It's alarming to me that students practice aerial yoga and hammock without being aware of the differences and not taking the necessary safety precautions. This lack of understanding can lead to potential risks and injuries.
What is Aerial Yoga?
Aerial yoga is a YOGA class that uses a hammock for a prop. This use of the hammock should be used to support you in positions that look and feel similar to the asanas you would do on the ground, movements should be controlled, breath and focus should be cued, and the class should be fairly seamless from start to finish. These classes aim to balance the nervous system, increase a sense of wholeness, and have the benefit of creating more strength and stability than most ground practices. The support of an aerial yoga hammock can help decompress the spine in inversions, access core engagement in a new way, and assist in myofascial release during the yoga flow. All benefits of aerial yoga classes help to deepen your awareness and connection to self.
What is Aerial Hammock ?
Aerial hammock/dance classes also create a sense of wholeness and improved well being, but in a more vigorous way. They should have crash mats, more cardiovascular and dynamic warm ups, teach both postures and acrobatic maneuvers sequenced together and stacked on top of one another, which often will include drop sequences after proper core and spinal stability is established. These classes focus on fun, strength training, and performance artistry. Aerial hammock/dance students and professionals should always have a cross training modality to help balance their bodies since aerial dance and acrobatic classes are more intense on the body as a whole.
What is the different between Aerial Yoga & Aerial Hammock?
Aerial yoga and aerial hammock are closely related practices, but they have some distinct differences:
Aerial Yoga
Focus and Practice: Aerial yoga combines traditional yoga poses with the use of a suspended hammock. It often emphasizes the therapeutic and alignment aspects of yoga, incorporating inversions, stretches, and strength-building exercises. The hammock is used as a prop to support and enhance traditional yoga poses, making them more accessible or challenging.
Class Structure: Aerial yoga classes typically follow a flow similar to traditional yoga classes, including warm-up, sequences of poses, and relaxation. The hammock can assist in deeper stretches and inversions.
Benefits: It helps improve flexibility, strength, and body awareness, and can be therapeutic for joint and spine health due to the decompressive nature of inversions.
Aerial Hammock
Focus and Practice: Aerial hammock, sometimes called aerial silks (when referring to the fabric), focuses more on the artistic and acrobatic aspects of movement. It involves dance-like movements, tricks, and sequences that can be performed on the hammock. The practice can range from gentle swaying and stretching to more dynamic and challenging aerial tricks.
Class Structure: Classes may include a mix of conditioning, learning specific tricks or sequences, and choreography. The emphasis is often on developing strength, coordination, and aerial skills.
Benefits: It enhances strength, coordination, balance, and creativity. It also provides a full-body workout and can be an expressive form of movement.
Precaution to take :
Aerial yoga class should never include a drop nor an inversion higher than from standing. EVER. Standing inversions? Sure, from hip hangs or with proper progression training to ball ups. From standing in the hammock, no way. Drops? Never. Without the right progressions these drops can be really dangerous to your body because the proper support and engagement hasn’t been trained to prevent whiplash or disc injuries.
Not only is a yoga mat not a sufficient safety net for an aerial drop should something go awry, most aerial yoga studio setups are not rated for the impact these drops and inverting movements can put on hardware and ceiling setups, so you could be putting your life on the line for a teachers desire to bring acrobatics into your aerial yoga flow. The insurance for aerial yoga vs aerial hammock classes is also significantly different and, in my experience as a aerial yoga studio owner, does not include drops or momentum movements, as they should not be practiced in an aerial yoga class offering. Your life matters more ego or misunderstanding of the insurance classifications and risks.
Both aerial hammock and aerial yoga are fabulous and complimentary practices! I encourage you to be aware, ask questions, support yourself, enjoy the community, and have a blast exploring the new modalities. Be safe and indulge in aerial journey! We all want to fly, so why not give it a try?
Dont miss out our Aerial Yoga & Aerial Hammock Teacher Training Course. (Duo manual Aerial Teacher Training)
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