Sangha Studios, 917 Front St.,

Sarah Leversee uses the silk for support during Aerial Yoga at Sangha Studios in Louisville. ( Mark Leffingwell )

Instructor: Raven Roth, of Denver, co-owner of the new Sangha Studios in Louisville. Roth first tried yoga near 20 years ago to help with pain from a back injury from a car accident, and she has been practicing ever since. She was certified to teach vinyasa yoga in 2008. In September, she became the first in the state, and currently the only, to be certified as an Unnata Aerial Yoga instructor, she says.

What is the workout? A new type of yoga that uses a fabric circus hammock hanging from the ceiling to help students deepen their yoga positions -- or even achieve more advanced postures in a quicker time frame.

Unnata is Sanskrit for "elevated." It is designed to enhance, not replace, traditional yoga.

One misconception that people have is that you're 20 feet up in the air; however, you can touch the floor with your legs or arms at all times. The hammocks are only slightly elevated off the ground.

What's different: The Unnata approach began in 2006. Unlike other aerial approaches to yoga, where the hammock is the focus and the yoga is in the background, this style emphasizes yoga first, with the hammock as a prop to enhance that.

"You're working without gravity," Roth says.

What does it cost? A one-time drop-in is $16. Tip: You can currently find a Groupon for a month of unlimited yoga for $49 or 10 classes for $39:

groupon.com/deals/sangha-studios.

Read more:
Workout of the week: Unnata Aerial Yoga