on the experience, Dylan commended Al: “I was impressed, you did almost everything. … It’s a lot of arms, core, you have to do a lot to balance.”
Al called the class “tough.” It may have been a departure from his usual walking routine, but he proved that, at 72, he’s still game for finding new ways to move — even if they involve hanging upside down.