How To Stay Active With Aerial Yoga On A Busy Schedule

Originally Published On 10/13/2020

 

One of the many reasons that people decide to get active with aerial yoga in the first place is to find a way to distance themselves from the stresses and strains of modern life. However, in this lies a certain amount of irony – that modern life can often prevent us from getting into the yoga swing and performing any kind of workout.

This can result in people investing in a whole host of equipment, including the yoga swing itself, yoga clothing and paying for classes yet never taking full advantage of the practice.

But, we understand!

Life can get in the way, and you can often feel shattered from a hectic day at work – the last thing you want to do is get active with aerial yoga and hop into your yoga hammock to workout for an hour – especially when your favorite TV show is just about to start.

However, it is important to maintain your practice, and in this article, we will be looking at how you can do this and remain motivated and active with aerial yoga even with a busy schedule.

Before you know it, you will have an aerial yoga routine that everyone will be asking ‘how you manage it?’

 

Why Is It Important To Maintain A Regular Practice?

Just like any physical activity or sport, you will likely be aware that when taking part in a regular yoga practice, whether up in the air or down on the mat, your body will adjust to the asanas and you will start to find things easing up and being more comfortable going deeper into the aerial yoga poses.

One of the best reasons to remain motivated, practice often and stay active with aerial yoga is to retain those high levels of flexibility. But, if you do not keep this up, it won’t be long before your body starts to go stiff and you aren’t as easily able to get into poses that you once found were becoming easier.

This isn’t only good to impress other people with your agile nature but is also important for ease of movement and feeling healthier in yourself, because the positions that you get into will make sure the inner workings of your body are taken care of.

Improved digestion and opened airways are some of the most common internal health improvements experienced by those who commit to stay active with aerial yoga and do regular sessions.

 

You will also notice that you experience far less muscular pain and aches, especially reducing back pain and sciatica issues. For those who have struggled with limited movement in the past, there could be a significant improvement, particularly through the back and legs, making everyday activities more comfortable.

What’s more, yoga is known to calm the mind, and the inversions associated with aerial yoga will certainly leave you feeling stress-free and relaxed. Indulging in a regular practice will ensure that you always feel at your best, mentally and that you are ready to take on whatever life may throw at you.

It isn’t difficult to see that keeping up with a yoga practice can yield a whole world of benefits, but it isn’t always that easy to stay motivated and make the most of your practice.

 

How Can I Stay Active With Aerial Yoga When I’m Busy?

Most of us have demanding jobs that take up a lot of our time, and when the workday is over, many people simply want to grab something to eat and relax.

The thought of donning your yoga gear and hopping in the yoga swing at times couldn’t be further from your mind.

Additionally, with so many social and family commitments, many people don’t have the time to incorporate a regular aerial yoga practice – but that isn’t necessarily true.

Let’s take a look at some essential ways that you can ensure a regular and effective practice, regardless of how busy your life may be.

 

Change How You Think About Aerial Yoga

Since we all have a wealth of commitments, it can be easy to put yoga up there with the rest of them – but is your aerial yoga practice really an obligation, or something that you enjoy doing? If you can safely say that it is the latter, then why not treat it as such?

There should be no reason that you dread your aerial yoga workout, if you enjoy doing it, try not to think of it as another commitment, but rather as a break from your daily chores.

Looking at it with a fresh perspective can make it more appealing even if you are feeling exceptionally tired from a long day at work, or a little worse for wear after a hectic weekend of social engagements.

Remember, you can always pick the tone of your session, so you can be upbeat and “flow” or you can opt for a more quiet yin session and use it to ground yourself and relax. You never know, if you don’t put too much expectation on it, and just start slow, before long you may find yourself energized and picking up the pace a bit. The important thing is to get started and go with how you are feeling.

Your aerial yoga session should be a chance for you to unwind and disconnect from the stresses that other parts of your life bring. Treat it this way, and you will likely find yourself being far more motivated to get into it.

 

Make The Class Part Of Your Wider Routine

If you don’t do an at-home practice and have to travel to a class, it could be worth making the class a part of your wider routine. What we mean by this is finding a class that you cannot avoid.

