Aerial yoga, the trendiest gravity defying fitness experience
Author: Bella Birkeland
Let’s face it, you’ve possibly heard of this trend from Instagram from posts featuring people performing tricks in the most picturesque but complicated ways. Almost seeming too technical and intimidating to even think about trying! But in reality, aerial yoga is actually more beginner friendly than you might think.
It initially began with B.K.S. Lygengar, a famous yoga guru that utilizes suspend inversion poses. This original style of suspended yoga is what inspired and led to what we know as aerial or anti-gravity yoga. It started trending a few years ago with the majority of classes in Los Angeles or New York City. As it grew more popular, it made this gravity-defying experience more accessible to try.
If you're wanting to see if any studios or classes are offered near you check out yelp. Where you can get a full listing as well as reviews of aerial fitness classes in your area.
Before trying your first yoga class, there are a few things that need to be understood about how this aerial activity works and what great benefits you can get from it. Aerial yoga utilizes a hammock made of silky fabric that acts as your support system throughout the workout. It is all about utilizing hammocks where you learn how to pose and suspend yourself in the air. By maneuvering the fabric to hold onto and wrap yourself around to hold poses and do tricks. However, don't worry, many studios and gyms offer beginner classes that let you learn how to utilize the hammock and become more familiar with what anti-gravity experience. As this particular style of yoga uses a considerable amount of your body weight, these classes focus on building your balance and familiarity to work your way up to more complex and challenging poses.
Although aerial yoga gives an acrobatic experience to yoga, you may be wondering what is so beneficial about this particular style of yoga. It is a moderate-intensity workout, meaning it is a physical activity that's enough to raise both your heart rate and break a sweat. However, with aerial yoga, you can definitely increase the intensity with more fitness focus classes if desired. It is also a low-impact cardio workout as well, primarily focused on utilizing the hammock so it doesn't overly strain your joints. It is also very focused on improving your core strength as many of the poses and movements depend on using your core to find a point of stability while you are suspended in the air. This style of yoga helps improve stability, with the use of the hammock, you're able to move more freely as a suspension helps release some of that tension to let you easily flow into various poses and positions. Additionally, this also makes it a lot easier to achieve traditional yoga poses as the fabric gives you a better feeling of how it is supposed to feel and helps you better manage to attempt poses on the mat. All great benefits come in a fun gravity-defying package that has shown real results.
A study from the American Council of Exercise (ACE) with a sample size of 16 women, who participated in three 50-minute aerial yoga classes a week lost an average of 2 1/2 lb. Lastly, it is also a great way to relieve stress and an opportunity to practice mindfulness in a fitness workout routine.
Aerial yoga is one of those fitness trends that’s on Instagram that you might have thought of that you might not be able to try. As this style of yoga has become a lot more popular, it is a lot easier to get in on this fitness trend and find out why it's so fun. As a workout that offers many great benefits, it offers it in a way that makes you feel like you’re flying.
Don't miss out on the opportunity to try something different and new. You might not have realized it yet but aerial yoga studios and classes are becoming a lot more common than ever. Try by yourself or with a friend, it is definitely a fun activity to do that is engaging fitness-wise as well as fun and relaxing.