an insight into the world of hammocks
The Hammock nowadays stands for rest and relaxation. In the times of the great seafarers and discoverers it was an indispensable travel requisite. Now, in modern times it represents a place for resting and gathering new energy. Hammocks will always be associated with words like rest, holidays, relaxing, quietness.
More and more people experience their hammock as a place of utmost relaxation and comfortability finding out that there is no other place where they can relax the way they can in a hammock. There is more than one reason that the hammock plays an important part in certain therapeutical concepts of medicine and psychotherapy.
Today the hammock is being discovered again. It is the age of the renaissance of the hammock. Even scientists call for the revival of the hammock.
But what makes the myth of the hammock? What is the difference between hammocks and other resting places? When was the hammock invented? And much more. With this page, we want to give you an insight into the world of hammocks. Make yourself comfortable... and take it easy.
History of the Hammock
Nearly all sources mention Christopher Columbus as the "discoverer" of the hammock. As a matter of fact the hammock is mentioned in the logbook of Columbus first travel In 1492, Christopher Columbus was introduced to the hamaca (hammock) by the Taino Indians, a tribe from Haiti . They had already discovered the art of relaxation. Today, we have expanded on that same basic idea and have taken it to the next level. This excerpt comes from the book Historia general y natural de las Indias writen by Gonzalo Fernández de Oviedo y Valdés in 1535 in Seville Spain:
"Las camas en que duermen se llaman hamacas que son unas mantas de algodón muy bien tejidas y de buenas y lindas telas (...) verdad es que durmiendo en alguna sierra donde hace algún frío, o llegando hombre mojado, suelen poner brasa debajo de las hamacas para se calentar".
"The beds in which they sleep are called hammocks that are blankets of cotton well woven of beautiful and good quality fabrics... The truth is that sleeping in the mountains where it is cold, or when the man comes home wet from work, they are in the habit of putting red-hot coals under the hammocks to get warm."
Certainly the aborigines in the Amazon forests used hammocks long before. It can also be taken for granted that the hammock is one of the oldest pieces of furniture in the history of mankind. The advantages offered by the hammock especially in the tropical areas spread quickly among the settlers and seafarers. So the "amac" soon became popular all over the world.
What you should know about Hammocks
In the modern world, the hammock forced his way into people's homes. It offers the comforts of a sofa or a couch but at a much lower price and within seconds it changed from the size of a small cardboard box into a decorative piece of furniture offering a high degree of relaxation.
A distinction is made between hammocks with rods and without rods. These can again be subdivided into cloth hammocks and net hammocks. In the beginning there were only rods less net hammocks. They were made of plant fibers and for the Indians in South and Middle America they represented the only and most important piece of furniture. The Hammock served as a bed and as a place for rest and relaxation. The children used to play in hammocks, starting from the baby cradle.
The Indians spend a lot of time swinging in the hammocks. When the Indians moved around to change their camp's location it was not a problem to take their hammocks with them.
Another Striking feature of the hammocks was that the net did not need a lot of care and allowed for an excellent temperature exchange. Furthermore hammocks offer hygienic advantages. Small reptiles or insects will fall through the meshes. The most important point was and still is that you are not lying of the floor meaning you are sheltered from humidity and pests.
The most beautiful rod less cloth hammocks can be found in north-eastern Brazil . Here tradition still lived on and today's hammocks still serve the same purpose as their early prototypes. When Indians and Brazilians lie down in a hammock to sleep, they choose a diagonal position. Thus the body is stretched out horizontally in an unbent position. For reading and relaxing you can choose among a large variety of positions. From lying to sitting, a hammock offers far more possibilities than any chair or couch.
These cloth hammocks are suspended producing a smooth curve, so that the lowest point is 40-50cm above the floor when you are lying in the hammock. This gives you the possibility of swinging which lead to an air-cooling effect even in hot countries, which is beneficial for body and soul.
The Hammock with a rod represents the next development step of the hammock mentioned above. The rod helps to spread the hammock when you enter it. This makes it much easier to get into the hammock and to get into a lying position just like in a bed or on a couch. When the hammock is used for sun-bathing purposes, normally, preference is given to hammocks with sticks. A further point that led to the development of the hammock with rod is the decorative purpose. Many People find hammocks with rods much more decorative than rod less models.
You have to get used to lying n a hammock with rods as this type of hammock tends to turn around on its own axis. This has to be considered when you enter the hammock. Once you have found your rest position there are only advantages.
Jobek Hammocks with a rod are designed to produce a hollow when extended the edges being higher. This means your body is automatically placed in the center. The surface of several types of hammocks with rods is so wide that you can lie in the hammock diagonally. This means your spine is in a straight position which makes the hammock a suitable place for sleeping.
When you decide to buy a hammock you should take into consideration who is going to use the hammock, for what purpose and where.
Health
One of the many advantages offered by hammocks is their versatile use. Hammocks can be used in the house, in the garden or on the terrace. You can take your hammock with you when you go camping, trekking, and mountain climbing. They have a high therapeutic value, they are popular in advertising, they are often given to friends as present and they are used on yachts and boats in general.
The supporting cloth or net will distribute you weight over the whole body. This gives you a pleasant feeling of lightness and swinging back and forth smoothly will have a beneficial effect of spirit, soul and the whole body. Today hammocks are frequently used because of the therapeutic value.
Evan Esar, psychological expert, comments: "Closing your eyes and floating between heaven and earth, never reaching the destination but still being on one's way." This is the spell of a hammock. It does not move but it sends us on a journey. Maybe people would have less worries is there were more hammocks in the world. Afterall it can be stated that there are parallels between lying in a hammock and our prenatal life in the womb. This might be the best way to explain the feeling of wellbeing in a hammock.
