Aerial yoga is known for its incredible poses, elegant appearance and countless benefits. Discover some of the most popular and best aerial yoga poses.
If you attend one of our aerial yoga classes, you’ll likely experience many of these poses. But there are many more aerial hammock-assisted poses that we teach.
Since aerial yoga is a modern type of yoga, the names for poses aren’t standardized. Depending on the training a teacher has done, they may call poses by different names, but the benefits are the same.
Note: While these asanas may look daunting, with the help of our teachers, you’ll be gently guided into them. Every body is different, and some poses may not be accessible to all yogis. Also, be sure to wear the correct aerial yoga clothes to class.
Monkey
Monkey is, without a doubt, one of the most popular aerial yoga poses. It allows you to feel completely supported by the hammock while hanging upside down (like a monkey in a tree). You’ll feel your spine decompress, and all tension just falls away.
Variation: Skirted Monkey
Skirted monkey offers even more support than the traditional monkey pose. It allows for less pressure from the hammock while still offering all the same benefits.
Variation: Wide-Legged Monkey
Experience the power of a wide-legged pose while inverted. This pose is nothing short of magical, but it does require some flexibility.
Butterfly
Extend your yoga practice with Baddha Konasana in the hammock. This pose binds your feet while offering you a feeling of floating. It’s a deep hip opener.
Depending on the intensity of the class and your level of experience, you can even move from butterfly pose to inverted butterfly.
Swan
Stretching out your front body has never looked this elegant. With swan pose, not only do you get to experience an inversion, but you’ll also stretch out your abdominals (fantastic after a heavy core workout). You can also increase the stretch by reaching your arm backwards, allowing for your whole body to get involved.
Standing Twist
Feel supported while testing your balance with a standing twist with one leg in the hammock. This hammock allows you to open up your shoulders while in the twist, placing extra pressure to allow for more muscle activation and allows you to open your chest. It stretched the hips and hamstrings while toning the waist, hips, thighs and buttocks.
Lunge
With aerial yoga, the yogic lunge takes on a new form. With aerial yoga, you’ll not only test your balance, but you’ll be able to go further in this pose, deepening the stretch. It can also help reduce the intensity of a lunge by offering you additional support.
Variation: Reverse Warrior
Stretch into your side body and torso while balancing in the hammock and opening your chest. It’s great for toning the hips, thighs and glutes while experiencing support from the aerial silk. It allows you to go deeper into the pose if you wish, but it also allows for lower intensity.
Variation Warrior 1
From lunge you can also go into Warrior 1. This is another well-known traditional ground yoga pose that can be tailored for an aerial yoga hammock. Expect your balance to be tested.
Tree
Floating while balancing may sound tough, but the aerial silk offers support that keeps you stable. Unlike the traditional form of this pose, aerial tree places pressure on the sole of the foot, massaging and releasing the tension.
Downward Facing Dog
Every yogi knows about downdog, but not many have experienced downdog aided by a hammock. In this pose, the silk wraps around your hips, creating a deep pressure. Not only does it offer an amazing stretch, but it offers an unparalleled release around your hips.
We hold a lot of emotions in our hips, and this pose lets you know just how much.
Cradle
Cradle is one of my favourite poses when I’ve got a tight back, or my neck gets twitchy. Instead of calling the chiropractor, I hop in my hammock, get into cradle pose, and everything seems to right itself. This unique pose can release muscle spasms in the back, work out knots and massage all the stiffness away.
Superman
One of the reasons aerial yoga is so popular is that it allows for a playfulness that isn’t often present in traditional forms of yoga. In aerial yoga, you hang out, face fears and fly. Superman is one of those poses where you feel like you’re flying.
Intensive Poses
After you’ve been practising aerial yoga for a while, you’ll be able to explore even more incredible poses. These require more strength, flexibility and trust in the hammock.
Chandelier
Chandelier is one of the most elegant aerial yoga poses, and it allows for a full body stretch. It is a deep backbend, improving strength and flexibility in numerous areas. It stimulates the heart muscle and can even relieve symptoms of mild depression (in fact, a lot of aerial yoga poses are great for easing anxiety and depression). This asana is also deep chest opener and a way to increase spinal flexibility.
Bow
If you’re looking for a deep backbend, aerial bow is an incredible option. It allows you to reap all the benefits of traditional bow pose while inverted and floating.
Spinal extension, glute and pelvic floor activation and shoulder stretching, what’s not to love?
Flying Pigeon
Flying Pigeon is similar to chandelier but looks slightly different. Here you’ll embrace the feeling of flying, extending your body and feeling the support of the hammock while in the air.
Handstand
The aerial hammock allows for a unique exploration of your body, and its abilities. It also allows you into poses you may not normally be able to enter, like a handstand. With the silk, you can extend into a supported handstand, reaping all the benefits while eradicating any fear of toppling over.
Getting into Aerial Yoga Poses
Aerial yoga requires an aerial hammock. This makes it less accessible than hatha and vinyasa yoga. But luckily, there are plenty of places you can go to practice aerial yoga with the help of a teacher. Our studio offers weekly aerial classes in Johannesburg, where our teachers will happily guide you into some of these incredible poses.
