Beyond Flying Yoga Gimmicks

A great variety of workouts have emerged since the beginning of time. May it be bodyweight exercises, sports, a hobby or something that literally just came out of a person’s creative mind — it has surely piqued someone’s interest for the practice to last a time or even until this day.. and yes the same goes for Aerial Yoga!

If you are new to the practice or are researching about it, you might stumble upon statements saying that the practice is fake, not beneficial, unsafe, and just purely a trendy gimmick.

But! In this blog, we will be debunking that. Aerial yoga is literally much more than what meets the eye. The poses done in aerial yoga are not just random movements for the sake of creativity or for the show: the asanas target specific parts of your body to help it improve, recover, and be stronger for whatever life throws at you.

Aside from this, if it is not obvious yet, it is a thrilling yoga variation, and the practice is not specific to only certain groups of people. Surprise! It caters to all!

But of course, flying yoga is not just for increasing flexibility and strength building. Depending on the level of difficulty, doing easy poses can also be an avenue for relaxation and realigning your chakras.

 

What to know about this “gimmick”

Aerial yoga is a practice that stemmed from gymnasts and dancers who are looking for a way to stay fit without straying too far from their mother practice. With a little bit of creativity here and there, aerial yoga was born.

The first concept of aerial yoga was believed to be introduced by B.K.S. Iyengar, initially used for inversions and healing, and through the generations, the practice has developed into the aerial yoga that we know today.

To make it simpler, aerial yoga is where we literally do what we do in traditional yoga but suspended so that is quite the challenge. In this, you must be able to practice your balance while maintaining your pose, and at the same time focus on your breathing correctly.

You might think that it is easy to simultaneously do all three, but we urge you to give it a try. That is when you will know that flying yoga is not just a gimmick.

 

Get to know the “flying” contraption

There are two types of equipment that you can choose from: an aerial yoga hammock or a yoga swing.

An aerial yoga hammock can be both basic and a piece of advanced equipment. It consists of the fabric itself that is suspended in a variety of ways, usually mounted to the ceiling with special metalware for a more customized finish. It is basic because you only have the fabric to work with, and advanced because you do not have any added support, as you do with the yoga swing, which well discuss in a moment.

If you are going to use an aerial yoga hammock, we recommend that you start gradually to practice your grip strength first and your body’s ability to carry its own weight for extended periods of time.

On the other hand, a yoga swing is the equipment that we recommend the most for beginners and advanced alike, because this one includes three levels of handles that you can hold onto or step on, to support yourself while you are doing an asana.

These handles provide you with extra security especially if you are a beginner who has not worked on balancing your weight yet and allow you to maneuver easily throughout your sequence.

It can also be challenging since in yoga, you do have to retain a certain pose for a sustained time, right?

So because the handles can move freely, this is where the extra challenge comes in. Being able to use your core to execute a pose, as well as engaging all your stabilizing muscles is one of the key components of using a yoga swing. Here you must be able to lift yourself up and down through the poses. Eventually, while using the yoga swing, developing total body strength, you’ll do the job without any sweat.

But we are not trying to scare you here! Of course, just like any other sport or workout that you have already probably tried, flying yoga is fun and it is most likely that you will encourage more people to join in because right now, you are also choosing to make progress! Let your progress be the push that the people around you to finally pursue their fitness journey!

 

The Gravotonics difference

At Gravotonics, we pride ourselves on the fact that our products have a good pedigree and are originally made by local Bali artisans, hence it is being “Bali Yoga Swings” & Aerial Yoga Supplies.

Our products are developed with the most consideration of yogis and instructors all around the world. With all of that combined, you now have the world’s #1 crowd-favorite yoga swing, along with our aerial hammocks!

Our products are meticulously tailored parachute fabric with triple stitching and come in many different fun colors and even combinations to choose from, and for studio owners we can custom make as per your requirements and branding.

Aside from the beauty of the equipment itself, our products are also safe for everyone since they can comfortably up to 440lbs during aerial yoga practice. Rest assured that it can withstand pulling, tugging, grasping, and any other moves that you will encounter in the practice.

The material is also easy to clean, and you can easily use a damp towel with a disinfectant between sessions to wipe away the sweat and dust that might have accumulated. Or better yet, simply throw it in the washer for a more thorough cleaning. Maintaining your equipment has never been this convenient.

Flying Yoga is so far from being just a gimmick that sellers can market to you with substandard equipment. Here at Gravotonics, the company-customer relationship does not end after the purchase of the product.

We are with you all throughout your fitness journey!

 

A sport for everyone

Aerial yoga is very versatile and is truly living up to its expectations of offering a style to suit everyone. The equipment can hold pretty much anyone, so no matter what size you are, you can do this recreational activity.

Aside from size, flying yoga is also for all ages. There are various levels of difficulty to work with and you can never go wrong by starting with the beginner’s level.

The beginner’s level may include essential positions or those that do not strain your body so much. We usually set the height to be a bit closer to the ground for more assurance and control, focusing on a lot of mat based sitting and standing poses, including restorative poses. Intriguing, right?

