'Air napping' in suspended cocoons is latest craze in bid to relax and unwind

By DAISY DUMAS



Time to nod off: The air nap gives tired workers a chance to take a short break from the grind



A gym in Charlotte, NC, is offering frazzled clients a class in the ultimate relaxation technique: sleeping.



Air napping, the latest craze at the Flex-and-Fit gym, sees customers climbing into silken hammocks and hanging in sweet repose for 25 minutes.



In what may be the least arduous gym class ever, the nappers are simply required to make themselves comfortable and fall asleep to the strains of calming music.





Sleep lessons: Shama Patel helps a client wriggle into the silken cocoon before a restorative nap





'Relax, close your eyes and listen to the meditative music,' instructs gym owner, Shama Patel.



Nearly half an hour later, she gently wakes her nappers up, interrupting their rest in the womb-like cocoons.



Fomer attorney Ms Patel says that she came up with the idea as a way to fill the room between work-out and yoga classes.



In her former line of corporate work, she had come across specially-designed napping rooms before and saw the potential in the unused space.





Cocoons: A sleeper lies, suspended in relaxation. The hammocks are made of silk and sleeps only last for 25 minutes





Patel told WCMC.com: 'When I first entered corporate America, they did have a nap room.'



'It encourages us to take a nap and recharge and then get to work.'



The unmoving forms of bodies suspended in the gently swaying cocoons may look eerie, but the response has been positive.



One napper told the news station 'I feel rejuvenated, ready to start the day.'



While another, Evan Panesis, said: 'This was one of the best naps I've ever taken, I might have to get one for my home now.'





source: dailymail

Posted in: Health,News Update