The aeroyoga (or aerial yoga) is a practice of yoga that combines traditional postures with suspension movements, using a special swing or hammock. This variant of yoga blends elements of yoga, pilates, and aerial arts, providing a unique experience that allows one to work the body holistically while enjoying the feeling of “floating” (some people say it’s like doing yoga in suspension).
Christopher Harrison was the inventor of Aeroyoga in 1991 in New York City.
Features of Aeroyoga
One of its main features is the weightlessness sensation, which allows for movements and postures with less physical effort, relieving pressure on the joints and facilitating deep stretches.
This makes it an ideal practice for people of different experience levels, as the support of the hammock helps to maintain balance and refine body alignment.
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In addition, it promotes comprehensive body work by combining strength, flexibility, and coordination. Thanks to the suspension, the deep core muscles are constantly activated, improving stability and strengthening the abdomen and back.
On a mental level, it offers a relaxing and therapeutic approach, helping to reduce stress and increase concentration through the connection between breathing and movement.
What do you need to practice Aeroyoga?
- A certified yoga swing or hammock.
- Enough space to move freely.
- Instructions from a qualified instructor, especially at the beginning, to ensure proper alignment and safety.
Your unique approach allows for safely performing challenging movements, thanks to the support of the hammock, while the suspension promotes a sense of freedom and lightness.
Additionally, this practice is ideal for people looking to improve their posture, relieve muscle tension, and experience a deeper connection with their body from an innovative perspective.
Aeroyoga compared to traditional Yoga
Both practices have their own benefits, and while aerial yoga is complementary to conventional yoga, the former helps you deepen your postures.
By using the silk hammock you will be able to reach certain points that are normally harder to reach when practicing traditional yoga.
And although it is always assumed that due to the fact that this practice has been suspended it is more difficult, it can in a way really improve your flexibility and make some movements easier than in conventional yoga.
About the hammock
Think of the hammock as a swing that supports your hips for twists and back twists.
It is not your regular hammock, it is a special hammock that can support up to 300 kg. It includes support chains, a fabric strap, a silk hammock, and carabiners.
The chains must be hung from the ceiling less than one meter from the floor, and the hammock must be adjusted to the user’s height.
Benefits of Aerial Yoga
There are no scientific studies on its practice (yet), everything that is known is based on experiences shared by practitioners, but they do report multiple benefits.
According to those shared experiences, the body benefits by improving its flexibility, strengthening joints and muscles, and decompressing the spine when hanging from the hammock. Like traditional yoga, aerial yoga is also a support at the emotional and psychological level.
- You will improve your yoga poses: Deepen your poses because you have the support of the hammock, it allows you to go further when stretching and you can reach points that you normally wouldn’t access while doing it on a mat.
- You will get those inverted poses right: As we all know, inverted poses can be harder for some than for others, so by practicing aeryoga, it can help improve handstands and headstands, as it becomes easier thanks to the support of the swing.
- You will strengthen your upper body and core: You can also experience improvement in your upper body and core strength by holding your arms, shoulders, and abs in the silk hammock for support.
Aeroyoga classes: what are they like?
The aeroyoga classes really started to gain popularity in the form of yoga a few years ago (since then they have branched out to include hybrids, including aerial bars) and began to attract both beginners and committed yogis.
The essentials: Get into a sling-shaped hammock, which is suspended from the ceiling and supports all the weight of your body. You can manipulate the fabric in such a way that you maintain poses and perform tricks.
These are the 7 ways that AeriYoga will take you to the next level:
- It has no impact
It doesn’t matter if you suffer from knee problems or not, doing some zero-impact exercises is great for your body, AeriYoga is suitable for the joints. - Traditional yoga poses become easier
Have you been practicing your headstand or forearm stand in yoga? Forget about kicking against the wall and consider AeriYoga for this; the silk wraps around your body help you in certain uncomfortable poses like inversions, giving you the experience of how a pose should feel. In other words, taking a few aerial lessons can also improve your game in your daily yoga classes. - It is an excellent abdominal workout
The advantage of starting your routine is that you are losing your stabilization point; you are starting to engage your core instantly without even noticing it. It is one of the most successful abdominal exercises. - No skills are needed
Let the ACE study topics serve as an example: 16 randomly selected women, ages 18 to 45, have shown that they can attend aerial workouts in quite cold conditions and still manage to master things. - Counts as cardio
The ACE researchers assumed there would be a strengthening of the whole body. The study participants increased their muscle mass and decreased their body fat overall. But scientists were surprised at how cardio-intensive this type of yoga turned out to be. At the beginning of the research, they did not expect the physiological response to aerial yoga to be similar to that of other types of more conventional aerobic exercises, such as cycling and swimming. - You will leave feeling calm
A study shows that mind-body exercise can relieve stress, and aerial yoga is no exception. Many classes end with you lying in Savasana, wrapped in a hammock while you gently sway back and forth. - You will start doing tricks
It’s a lot of fun to play acrobat for an hour. Suddenly, you’re doing gymnastics tricks you wouldn’t normally attempt without the suspension of the silk support. It’s so entertaining and you will enjoy it so much that you’ll keep practicing it.
The Aeroyoga classes will be fun, they will help you improve your flexibility, strengthen your core muscles, and enhance your traditional yoga practices while safely reaching points that you normally would not reach on a mat.
