Yoga with puppies and kittens is popular on Instagram. However, using an aerial hammock offers a unique experience. Both beautiful and engaging, the work captivates. In addition to physical and mental health benefits, aerial yoga is a therapeutic yoga option.
Aerial yoga combines traditional yoga poses and yoga practices with aerial arts. Ceiling supports hold aerial yoga hammocks to help you perform yoga poses and tricks.
You can use the yoga swing poses in a variety of ways. You can lie down, stand or sit in the hammock. We do many of the same yoga poses that you find in a land-based yoga class. The difference is some part of your body will be interacting with the aerial hammock in a specific way to create the yoga pose.
At Mindful Child Aerial Yoga, we are a Kansas City based yoa studio for kids. We offer many aerial yoga classes and camps.Our aerial yoga classes include not only acrobatic moves, but antigravity for beginners.
I believe in using a hammock to help children relax. It can reduce stress, improve sensory processing, and integrate reflexes. Check out this blog on beginner yoga swing poses.
History of Flying Aerial Yoga Poses
The aerial hammock is a prop. B.K.S. Iyengar, who developed Iyengar yoga, attributed the use of props in yoga to his teachings. He used blocks, straps, blankets and a rope wall to help his yoga students do yoga poses.
The creators did not make the first aerial yoga hammocks from aerial fabric. The builders made them of ropes and padded them with blankets and/or yoga mats.
Anti gravity yoga poses, began to appear in the late 1990s. Manufacturers made these yoga swings from fabric harnesses that attach to handles and foot holds.
The aerial yoga hammock is a strong piece of fabric, usually made of nylon-tricot. It started becoming popular in 2011. Currently, people can find aerial studios around the world to practice the aerial yoga asanas.
Aerial Yoga Benefits
Aerial yoga offers a combination of flying yoga poses, breath work, and strength training. This combination offers multiple benefits:
“Lengthen as you strengthen” is a principle applied in the Pilates method. Pilates emphasizes building core strength. These same results can be achieve using yoga hammock poses. The hammock is a yoga prop that can enhance your yoga practice transforming how you connect with your mind-body-spirit.
Decompress the spine. Medical studies support the practice of hanging upside down also known as inversions. Aerial hammock yoga inversions reduce lower back pain and create space in the spine.
Low to moderate intensity workout. ACE-commissioned research found that 50 minutes of aerial yoga can burn more than 300 calories. This is a low to moderate intensity exercise.
In a 2020 study, researchers found that yoga swing poses helped reduce stress and depression. Studies show positive changes in mental and physical health. It also encouraged healthy lifestyle choices.
Enhanced flexibility and balance. Aerial arts improves balance and flexibility. Researchers found that aerial athletes have similar cardio endurance and body composition to dancers and gymnasts.
Equipment for Aerial Yoga
When attending an aerial yoga class, especially in an aerial yoga studio, all you need is a water bottle. At Mindful Child, we use padded Zebra Yoga flooring so you do not need a mat.
What you wear can affect your experience with hanging yoga poses. Wear fitted active wear that covers your arms and legs. The compression of the aerial hammock can feel uncomfortable for some people, especially on bare skin.
Active wear should be free of zippers that can snag our aerial hammocks. Additionally do not wear any jewelry as it is can snag aerial hammocks.
Flying at Home
You can enjoy aerial yoga in your home. To practice at home, you will need aerial rigging equipment. This includes an aerial stand or hiring a contractor. The contractor will help you hook your aerial hammock to a support structure making sure it safe.
Aerial yoga is not a static practice. It can put a lot of force on a support beam. Be sure to have a professional install your hammock at home.
Buying equipment for your home will include research. Buying from reputable sources and ensuring all equipment has been safety tested is important. Our aerial yoga hammocks have a breaking point of 2000 pounds, making them extremely safe.
Checking your equipment regularly is important. Make sure the carabiners are locked. Look for tears in the hammock. Check that the rigging gear remains undamaged before each yoga swing workout.
List of Aerial Yoga Poses
Down Dog
Butterfly
Mountain
Goddess
Tree
Chair Pose
And Many More
How to Find Kansas City Aerial Yoga Classes
Google can help you find aerial yoga classes near you. Simply type “aerial yoga near me” or “aerial yoga classes” and a variety of aerial studios will pop up. Make sure to read reviews and go through the website before registering.
When choosing a yoga studio, look for Yoga Alliance approval. Check the teacher’s background and experience. Also, consider the studio’s safety measures. See if they offer beginner aerial yoga poses.
At Mindful Child, we use our brand of aerial hammocks and our own aerial hammock poses. We adjust the yoga swing positions to different heights for each child’s age and ability. We have special padded yoga flooring, so if you do fall out it is on a soft surface.
Mindful Child only hires honor college students and professionals that excel in their fields. We incorporate research into our aerial yoga classes and aerial poses. Our studio is just for kids, but we do offer mother/daughter classes and teacher trainings for adults.
We use proven methods to teach social and emotional skills, as well as mindfulness. We offer yoga trapeze poses, yoga trapeze positions, and the aerial yoga hoop. We also hold certification in Antigravity yoga poses and anti gravity yoga for beginners.
Aerial Yoga Birthday Parties. Personalized parties that are full of swinging, flying and climbing. What more could a child ask for in a party?
Aerial Yoga Camps. We offer winter and summer camps with different themes so children can pick their adventure and flying yoga positions.
Occupational Therapy using the Aerial Hammock. We use proven methods and an aerial yoga hammock to help children. This approach allows them to make significant progress. They can overcome many behavioral, emotional, and motor challenges.
Kid’s Yoga Teacher Training. From basic yoga poses and mindfulness to advanced trainings we offer Yoga Alliance approved kid’s yoga teacher trainings.
Hanging upside down creates traction and lengthens your spine. Aerial yoga poses can also be helpful for balance and flexibility. Aerial yoga has many benefits and is available in most large cities.Want to give it a try? Use the link below to sign up for one of our services.
Kosma, M., Erickson, N., Savoie, C. J., & Gibson, M. (2020). The effectiveness of performative aerial practice on mental health and the love of movement. Research in Dance Education, 22(2), 210–227. https://doi.org/10.1080/14647893.2020.1784868