We only do mostly basic stretching and continue until you are ready to take on to an intermediate level of flying yoga which is where we typically incorporate the full range of poses at varying heights from the floor and focus a lot on holding for extended periods while more focus is placed on controlling our breathing.

Lastly, the pro-level of difficulty. In this tier, a lot of complex poses are done and this is the flying yoga probably what you’re most likely used to seeing on Instagram. By strictly following the instructions of your trainer or whoever is teaching, your body gets more and more conditioned to the workouts, making you stronger, more flexible and just generally better all-round!

Just keep in mind to take your time while progressing through the different levels of difficulty of this activity. Remember that there is no race here but only your heart, mind and soul, set for gradual enlightenment.

Flying yoga is also not just for working adults. Aerial yoga also works for teens who are sitting or standing the majority of the time, or kids who run around all day. This activity can help relieve and soothe their muscles and get them ready for a sound sleep at the end of the day.

That is not where this ends! Did you know that seniors can also practice flying yoga? Yes, they very much can!

Aerial yoga has been proven to be a therapeutic activity, especially for our seniors. Since they do tend to be stagnant most of the day, they will need all the stretching and movement that their body can handle that is why exercise is important.

With the gentle support of the yoga swing and a good physical therapist, seniors get to relieve their joint and muscle aches and relax so much better! But then, consult with your doctors first before engaging in this activity. Everyone’s safety is still top priority.

 

Other benefits of doing Aerial Yoga

Aside from those that we have stated above, there are many more benefits that come from enjoying flying yoga!

Lets take a look at some more here:

Promotes a better sleep

Working for long hours will definitely drain you one way or another. Going home and getting a very, very, good night’s sleep is one of the best rewards you can give yourself for free but why not make the best out of it?

It is now common knowledge that exercise helps increase the likelihood of getting to sleep quickly when you get to bed, and also ensures a deeper and more rejuvenating sleep too.

Usually, whenever we are from a strenuous activity like walking around or standing for extended periods of time, we get cramps and feel the muscle aches the moment our backs hit the mattress. What good way to avoid this? Stretch!

Doing even just a flow of a relaxing and recovery-focused aerial yoga routine before going to bed helps your muscles ease down and go into a shock of instantly resting.

Doing so slows down our body, informing it that it is nearing its time of rest, and not just going from full-on to stop. This also makes for an ache-free and more energized morning the next day.

Clarity of mind

In yoga, we often practice closing our eyes and meditating while we are doing the asanas. This helps our mind to re-focus on the present and bring back mindfulness from within. This alone will help to build strength and resilience in your everyday life.

Meditation can be very helpful for people who have lots of jobs and needs to take a break from the hustle and bustle of the grind culture. Along with flying yoga, meditation has found yet another perfect pair!

Just imagine the comforts of being suspended in the air by your yoga swing and the way it hugs your body, plus the calming process of meditation — certainly a way we would all want to spend our evenings!

A ticket to fitness

If you are someone who have had some problems getting into fitness and do not know where to start, then flying yoga might be the way! As we said earlier, aerial yoga can be easy if done correctly and accordingly to your capabilities. It is also slow, meaning you can take all the time that you need, with no pressure.

And if you don’t think that aerial yoga truly tones your body, think again! The way you pull and hold yourself up tones your arms and shoulders etc., and being able to keep your body straight in a pose engages your core — and a lot more!

Certain flying yoga poses target muscles that are not usually or cannot be targeted while we are on the ground, so suspension is needed. This makes it a more well-rounded practice. Who doesn’t want a beneficial but also a fun workout in their routines, right?!

Relieve back pain

One of the things we have not mentioned yet is inversion poses. Yoga inversions are long known to have specific benefits, however did you know that inversions performed with the aerial yoga swing are particularly helpful with relieving back pain?

Yes Inversion Therapy, which in the past may have been carried out on a bulky and ineffective inversion table, can be done in a fun and refreshing way with an aerial hammock to assist with decompressing the spine.

You can vary the intensity to suit your level with either partial or full inversions and even just 5-10 minutes per day can have a massively positive impact on the quality of your life.

 

Shrug off the gimmick talk!

In fitness, there are plenty of fly by night gimmicks. Like the “Ab Roller PRO”, Chuck Norris’ “Total Gym”, or various fad diets. If you feel like nothing you have tried has worked for you, then maybe it is not the right one or it simply was destined to fail because it was just a gimmick!

Exercising is not an item of one-size-fits-all clothing. You have to find what works best for your body and not just do whatever is trending. The internet can be both a good and a bad place. With all the “gurus” and “expert instructors” coming out today, it really is hard to find a genuine one.

But yet, if you feel like we have resonated with you and you want to try flying yoga, then we are happy! There is nothing we like more than having new people joining the aerial yoga community.

We hope that we have helped you debunk the notion that flying yoga is a gimmick that strangers say has just popped up out of nowhere without any substance, and hope you can see the benefits outweigh the rumors.

Stretchin’ for days! Ciao~