If you work in one end of a city and choose an aerial yoga class at the other, it’s highly unlikely that you are going to make an effort to attend when you are already tired from a long day in the office.

Often, people can be put off going to a class because there is too much travel involved, however, if you must pass the yoga studio on your way home, you will be far more likely to engage – this is even more true if you can find a class that runs right after you finish work.

You may also decide to look for classes that are located very near to your home. If you can walk out of your front door and amble to the class in minutes, you won’t feel as though it is going to be a day-long activity to get there complete the class and return home.

Another idea is if you have a day when you usually get all the things done out of the house, such as a round trip to the grocery store, the bank, drop in to see a friend or get a haircut, then perhaps you could prioritize a class somewhere in there before you hit the shops and head home.

 

Do It With A Friend

Quite often, people will run away from an aerial yoga class because they feel that too much effort is involved and that with an already busy lifestyle, it is just asking too much.

However, taking part with a friend, family member, or partner can give you the push you need to stay active in your practice. As I just suggested, if you usually have a day where you get a few things out of the way for the week and have a cuppa with your bestie, why not you both get active with aerial yoga instead, and then you can have refreshing drink together afterwards before calling it a day.

Furthermore, you will be able to encourage each other and be held accountable when you don’t turn up, and if certain moves put you off your class, your aerial yoga partner can help you to achieve these – you will then be far more likely to want to include the practice in your schedule – regardless how busy you are.

 

Set Goals

Humans are hard-wired to want to rise to the occasion and meet their goals, but all too often, aerial yoga enthusiasts won’t set goals for themselves, and this can mean that it is too easy to push their practice to one side when life gets in the way.

If you set yourself clear and realistic goals, this can serve as a boost and cause you to want to take part in the class or session. The goals do not need to be huge; to begin with, you may even see turning up as the goal. Then going for a month or three without skipping could be the next… Or working on a particular pose that you get excited about until you feel you have mastered it.

As you meet and exceed these goals, you can reward yourself, which will further drive you forward to making aerial yoga a priority in your busy life.

 

Don’t Expect Too Much Of Yourself

Sometimes yogis can set the bar too high and expect too much from their practice when you have had an already busy day, the last thing you want to do is push yourself too far.

A lot of people are under the impression that for an aerial yoga session to be successful, it must be fast-paced, vigorous and demanding, but the opposite is true.

As we mentioned earlier, you can set the tone, so if you feel the need for a slow, restorative session, then listen to your body and do this. These sessions can often be far more relaxing and therefore, more appealing to those with a busy life.

Set out at least one day and time each week for your session, and don’t place too much expectation on the outcome. Go into it with an open mind.

If you feel an hour long gentle session is best, then go with that. If you think that a short, vigorous ten-minute workout is what you need, then go for it!

Lessening the pressure is sure to make you all the more motivated, and you will gradually see that you are sticking at it for longer each time you are enjoying your swing yoga session and even adding more regular sessions to your schedule.

 

Make A Commitment To Yourself

In the modern world, humans are put under an unbelievable amount of pressure to multi-task and meet a ridiculous number of demands every day.

But this should never extend to your aerial yoga practice – this should be a time for you and a time to relax and enjoy yourself. Yet, so many people are still unable to find the time to get into their yoga swing and make the most of the activity. For a lot of people, a busy lifestyle can get in the way, but there are many things that you can do to increase your yoga productivity without it becoming a burden.

Setting yourself small and achievable goals is a good place to start but also combining your aerial yoga classes into your life can work wonders. Consistency is key with any endeavor in life, and so it is important to build that momentum and build on your successes so that your regular routine becomes a positive habit.

So make a commitment to yourself that you will stay active with aerial yoga, and most importantly, to help you stick it out, listen to your body and let it decide what is needed and when!

 

Gravotonics is here to serve!

If you’ve been thinking to get started with swing yoga, or taking it to the next level and would like to purchase your own aerial equipment, we are here for you.

Not only do we hand make the best, safest yoga swings and aerial hammocks, which have been used all around the world for the past 20 years, we also have great resources available for you to assist at each step as you progress, as well as a supportive community of teachers and practitioners that you can connect with via our social media network.

So feel free to reach out and and let us help you to stay active with aerial yoga!