What Are the Benefits of Aerial Yoga?

Benefits of aerial yoga:

Aerial yoga shares many of the same benefits that traditional yoga on the mat has such as an increased sense of mindfulness, reduced anxiety and better sleep quality.  Additionally, aerial yoga can:

• Help people to practice postures suspended in the air that they may not be able to perform on the mat

• Boosts digestion

• Increases blood flow

• Improves circulation

• Strengthens the entire body

• Improves mood quality

• Increases core strength and upper body strength in particular

• Stretches and opening the entire body

• Decompresses the spine

• Boosts confidence

Does aerial yoga improve your digestion?

Yes, aerial yoga improves digestion because you do a lot of inversions in aerial yoga that increase blood flow to the digestive organs.  Also, you have a little bit of a rocking back and forth in aerial yoga that happens naturally.  This movement stimulates the digestive system.  When you are folding forward over the silk, you compress the abdominal area into the silk.  This compression stimulates the abdominal organs and can also bring comfort if there is discomfort in the belly.  You can also help reduce constipation and get things flowing with twists in the aerial hammock.  It’s best if you twist over the right shoulder first to help stimulate the colon.

Blood flow? 

Yes, there are so many inversions in aerial yoga and they help to improve circulation and  increase energy.  Also, when you’re hanging in the silks, you experience a lot of compression and decompression of the veins in the legs which can help to improve circulation and increase blood flow.  In aerial yoga, we are moving in every direction and there’s a lot of rotation which helps to get blood flow moving in places where it was more stagnant. 

Mood?

Yes, aerial yoga has the same quality of mindfulness that we find in traditional yoga classes on the mat.  Practicing mindfulness has been proven to trigger neurotransmitters that improve the quality of the mood.  Lots of “feel good hormones” such as oxytocin are released during aerial yoga.

Skin? 

Ancient yogis believe that when we are inverted, we stop the aging process.  If this is true, aerial yoga can improve the quality of the skin and may have anti-aging elements because we do a lot of inversions in aerial yoga.

Flexibility? 

Absolutely!  When practicing aerial yoga, you are less restricted and can move more freely because you're being supported by the silks and there is no pressure on the joints (wrists, knees, etc).  When you’re suspended mid-air, you have reduced tension on the joints and bones, and the muscles are able to open to a greater degree.  This increases flexibility.

Confidence? 

Most people can practice postures in aerial yoga that they can’t practice on the mat.  Everyone has an increased range of motion in aerial yoga.  This can really boost confidence.  

What muscles does it work? 

It really depends on the teacher and the class, because aerial classes can vary considerably.

In most aerial classes, those that have acro elements, the upper body and core are worked significantly.  It’s nice because aerial yoga helps you get into muscles that you don’t use as much in yoga classes on the mat.  Specifically, you strengthen your shoulders, back muscles, biceps and triceps because there’s a lot of pulling up that happens with the arms.  You also use your core to support yourself so the abdominal muscles are worked.  

Some of the postures can also involve strengthening the glutes and the hamstrings.

What is aerial yoga? 

In aerial yoga, the practice space has silk fabrics that hang from above to help students come into supported shapes.  We usually practice traditional yoga poses in the air, supported by the silks.  Depending on the teacher and the class, some aerial yoga classes are more acro while others are more restorative and relaxing.  They can be quite vigorous with a lot of upper body and core work, or they can be super relaxing where you lay in the silks as they form a cocoon around the body.

What does it entail? 

In aerial yoga classes, the silk (or hammock) is usually kept pretty close to the ground, no more than a few feet from the floor.  It can turn into a swing that the yoga student sits in and can support the student in forward and back bends and also arm strengthening postures.  Students can stand in the silks, and work on leg strengthening postures.  Students can also find opening and space that they may not find in traditional yoga practice on the mat.  A lot of times people who don’t practice inversions on the mat are able to practice those inversions in the aerial silks.