Tips for Practicing Aerial Yoga Outdoors

Most people consider doing aerial yoga outdoors as more of a luxury or a special treat.

However, practicing aerial yoga outdoors can add a wide range of benefits to your workout. It may also help to break the monotony of doing yoga swing workouts in the same spot every week.

However, taking your yoga practice outdoors also presents some unique challenges as well. If you’re looking to take your yoga practice outside, here are some tips to help make it successful and enjoyable.

 

Pick the Right Spot

The success of your outdoor anti-gravity yoga workout will depend largely on picking the right spot. Unlike an indoor aerial yoga setup, most things are outside your control when you are doing aero yoga outside.

The good news is, finding the right spot for an outdoor aerial yoga practice is not as hard as it seems.

 

When choosing a spot, you should consider the following tips:

Choose a Spot that Offers Privacy

As you probably know, aerial yoga is more of an intimate experience, whereby you put yourself in vulnerable positions willingly, both emotionally and physically. Therefore, it needs a safe environment, where you can practice with confidence.

Unfortunately, most outdoor spaces may not offer you the safe environment that you need..

For instance, if you are doing aerial poses in a place where people are about, such as a park, you should ensure you choose a spot that offers the utmost privacy, away from random spectators.

Also, you need to avoid noisy places as much as possible. If you’re working out in a popular hangout or close to a busy street, then you will not get the serenity and quietness that you need, especially when performing the deep breathing poses.

 

Avoid Surfaces that are Too Soft

Beaches provide some of the best spots for aerial yoga outdoors. Doing yoga swing workouts with the smell of the sea breeze and the sound of the ocean is great means of reconnecting with nature.

On the other hand, the soft sand present on most beaches may not be ideal for your workouts.

For instance, if you are performing an inverted pose the sand may blow into your face, or with downward-facing dog, your hands may sink into the soft sand, thus exerting pressure on your wrists and put you off balance.

So, it will be highly advisable to do your workouts on firm surfaces, as opposed to soft surfaces.

 

Select an Even Surface

Unlike ground yoga, aero yoga poses entail hanging on various types of aerial equipment such as the yoga swing or aerial yoga hammocks.

However, some poses such as the downward-facing dog involve contact with the ground. And that’s why it’s important to choose an even surface. Also, its advisable to have your yoga mat or a crash mat, which is firm but will also soften a fall.

 

Undertake a Safety Check

Practicing aerial yoga outdoors comes with some safety concerns. So, you need to conduct a thorough safety check to ensure the place you’ve selected doesn’t have any hazards.

Make sure you remove sticks, rocks and other types of debris. Also, unless you have found the perfect large old wise hard wood tree to hang your yoga swing from, avoid hanging your yoga swings on trees, since it’s hard to tell whether a certain tree can support your weight adequately.

You can also invest in aerial yoga swing stands. With a yoga swing stand, you can take your practice wherever you want and know that it is safe and will support you.

 

Consider the Time of Day

One of the biggest challenges that you may encounter when it comes to aerial yoga outdoors, is sun exposure.

So, unless you live in an area that experiences cold temperatures throughout the year, heat will always prove to be a challenge.

Therefore, if you want to have an enjoyable outdoor aerial yoga session, then you will need to choose a time of day when the temperatures and heat levels will be tolerable.

If you live in a place that experiences warm weather conditions throughout the year or you are working out during summer, then as long as you have adequate light, early mornings and late evenings will be the most ideal.

Of course this will not always be the case and you will bound to be doing your outdoor antigravity yoga sessions in full sun, so it’s advisable to use sunscreen.

Also, you should consider that in the late afternoon when the sun is setting it is very bright in your eyes, so it is best to avoid this particular time, or arrange yourself so that you are not gazing up toward the sun.

 

 

Dress Accordingly

Dirt will be part of your outdoor aero yoga workout. And regardless of how careful you are to remain claim, your hands, feet, knees, and your yoga attire, will get dirt, grass, and whatever else on them.

So, if you will be taking your yoga hammock practice outdoors, then it will be advisable to carry an old outfit. And if you plan to use an aerial yoga mat, then you should also carry an old one.

Bugs will also be a bother when you are performing aerial yoga outdoors. Hence, it may be wise to carry bug spray. In case you are sensitive to bug spray, then you should look for a screened area.

 

Pay Attention to Weather Forecasts

Before you choose a day for your outdoor antigravity yoga swing session, you will need to pay close attention to weather forecasts.

If the weather forecasts show there will be unfavorable weather conditions like snow, rain, cold temperatures or thunderstorms, then you should consider an indoor alternative.

Also, strong winds can negatively hamper your workout. The wind could again, throw you off balance and generally disturb your concentration, let alone blow dirt, dust or grass into your eyes, obstructing your vision.

In short, if the barometer predicts poor weather conditions, then you should put off your outdoor sessions until the conditions become favorable.

 

Benefits of Outdoor Aerial Yoga

You may probably be asking yourself why you should consider taking your aerial yoga practice outside. After all, you can still do your poses inside from January to December, right?

Well, taking your antigravity yoga outside comes with many benefits, which you cannot get indoors.

 

They include:

A Chance to Enjoy Some Fresh Air

Doing aerial yoga poses outside gives you an opportunity to enjoy deliciously fresh air, which will transform your mood while improving your overall performance levels.

Fresh air will help calm and soothe your mind, thus providing relief against anxiety, stress and depression.

Invigorates Your Workout

Doing anti-gravity yoga workouts in the same room every week can make your practice feel boring and monotonous. And with time, you may lack the motivation to continue with your workout.

But when you take your aero yoga practice outdoors, the new environment will significantly transform your perspective and reinvigorate your practice.

So, if you mostly do your yoga poses indoors, a change of scenery will go a long way in helping to make your workouts more enjoyable.

Uplifts Your Mood

Taking your anti-gravity yoga swing outside will give you a chance to enjoy cool breezes, insects chirping, birds singing and beautiful sunlight shining on your face.

Furthermore, recent studies show that exercising in a natural outdoor environment can lead to a decrease in anger, depression and tension while increasing satisfaction and enjoyment.

So, if you have been recently feeling lethargic or your mood has taken a significant downturn, you should consider doing your yoga swing poses outdoors.

Heightens Your Awareness

Doing antigravity yoga poses in a natural outdoor setting will awaken all your senses, including touch, sight, and scent. Also, the fresh air found in such places will increase your breath awareness, while making your meditations more effective.

Helps to Reconnect With Nature

Modern living has completely detached most people from nature. Most people work from 8 am to 5 am. And once you’ve finished your day, you may spend a couple of hours stuck in traffic, meaning you will get home late.

If you normally do your aerial yoga workout at home, you may be lucky to squeeze in some poses before you retire to bed. As you can see, we barely have time to connect with nature.

 

This is where outdoor aerial yoga comes in!

Practicing aerial yoga outdoors will give you a great opportunity to reconnect with nature. And when you are outside there, you can engage in some barefoot walking, which is also extremely therapeutic.

As long as you can find a nice, quiet spot, practicing yoga outside can be extremely revitalizing while giving you a chance to reconnect with the source.

 

Aerial Yoga Outdoors

A major benefits of aerial yoga is that you can do it anywhere.

Therefore, you don’t have to limit yourself to the four walls of your home yoga studio.

Once in a while, you should consider taking your aero yoga practice outdoors, and enjoy the many benefits of working out outside.

You simply need to keep the above tips in mind, and you will enjoy a refreshing, invigorating and relaxing, outdoor aerial yoga workout.