Practicing Aerial Yoga Using Yoga Swings at Home

Practicing aerial yoga entails performing various forms of inversions, poses and movements, using yoga swings and aerial yoga hammocks.

These yoga swings and aerial hammocks are suspended from a high point, which can be on a tree or ceiling.

And over the last couple of years, antigravity yoga has grown considerably and spread to almost all parts of the world, mainly due to the incredible and unique benefits that it offers, compared to other types of exercises.

But to enjoy the great benefits that aerial yoga offers and avoid injuries, there are certain things that you should keep in mind, especially when you are practicing aerial yoga at home.

In this article, we will walk you through some tips when practicing aerial yoga using yoga swings at home.

 

Things You Should Do When Using Yoga Swings

Whether you are practicing aerial yoga swing workouts indoors or you’ve decided to take your training outdoors, here are some things to observe, to enjoy a safe, effective and productive workout.

 

Wear Proper Aerial Yoga Clothing

Yoga swing workouts entail lots of stretching movements, in different directions. Therefore, to undertake these movements properly and minimize injuries, you need to wear proper yoga clothing.

The clothing you wear should allow your body to move freely in different directions. So, which type of clothing should you wear during your antigravity yoga swing sessions?

Well, leggings and sports bras will be the ideal clothing for women. A form-fitting top will also get the job done.

Also, wear a headband, to hold your hair in place and prevent it from getting caught in the yoga swings.

As for men, you can opt for leggings that are specifically designed for men. You can also wear fitted shorts such as bike shorts.

Avoid loosely-fitting shorts – for some obvious reasons.

Toe socks are an option but recommended. They will help you to climb into the yoga swings easily. Also, they will help to prevent you from spreading sweat and skin onto the aerial yoga hammock.

Furthermore, they may help you to anchor yourself firmly onto the ground during yoga swing poses that entail standing on the ground, thanks to their non-slip bottoms.

 

Do a Safety Check of Your Aerial Yoga Equipment

As earlier mentioned, aerial yoga entails doing various types of aerial workouts and movements, using aerial yoga equipment attached to a higher point and have to support your entire body weight.

Therefore, before you start doing your yoga swing poses, you should first check and ensure your aerial yoga workout equipment is properly installed and in good condition.

For instance, a nut on the ceiling mount may have become loose or a tear may have developed on the fabric during the previous session. Also, the part of the ceiling where you’ve attached your aerial exercise equipment may be rotting.

Any of these issues can lead to serious accidents, if not addressed on time.

Anything loose or improperly fixed will come off once you start doing your yoga swing poses, leading to a fall. So, make sure you conduct a thorough check on your aerial yoga equipment every now and then.

Even if you had used your yoga swings the previous day with no issues, it doesn’t hurt to do a quick check.

 

Do a Short Warm-up Session

Similar to other types of workouts, it’s extremely important to start with a warm-up session before you start practicing aerial yoga, and it doesn’t even need to be a long warm-up session.

A short session of approximately five minutes or so should be enough to get you going.

So, why start with a warm-up session instead of jumping into the yoga swing workouts right away?

Well, there are several reasons and benefits of starting with a warm-up session.

The first and most common reason you may hear about is, a short warm-up session will help to warm up your muscles. And as you may probably know, warm muscles are more elastic compared to cold muscles, helping to minimize the risk of injuries during the main workout session.

Second, the warm-up session will help to get the blood flowing into your muscles, oxygenating and nourishing them, so by the time you begin your actual yoga hammock workout, your muscles will have adequate energy supplies, to help you power through!

Simply put, a short warm-up session will help to prepare your body adequately. And by the time you proceed to the main session, your body will be more prepared and energetic.

 

Hire a Professional Instructor

If you are a beginner and you intend to be practicing aerial yoga workouts at home, then it will be advisable to hire an instructor for the first few months. As much as you may follow videos on YouTube or other instructional material, it will be great to have someone to guide you.

A certified instructor will teach you proper form and guide you through the various poses, to make sure you do them properly and safely. As a result, you will not only progress faster but the risk of injuries, which may be caused by improper technique, will reduce considerably.

And once you’ve mastered the basics, you can then start practicing aerial yoga workouts at home alone.

 

Avoid These Things When Using Yoga Swings

In this section, we will walk you through a list of the things to avoid when practicing aerial yoga, to enjoy a safe and effective workout.

Whether you are using yoga hammocks, yoga swings or ordinary aerial silks, here are some “dont’s.”

 

Don’t Wear Loose Jewelry

Loose jewelry like earrings, bracelets, or neck chains can be caught up in your aerial exercise equipment during your antigravity yoga workout sessions. And once this happens, you may end up failing to complete a movement or executing it improperly, leading to an injury.

Also, when your loose jewelry is caught up on your yoga swings, it can tear the fabric, leading to serious damage. And as a result, you will be forced to replace your yoga hammock fabric prematurely.

So, whether you are doing your yoga workout indoors or outdoors, make sure you are not wearing loose jewelry.

 

Avoid Wearing Lotions and Perfume

Apart from loose jewelry, you should also avoid wearing perfumes, lotions, and moisturizers during your yoga swing sessions. And, there are several reasons why you should avoid them during your sessions.

First, lotions and moisturizers may make your yoga swings slippery, leading to accidents.

Second, these substances will stain from the oily bases in the product and may attract dirt and dust. Consequently, the fabric of your yoga hammock or yoga swing will degrade gradually, leading to premature wear and tear.

So, stay away from these substances as much as possible during your antigravity yoga swing workout sessions.

 

Don’t Push Yourself Too Hard

After you’ve started your aerial yoga journey, you may be tempted to push yourself as hard as possible, so that you can progress quickly from one level to the other. You may also be tempted to jump to the intermediate or advanced poses right away. But, you should avoid doing that at all costs.

Trying to push yourself too hard or attempting to jump to the intermediate or advanced poses right away can leave you with injuries. And if these injuries are serious, you may be sidelined for several months, thus breaking your workout routine.

Instead, you should take it a step at a time. At the end of the day, your body will require some conditioning. Therefore, doing it gradually will give your body ample time to get conditioned. And by the time you are transitioning to the next level, the risk of conditioning-related injuries will be minimal.

 

Don’t Eat Too Much Before the Session

As much as you need energy for your yoga hammock workout session, it doesn’t mean you should fill your stomach to the brim. Eating too much prior to your aerial fitness session may lead to some issues.

For instance, you will find it extremely challenging to execute inverted poses or poses that entail bending or stretching, such as the downward-facing dog. If you have to eat, make sure you do it several hours before the scheduled time for the session.

Alternatively, you can just have a light snack before the session. It will supply you with the energy you need during your fitness session, without filling your stomach too much.

 

Don’t Take Alcohol

You may sometimes be tempted to have some wine before you begin your yoga swing sessions. But, you should avoid doing so at all costs. After taking wine, you may start feeling overconfident and decide to attempt some moves that may be beyond your capabilities.

And the chances are, you may end up falling and injuring yourself. So, whenever you have a scheduled workout session, avoid taking alcohol.

 

Wrapping It Up

There you have it, some tips to observe and some things to try and avoid when practicing aerial yoga using yoga swings and yoga hammocks.

We hope you will enjoy a safe, productive and effective aerial yoga workout at home.