Aerial Yoga Class | Foundations
IN STUDIO in West Norwood / West Dulwich, South London
Aerial yoga (also sometimes known as Anti-Gravity yoga) is an exciting recent development in Yoga, which combines traditional yoga poses with the use of a low-hanging hammock – or yoga swing. The hammock deepens your yoga practice, taking you to the closer physical experience of yoga. You feel a state of ease, pleasure, lightness, creativity, expansion of feeling, and stillness of mind.
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 liberation and freedom it brings to both mind and body. With the support of the hammock and the gentle pull of gravity, the body can ease into deeper backbends, inversions and other challenging 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.
Tuesday evening classes offer a more dynamic class with options for challenges and inversions. Thursday evening and Friday midday classes are more gentle, restorative flowing Aerial class accessible to all.
Benefits of Aerial Yoga
Aerial yoga has particular benefits for strengthening and stretching the whole body, decompressing the spine, improving circulation, boosting digestion and lifting your mood. Here is what fundamentally sets Aerial Yoga apart:
- 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 serotonin.
- 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.
- 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 with the body against the hammock encourages an experience of wellbeing, reduced stress, and a natural release of mood enhancing hormones oxytocin and serotonin.
Practical Information
- 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
- Aerial classes are limited to 13 students.
- These classes are not recommended for pregnant women or those who suffer from vertigo
- We use our Aerial swings on rotation and each swing is only used once a week and then “quarantined”
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