Aerial Yoga

Aerial Yoga invites you to take your practice off the ground and into the air using a silk hammock suspended from the ceiling. This innovative style blends traditional yoga asanas with principles from aerial arts, acrobatics, and Pilates, offering a gravity-defying experience that is both fun and deeply therapeutic.

The hammock becomes a versatile prop — acting as a sling for inversions, a support for balance, a cocoon for rest, and a tool to deepen stretches or add resistance. The result is a practice that challenges the body, expands proprioception, and brings a childlike sense of joy and curiosity.

Aerial Yoga is known for its spinal decompression benefits, allowing practitioners to experience traction and relief from compression in a safe and supported way — especially during inversions.

Aerial Yoga emerged in the early 2000s through the work of performers and movement educators who saw the potential of aerial silks and yoga combined. Pioneers like Christopher Harrison (creator of AntiGravity® Fitness) and other aerialists began incorporating traditional yoga poses into the fabric — and a new genre of practice was born.

Since then, various schools and styles have evolved, each with their own approach — ranging from restorative and therapeutic to acro-inspired and fitness-based.

Style

Aerial Yoga blends asana, strength training, acrobatics, and mindfulness in a three-dimensional practice. The silk hammock allows for full-body support in postures, suspension and inversion with reduced joint load, dynamic movement and flow, and playful exploration of shapes and transitions.

Depending on the class, the style may be grounded and gentle (restorative or meditative), strength-focused (core, upper body, balance), flow-based (Vinyasa-like sequences in the air), or inversion-heavy (spinal decompression, flips, and fun).

Structure

A typical Aerial Yoga class may include:

• Grounded centering and breathwork
• Warm-up using the hammock at hip or knee height
• Standing and balancing poses supported by the silk
• Inversions (e.g., aerial Down Dog, Floating Baddha Konasana)
• Core engagement and strength work
• Floating savasana inside the hammock

Props (mats, blocks, straps) may still be used, but the hammock is the primary tool and anchor point.

Breath

Breath plays a vital role in aerial yoga for supporting transitions in and out of suspended poses, calming the nervous system during inversions or novel movements, and cultivating body awareness in space. Teachers often cue steady, grounding breath to help students navigate the sensations of flying, stretching, or flipping.

Flow

Flow in Aerial Yoga may feel graceful and dance-like, segmental and strength-focused, playful and exploratory, or meditative and floaty (especially in slower or restorative styles). Transitions often involve unique movement patterns: swivels, drops, wraps, and releases that aren't found in mat-based yoga.

Pace

Pace varies by style. Some classes are slow and fluid, focusing on deep stretch and awareness. Others are energized and acrobatic, building heat and challenging balance. Teachers typically allow space for acclimation, especially for beginners unfamiliar with inversions or silk navigation.

Focus

Aerial Yoga develops spinal decompression and back-body awareness, core strength and body control, flexibility (especially in the hips and shoulders), balance and proprioception, and trust, both in the silk and in one's own body. There is also often an emotional focus on play, courage, and releasing control.

Teacher Role

Aerial Yoga teachers are anchors of safety and technical guidance, skilled in spotting and modifying poses, creators of joyful and exploratory sequences, and attuned to student confidence and body awareness. A good aerial teacher will support students with step-by-step instruction and hold a container of fun, focus, and freedom.

Vibe and Community

The vibe in an Aerial Yoga class is joyful and bold, yet deeply grounding; encouraging and communal, as students cheer each other on; safe and exploratory, with room to try new things and let go of fear; and often filled with laughter, awe, and a sense of wonder. It's the yoga class where grown-ups get to play — and where transformation happens midair.

Aerial Yoga offers comprehensive benefits across all dimensions of well-being:

Aerial Yoga is for anyone curious about inversions, seeking spinal decompression and relief from back tension, looking for a playful and exploratory yoga experience, wanting to build core strength and flexibility in a low-impact way, or recovering from injury and needing joint-friendly movement options (with teacher guidance).

It's especially beneficial for:

• Students who love novelty and creativity in their practice
• Those with tight hips or shoulders who benefit from traction
• People who feel stuck in traditional mat-based yoga
• Anyone seeking a fun, confidence-building physical practice

Who should approach with caution:

• Individuals with vertigo, glaucoma, or uncontrolled high blood pressure
• Pregnant individuals (unless in a specialized prenatal aerial class)
• Those with recent surgeries, herniated discs, or severe osteoporosis
• Anyone with heart conditions or circulatory issues

As always, consult with a healthcare provider if you have any medical concerns before starting Aerial Yoga.

Aerial Yoga is more than just a workout—it's an invitation to play, explore, and rediscover your body's capabilities in a completely new dimension. Whether you're seeking physical relief through spinal decompression, building strength and flexibility, or simply wanting to experience the joy of flying, Aerial Yoga offers a unique and transformative practice.

The hammock becomes your teacher, your support system, and your playground. It challenges you to trust, to let go, and to embrace the unknown—all while keeping you safely suspended in silk.

Ready to take flight? Find an Aerial Yoga class near you and discover the freedom of moving in three-dimensional space.