Acrobat in a park

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There’s a good chance you saw aerial yoga on your Instagram explore page and had no idea what you were looking at. Honestly, it’s a little intimidating to see. Hanging upside down from the ceiling doesn’t look easy, but aerial yoga is tailored to meet almost everyone’s fitness level.

Whether you’re wanting to attend classes regularly or you’re just looking for a new workout, you might find that aerial yoga is less complicated and a better workout than expected.

What is Aerial Yoga?

It’s a “new type” of yoga that originates from New York. It pulls technique from traditional yoga and pilates while incorporating acrobatic and contemporary dance moves. In aerial yoga, a silk hammock hangs from the ceiling and it’s used to support/aid poses throughout the class. Because you’ll be suspended off the ground for most the class, aerial yoga has two nicknames: antigravity yoga and suspension yoga.

Class difficulty can range from high-flying tricks to slow, stretching, and meditative classes. This means that people of all fitness levels can participate if they’re interested.

Benefits of Aerial Yoga

  1. Relives pressure on the spine: because you’re hanging, the natural downward pressure created by gravity is reversed. The muscles in your spine are able to release and relax which reduces spinal compression.
  2. Challenges your mental concentration and awareness: transitioning into different poses requires a personal spacial awareness, so you have to conscious of how you’re moving and positioning your body.
  3. Increases pulling and core strength: throughout this workout, you’ll have to lift your own weight. Lifting yourself will strengthen your upper body, and staying balanced will strengthen your core.
  4. Increases flexibility: many poses throughout the class will allow for deep stretching. As a result, your flexibility within these poses will improve over time.
  5. Beginner-friendly: the silk hammock is an aid for beginners. It should be used for support–to make sure the exercises are being executed with proper alignment and balance.

How to Find Classes

Finding aerial yoga classes is surprisingly easy (or easier than I thought).

If you search “aerial fitness near me”, studios will pop up. Most studios have you sign up for classes online (it’s important to look at the difficulty level of the class before you sign up). After signing up, all you have to do is show up and enjoy the workout.

Written by GUADS staff member Toni with contributions from www.draxe.com