Aerial Yoga Defined
Also called: Anti-Gravity Yoga, Flying Yoga, Hammock YogaYoga suspended from silk hammocks. Aerial Yoga uses fabric slings hanging from the ceiling to support, deepen, and transform traditional poses—making inversions accessible and bringing an element of playful flight to the practice.
What Is Aerial Yoga?
Aerial Yoga is a practice that uses fabric hammocks (also called slings or swings) suspended from the ceiling to support the body in traditional and modified yoga poses. The hammock acts as a prop—like a block or strap, but one that wraps around you and lifts you off the ground.
Developed in the early 2000s, with significant influence from aerial arts pioneer Christopher Harrison (creator of AntiGravity Fitness), Aerial Yoga combines elements of traditional Hatha Yoga, aerial acrobatics, Pilates, and dance. The practice has since evolved into many variations, from fitness-focused "aerial fitness" classes to more traditional yoga sequences adapted for the hammock.
The defining feature is suspension—your body weight is partially or fully supported by the fabric, changing your relationship with gravity and opening new possibilities for movement, stretch, and inversion.
How the Hammock Is Used
The aerial hammock serves multiple purposes in practice:
Support
The hammock holds your weight, allowing you to relax into poses without muscular effort—similar to using props in Restorative Yoga.
Deepening
Gravity works with you, not against you. Suspended forward folds and hip openers can access depths not possible on the ground.
Inversion
Full inversions become accessible without putting weight on head or neck. The hammock supports your hips while you hang freely.
Common Aerial Yoga Poses
Aerial Warrior
One foot in the hammock, standing leg on the ground. The fabric supports balance while you sink into the lunge and extend arms.
Floating Savasana
Lying in the hammock like a cocoon, gently swaying. The fabric wraps around you completely—deeply calming and restorative.
Aerial Downward Dog
Hips supported by hammock, hands and feet on ground. Takes pressure off wrists and allows a deeper spinal extension.
Inverted Butterfly
Hanging upside down with soles of feet together, knees wide. Combines inversion benefits with a deep hip opener.
Aerial Star
Suspended horizontally, arms and legs spread wide. Requires core engagement to maintain position—deceptively challenging.
Full Inversion
Hanging completely upside down, hips wrapped in the hammock. Decompresses the spine, reverses blood flow, shifts perspective.
Benefits of Aerial Yoga
Spinal Decompression
Inversions allow gravity to gently traction the spine, creating space between vertebrae. Many practitioners experience relief from back compression.
Accessible Inversions
Going upside down without bearing weight on head, neck, or wrists. The hammock does the heavy lifting—literally.
Core Strength
Stabilizing in an unstable environment requires constant, subtle core engagement. You build strength without isolated "core work."
Deeper Stretches
Gravity assists rather than resists. Hip openers and forward folds can access new ranges when the hammock supports body weight.
Mental Focus
The novelty and challenge of suspension demand presence. It's hard to zone out when you're learning to trust fabric holding you in the air.
Pure Fun
Swinging, flying, wrapping, and inverting—Aerial Yoga brings an element of play that many adults lack in their exercise routines.
What to Expect in Class
Duration
60-75 minutes typical
Class Size
Small (8-15 max)
What to Wear
Fitted clothes, long sleeves optional
Equipment
Hammocks provided by studio
Warm-up
Ground-based before aerial
Cool-down
Often ends in floating Savasana
Who Should Avoid Aerial Yoga
Aerial Yoga isn't appropriate for everyone. Consult a healthcare provider before practicing if you have any of the following conditions:
Types of Aerial Yoga Classes
Aerial Yoga Basics / Intro
Foundational class for beginners. Learn hammock safety, basic poses, and how to get comfortable with suspension. Starts mostly on the ground, progresses to partial and full suspension.
Aerial Yoga Flow
Vinyasa-style class adapted for the hammock. Flowing sequences link poses together, often with more dynamic movement and transitions. Requires baseline familiarity with the hammock.
Aerial Restorative / Aerial Yin
Slower, gentler practice using the hammock for deep relaxation. Long holds, minimal effort, emphasis on nervous system restoration. The hammock becomes a cocoon.
Aerial Fitness
More fitness-focused with strength and cardio elements. May include climbing, flipping, and more acrobatic movements. Less traditional yoga, more circus-inspired.
Aerial Yoga and Traditional Practice
Some yoga purists question whether Aerial Yoga is "real yoga." The practice certainly departs from tradition—there are no aerial hammocks in the Yoga Sutras. But the fundamental elements of yoga remain: breath awareness, presence, body-mind connection, and the cultivation of equanimity.
Perhaps the better question isn't whether Aerial Yoga is authentic yoga, but whether it serves your practice. For some, the hammock opens doors that ground-based practice cannot. For others, it's a fun complement to a traditional practice. And for many, it's simply an accessible way to experience the benefits of inversion without the years of preparation typically required.
Take Flight
Find studios offering Aerial Yoga classes in your area.