Taking good care of our health and mind should always be our top priority. After all, we only get to live one life, and there are no extra lives available like in the video games. There is a range of popular options that we can choose to keep ourselves fit and healthy. The best way to achieve this is by maintaining a wholesome diet and workout.
Out of all the different types of exercises, you can consider yoga as the boss of all, as it provides a complete body-mind workout. A few years ago, a hybrid form of yoga came to existence – Aerial yoga, with a lot of aerial yoga benefits. This form of yoga has been trending for quite some time now. let’s find out about what is aerial yoga exactly, what are the aerial yoga benefits, and should you go for it?
What is Aerial Yoga?
Aerial yoga, also popularly known as the anti-gravity yoga, involves performing yoga asanas with the help of a hammock. The hammock hangs from the ceiling, one meter above the floor.
Sounds risky, but with the guidance of a well-experienced professional, you can reap the aerial yoga benefits and enjoy the activity, at the same time. Unlike the standard yoga, which is thousands of years old, aerial yoga is almost a recent form of yoga, developed in the 90s. Some also say aerial yoga was developed in the year 2014.
Poses that every Aerial Yoga beginners should know
Like before any particular workout, it is mandatory to carry out a warm-up exercise, same is the case for aerial yoga. As a beginner, or if you are someone new to this concept, you can try these with the hammock:
- Lunges
- Plank
- Crunches
- Downward dog
- Support chair pose
Other than these, you can also try these aerial yoga poses as beginners:
- Backflip
- Superman front balance
- Basic sitting
- Mermaid pose
- Standing pose
- After straddle
- Single Wrap
- Hip lock
- Double Wrap
A point to be noted, in case you are thinking of trying aerial yoga, we advise you to learn it firsthand from an experienced professional and further continue practicing by yourself.
What are the Aerial Yoga benefits?
Practicing traditional yoga poses itself offers numerous benefits to our body, mind, and soul. With aerial yoga poses, we can enjoy the same health benefits and few additional plus points.
Flexibility will be your middle name with Aerial Yoga
You suspend your body against gravity with the help of hammock or swing, flexing your muscles and tendons in aerial yoga poses. This helps your body to become more flexible.
Boosts your blood circulation
Efficient blood circulation is a must for the proper functioning of your body. Those of you who find difficulty with the inversion yoga poses may be able to practice it with aerial yoga. Now, what inversions does is, it helps in the detoxification process of your body. Along with it, it improves the blood circulation and stimulates the lymphatic system.
Keeps your heart healthy
The aerial yoga benefits include keeping your heart healthy and safe from developing any degenerative heart disease. If you are already suffering from any heart condition, trying this is a bad idea.
Stress buster
Stress is an inseparable part and parcel of our lives. Sometimes, the intensity of stress goes up too high, and we feel like we are in a rudderless boat.
Although there are thousands of ways to relieve your stress, aerial yoga poses also help reduce stress. While practising this yoga, you will experience the pros of meditation, helping you to move away from negative thoughts. Before you know it, as you focus your body and mind trying the different aerial yoga poses, you will eventually feel relaxed.
Treatment for your painful back
Most of the time, we all suffer from back pain right from our 20s. The common cause of back pain is a bad posture. With all the stretches and bends during the aerial yoga poses, your spine receives all the proper stretching it needs. This, in turn, minimizes the back pain that has been annoying you for a long time.
Helps you focus better
In today’s time, to survive, with zillions of problems in our lives, the only trick to success in work and life is the power of focus and concentration. Some meditate, some try Buddhist chanting to increase their focus, eliminating the external issues and thoughts.
You can go for aerial yoga as well to increase your concentration power, as this form of yoga involves controlled breathing, concentrating all your energy and body movement to perform the asanas.
Keep your gut healthy
Now, this may sound odd, how aerial yoga aids in your digestion? Well, with aerial yoga, as you detoxify your toxins, increasing the blood circulation, your digestive system will also stay happy.
So, these are a few basic aerial yoga health benefits that prove this yoga form is worthy of trying. But the question here is, can anyone try and enjoy the wonderful aerial yoga benefits?
Can everyone go for Aerial Yoga?
Unfortunately, no, not everyone can practice it. Since aerial yoga involves practicing the asanas with a hammock, it is most safe if you are already familiar and have hands-on practice of the yoga asanas. So, if you are really in this yoga, and have no prior yoga practice, then we advise you to attend yoga classes up to intermediate levels.
For aerial yoga beginners, if you have any of the below medical conditions, then going forward with this workout is not at all advisable:
- Heart disease
- High blood pressure or low blood pressure issues
- Vertigo
Apart from this,
- If you are not comfortable hanging upside down and feel too frightened
- If you are pregnant
- If you recently had surgery
Then, opting for aerial yoga won’t be a wise decision for a workout. The aerial yoga benefits are undeniable and worth trying. Mostly because it seems fun and interesting, doesn’t it? Plus, the health benefits!
So, if you are medically fit and free from the above conditions, then we say give it a try and truly enjoy the aerial yoga benefits. However, be sure of yourself and stay cautious while practicing this yoga.
Take care♥
Also read: Self Hug: An Amazing Way To Appreciate Yourself