AERIAL YOGA

Aerial yoga is a modern fitness practice blending traditional yoga with aerial arts, using a soft fabric hammock suspended from the ceiling to support poses, allowing for deep stretches, inversions, and acrobatic movements that improve flexibility, core strength, balance, and spinal decompression in a unique, gravity-defying way. It combines yoga philosophy with pilates, dance, and circus-like elements, making challenging poses more accessible and providing therapeutic benefits for the spine and circulation.
Key aspects
Equipment: A silk hammock hangs from the ceiling, acting as a prop to hold, support, or suspend the body.
Poses: Practitioners move from traditional yoga poses (asanas) into aerial variations, using the hammock for deep stretches (like spinal traction) or to practice inversions (hanging upside down).
Benefits: It enhances flexibility, core stability, balance, strength, and posture while reducing spinal pressure, and can offer stress relief and better sleep.
Accessibility: The hammock helps beginners achieve deep stretches and inversions that might be difficult on a mat, while also challenging advanced yogis.
Who should avoid: It's generally not recommended for pregnant women or individuals with certain conditions like high blood pressure, glaucoma, or recent surgery, so consulting a doctor is important.
What to expect in a class
Warm-up: Gentle movements with the hammock at hip height to stretch the spine.
Flows: Combining traditional yoga with aerial elements, moving through various supported poses.
Inversions: Hanging upside down to decompress the spine and improve circulation, often feeling like "flying".
Cool-down: Relaxation in the hammock, often called "cocooning," to integrate the practice and promote calm.