The only thing you really need to know about Aerial Yoga is how much fun it is! Channel your inner P!nk as you swing through the air, rise and fall with grace and flow on a sash that feels as if it was made for you. Ok, so it was more like “how did I get so tangled up in this thing?” and “wow, it’s hard pulling your entire body weight off the ground!” but it was still an absolute blast.
Seldom do cow town dwellers such as myself get a chance to do something as cutting edge as aerial yoga. Luckily for me, my SIL is in the middle of her 300 hour yoga teacher training and wants to try as many different types of yoga as possible. When aerial yoga presented itself, she knew she could count on me to do it with her.
When I first walked into the studio, I was compelled to touch the hanging fabric and play around with it. It must have been what my three year-old self felt like the first time I saw a swing — you’re just drawn to it and want to play. Keeping an open and playful mind also helps tremendously.

This is my playful face…or maybe my scared face? Tough to tell.
The instructor first adjusted the height for each of us, according to where the fabric hit our hip bones in a downward dog. Picture that for a moment. It was interesting to say the least and one of the many head rushes I would endue in the coming two hours.
Next, we doused our hands with rosin to prevent them from slipping. I added some a few times throughout class as it helped tremendously when trying to pull my body off the ground!
My SIL had no issue with this…

I was inverted…
Using the fabric as an assist with yoga postures was amazingly beneficial since my hamstring and hip tightness is astonishing. We used it for bridges (by putting our feet in the bottom), in our hands during kneeling hip extensions and for balance in dancer pose and so many other moves. It’s like a yoga block on steroids.
We also had a lot of fun trying to defy gravity and see just how strong our upper body is. I was transported back to my days as a gymnast except 30 years of age and abuse got it in the way. I was still able to flip myself over without too much shaking so I’ll call that a win.
After 90 minutes of playing and pulling and stretching, we were allowed to use the fabric as it was intended — as a hammock, and lay there for another 30 minutes of guided meditation. #nightnight
Overall it was a fantastic experience and I would definitely do it again. My biceps and upper body in general were pretty sore the next day which made my long swim that much more interesting. It was good knowing (and feeling) that I used different muscles and just moving my body in a different way was very cool. And, of course the nap…I mean, meditation, was just what I needed.
For the locals:
Aloft Aerial Fitness is in Mansfield on route 32 near UCONN and has a variety of class days and times. Let me know if you want me to come with you for support.
[Tweet “What is #Aerial #Yoga and who should try it? #train4life”]
Have you ever done aerial yoga? Tell me about it. If not, would you?
When was the last time doing something fitness oriented made you feel like a kid?
You know I do love me some upside down time. Any extra blood flow to my brain is a win! I’d love to try this. Oddly, I have a fear of the straps falling out of the ceiling…
Seriously, it looks like a blast!
I had that same fear, especially when I was hanging upside-down, which was most of the time! It was so awesome though and I cannot wait to do it again.
I’ve done it a few times … each time with a different friend… I think it’s teally fun to do with friends, but not something I would do regularly like another exercise class… but I have a friend who goes a few times a week and loved it as her regular workout
I definitely think it’s better in a group but, if it was convenient for me to do, I would incorporate it into my training. It’s such a great upper body and core workout, not to mention my flexibility leaves a lot to be desired!
My favorite part would be using it as a hammock at the end for a nap (I mean, meditation, like you said). I love my camping hammock and it makes me think of that!
Exactly! And I love that you have a camping hammock.
I just googled aerial yoga in houston and found a couple of places near me – it looks awesome! I can’t do traditional yoga because i have full spinal fusion.. and imagine trying to do most yoga poses with titanium rods in your spine. it’s like not happenin lol. trust me i’ve tried so many times! but it’s fine. i don’t have flexibility in my back but i can definitely do aerial yoga. it looks perfect for people with spinal fusion and i’m sure many other medical issues.
thank you for this recommendation and review! i can’t wait to hang upside down in some scarves… i already love my inversion table so this is just another level. whoohoo!
OMG yes! It would be great for you and I think you would love it!
Isn’t aerial yoga fun?!?! It’s been awhile since I’ve done it since the studio that had weekly classes closed. I will admit that I didn’t love the cocoon savasana. It was cool at first but then I started to get motion sickness from swinging in a circle in such a closed space. But it was still a lot of fun!
HAHAHA! The instructor said if anyone needs to stop swinging just raise an arm and she will stop you!