Antara
What comes after yoga and pilates? Antara! A new movement concept that mindfully shapes the figure, strengthens the back and improves posture. And that is also performed with all elegance and ease.
Do You Know This?
We make a pilgrimage to the gym twice a week, leave chocolate and chips to the left, eat nothing but green salad and raw vegetables – and yet you can’t deny that our bellies are related to those of Buddha.
In the Depths Lie the Muscles
For others, too, the belly is the problem zone. “Many people have unattractive abdominal shapes,” says Karin Albrecht, Swiss stretching expert, author and instructor in posture, muscular stabilization and flexibility. It is not uncommon for the center of the body to bulge outward and protrude in a peculiar way. This is due to the fact that on the one hand we adopt the wrong posture and on the other hand we only train the outer layers, but not the framework, the structure.
Not All Sports Are the Same
Albrecht: “Our body is simply not made for sitting so much, which is why it deforms. And that’s already the case from the age of 25.” Even if you do exercise, it doesn’t always help – because it’s often the wrong kind. Many workouts date back to a time when there were no office slouchers; the exercises aren’t designed for our one-sided physical activity.
New Ways to the Center
So, in short, Albrecht developed a new sport. The name of this new movement program is Antara and comes from Sanskrit. Translated, it means heart, being inside, being in the middle, being on the way. Through movement, breathing and relaxation, the training is designed to grow precisely those muscles that are good for us. Nice and slow and continuous, because the tissue must “remember back,” says Albrecht.
Recapture Muscles
Antara starts with the deep-lying muscle layers, namely all three layers of the trunk and abdominal muscles. These are gently stimulated and gradually built up. Because Antara is not a sweaty workout, but a gentle activation, a tightening of long-forgotten muscle areas. “Many laugh and say at first, ‘That’s supposed to be a sport?” says Albrecht. But once they get into it, success sets in quickly. After 14 days to four months, you have already “reclaimed” your old muscles.
Natural and Relaxing
This “recapturing” happens in a way that looks appealing because it is natural, symmetrical and healthy. Except: doesn’t every sport say that about itself? “It does. But with Antara, it’s true,” assures Albrecht. Because no other form of exercise has taken into account as many scientific findings as Antara. Even some from hypnosis. After all, we don’t just want to work out, we also want to relax.
Step 1
Assume an upright posture.
Step 2
Slowly and forcefully push the chest forward and back.
Step 3
Remain in the front position for two to three seconds.
Step 4
Perform the movement back more gently.
Step 5
Repeat the movement four to six times, performing the stretch slightly larger each time.
Step 6
You will feel that your back is warm to the touch and has good blood circulation.
Antara is a movement concept by Karin Albrecht and Maja Rybka, which is about movement, breathing and relaxation.