Using an Aerial Yoga Hammock in Therapy
The aerial yoga hammock is a versatile tool to use in therapy for kids. Aerial yoga provides sensory, cognitive, and wellness advantages. It allows the body to have more space for stretching. Children can swing, climb and spin in the hammock, giving the therapist lots of opportunities for therapeutic movement.
WHAT IS A SENSORY HAMMOCK?
Aerial yoga practitioners use an aerial yoga hammock, which people also refer to as a sensory hammock. Someone suspends the aerial hammock from a support. The material can be customized from low-to-high stretch. Extremely strong, it has a breaking point of 2000 pounds.
This approach aids in sensory integration and emotional regulation. In my aerial yoga classes and camps, I also include reflex integration within the poses. Reflexes are automatic movement patterns that serve as fundamental elements for motor skills development and sensory processing.
What advantages does the aerial yoga hammock provide?
Emotional regulation involves managing feelings effectively. It’s crucial to react to everyday situations in a socially appropriate and adaptable way. Doing deep breathing exercises in a aerial yoga hammock helps you relax. It can be a good way to relieve stress in your daily life.
The hammock’s suspension creates deep pressure, stimulating the parasympathetic nervous system, which helps mitigate the “fight or flight” response. This deep pressure lowers cortisol levels, which is a stress hormone. It also boosts the brain’s endorphins, improving overall well-being.
HOW to incorporate an Aerial Yoga Hammock in THERAPy?
The aerial hammock offers a soothing sensory encounter for kids. The therapeutic poses focus on the central nervous system. This helps with sensory processing, strength, and self-regulation.
In my aerial yoga classes and camps, I also integrate reflex integration into my aerial yoga postures. Reflexes are movement patterns that are building blocks for motor learning and sensory integration.
Primitive reflexes merge into more sophisticated movements as they integrate. These movements are important as they grow the brain. The reflex movements are foundational for developing balance, mobility, learning and communicating skills.
Aerial yoga HAMMOCK Benefits Sensory Therapy
- Emotional Control refers to the management of feelings. It’s crucial to react to everyday occurrences in a appropriate and adaptable way Utilizing deep breathing exercises in the sensory hammock is soothing and is an excellent strategy to alleviate stress in daily life.
- Intense Pressure. The hanging yoga hammock offers intense pressure, stimulating the parasympathetic nervous system. It diminishes the “fight or flight” reaction. Intense pressure lowers the stress hormone, cortisol, and boosts the production of brain chemicals associated with pleasure, known as endorphins.
- Body awareness is knowing where your body is in space. It shows how connected you feel to your body. The hammock enhances motor coordination and working memory during the execution of poses.
- Sensory Integration. The hammock offers sensory stimulation in a peaceful, enjoyable, and therapeutic setting.
WHAT ARE THE MENTAL ADVANTAGES OF THE SENSORY HAMMOCK?
- Concentration and Alertness. Aerial poses demand more steps compared to traditional yoga. Kids must stay attentive, or they risk falling from the hammock.
- Executive Function. Executive function refers to the capacity to organize, formulate strategies, and plan. It governs working memory, processing speed, cognitive adaptability (understanding different perspectives), and behavior inhibition.
- Aerial yoga poses need working memory, motor planning, and awareness. These are executive function skills. They are higher-level skills that help us control our behavior.
- Self-Control. Practicing aerial yoga enhances one’s capacity to be less impulsive and more conscious of their thoughts and expressions.
- Decreased educational issues. Each time we learn a new ability, we create neural pathways in the brain.
- In each class or therapy session, we practice social emotional learning, mindfulness, and aerial skills. This helps us build connections in the brain!
Have Your Child Assessed for Occupational Therapy
If you need help using the aerial yoga hammock for therapy, consider registering for an occupational therapy assessment. This assessment can provide you with useful guidance. We will develop a customized plan for your child based on the evaluation results. The plan will give clear steps to help you support your child’s growth and development.
SIGN-UP FOR Kid’s Yoga CLASSES
Our aerial yoga hammock sessions are so fantastic that they often get fully booked in no time. The therapeutic aerial yoga and mindfulness programs at Mindful Child are so enjoyable that kids don’t want to leave! Let’s hang out!