Aerial Yoga | Strength & Flexibility

Aerial yoga (also
sometimes known as Anti-Gravity yoga) combines traditional yoga
poses with the use of a low-hanging hammock – or yoga swing.
Suitable for ALL LEVELS, including those new to aerial yoga.
This workshop will take you on an aerial journey, which will be
both exhilarating and invigorating and deeply relaxing. You will be
guided through some of the seemingly endless ways you can use the
aerial swings, through basics to more dynamic practices and then on
to a relaxing phase as you gently rock cocooned in the
hammocks.
Just like mat based yoga, Aerial yoga can be slow, gentle and
relaxing as well as playful, creative and dynamic. It is a
versatile practice, which brings the many benefits of a mat-based
practice – and some extras! Most notably perhaps, is the sense of
play, freedom and curiosity it brings to both mind and body which
can often be missing from our daily lives – especially in these
times.
The hammock deepens your yoga practice, taking you to the closer
physical experience of yoga. You will feel a state of ease,
pleasure, lightness, creativity, expansion of feeling, and
stillness of mind. With the support of the hammock and the gentle
pull of gravity, the body can also ease into deeper backbends,
inversions and other postures that might have previously been
inaccessible. It works with the body in a very different way and
can be particularly beneficial for decompressing the spine for
anyone with a desk-based job or who suffers from back pain.
Aerial yoga has particular benefits for strengthening and
stretching the whole body, decompressing the spine, improving
circulation, boosting digestion, relieving back pain and lifting
your mood.
Expect an invigorating and uplifting experience, time to connect
with others in a playful environment, plus some delicious moments
of deep inner calm cocooned in the swings for a final
relaxation.
Here is What Sets Aerial Yoga Apart:

Play & Creativity: The swing truly lends itself to a more
playful and light experience of Yoga. Play brings us into the
present moment to create and experiment with movement whilst
providing the opportunity for an emotional release.
Support: Practicing yoga with the support of the hammock is
comparable to hands-on assists from a teacher; the advantage being
you have physical assistance in every posture throughout the
class.
Fear of certain postures – particularly inversions –
dissipates, and the support of the hammock promotes feelings of
trust, connection and peacefulness.
Ease of Movement
: The physical support that the hammock gives
to the body makes every movement, more pleasurable and more potent.
Every asana and transition will be easier. Every joint mobilisation
will be freer. The massage of internal organs will be deeper. This
ease of movement increases flexibility, builds strength, improves
balance, ultimately creating more space to relax into the
experience.
Rocking
: Working with the swing harnesses the physical and
emotional power of the rocking motion. In a physical sense the
movement helps alleviate back and arthritic pain, improves sleeping
patterns, helps with weight loss, tones muscle and aids recovery
from surgery. Mentally, the rocking movement reduces anxiety and
depression and stimulates the release of "happy
hormones".
Contact (Touch)
: In an increasingly modern, urban and
technological society, touch and physical interaction is lessening
and can result in stress and anxiety. With Aerial yoga the direct
contact of the body against the hammock encourages an experience of
wellbeing, reduced stress, and a natural release of mood enhancing
hormones oxytocin and serotonin.

Notes:

This workshop is suitable for people new to aerial yoga, but it
is recommended that you have some experience of yoga

It is essential that students pay close attention to all verbal
instructions and demonstrations from the teachers

Please wear a T-shirt – rather than a vest – to cover soft
tissue armpit and upper arm area

These classes are not recommended for pregnant women or those
who suffer from vertigo.