Why Aerial Yoga is the Perfect Workout to Try with Your Kids
As a mom, I am always on the hunt for fun and unique mother-child experiences. Spending time together creates invaluable memories and a special bond. (My daughter and I did a glow mother-daughter barre class at LSF 5 years ago and she still talks about it!) And doing something new together strengthens that bond even more. I knew that Purenergy in Paoli had this awesome aerial yoga room in their studio. I have heard of aerial yoga but never had the chance to try it. So I thought that putting together a mother-daughter aerial yoga class would be a great way to spend a Sunday afternoon with my 11 year old daughter and a group of her friends and mothers.
Aerial yoga is a perfect activity for this group because all levels and ages can do the class together. The kids were into it because it’s really fun. The moms were there more for the yoga and the stretching but quickly learned how freeing the aerial tricks can be.
Aerial yoga or yoga in the “silks” is a more acrobatic yoga class that uses a silk hammock that is suspended from the ceiling to support your body weight. Aerial yoga looks beautiful with all of the different colored silks. It feels cool and freeing when you are moving while suspended in the air. But, there are some real benefits from suspension that floor and mat work cannot accomplish in the same way.
For one, stretching is different in the silks. There is more space to move when you are suspended in the air. It’s easier to get into deeper stretches than with floor stretches. There is less pressure on your joints and back because your spine isn’t being compressed. Regular yoga is great for strengthening balance and alignment, and aerial yoga is even better,
Also, when you are hanging upside down, the increase of blood flow to your brain provides more oxygen and increases brain function. In turn, this relieves stress and helps with anxiety. Seems kinda counterintuitive when I am anxious about being upside down in this class!
Aerial yoga increases balance and body awareness. It strengthens the core muscles that allow you to stand and drop in the silks, and flip and spin. That change of position in the suspended hammock engages more core muscles than with mat yoga. All of these benefits were really appreciated by the moms in the group. The kids on the other hand, they just wanted to swing and spin and hang upside down. And before class was over, the girls got to do all of that.
With the guidance of our very knowledgeable and fun instructor, Bob, we started the class just sitting in the silks and swinging. It set a playful tone for the class. Plus, it was a great way to loosen up and begin to feel secure a few feet off the ground. And the moms needed that. The girls seemed way more comfortable right off the bat.
From there, we learned to stand and sit. We did some basic yoga poses in the silks and even practiced a tree pose while suspended, which was so much easier than a tree pose on the mat. With aerial yoga, it’s easier to successfully perform poses that you maybe cannot do so well and comfortably on the floor.
Once we got comfortable, we moved on to the fun part. At least the part that the girls had been waiting for, and that the moms had been less eager about — all of the handstands, the flips and the tricks. The instructor walked us through these moves one step at a time. He demonstrated with a volunteer (usually one of the girls; the moms had less of an appetite to volunteer for a new move). And Bob was there to assist and offer support with each move. While he encouraged everyone to try a move, he did not push anyone into anything.
I found that with the tricks, you just had to go for it and trust that the silk would hold you. I never did a flip on the monkey bars or trampoline before. I’m not the gymnast type. But in this class, I could do these things! And I was darn proud to finally be able to do a flip and a handstand, after 41 years of only standing upright on my two feet!
The class ended with the best Shavasana I have ever experienced. We each climbed into our own hammock and closed the fabric up around us. Bob turned off the lights and the glowing stars on the ceiling came out. Laying there on my back for the last few minutes of class, suspended in the air, I nearly fell asleep. And guess what, so did the girls. The girls came for the tricks but left feeling more relaxed and focused. The moms came for the relaxation but left feeling invigorated by the flips. That’s what I call a success!
Now that I know what it’s about, I will be willing to try more and enjoy the tricks without being inhibited. Lucky us, me and my daughter get to do mother-daughter aerial yoga at Purenergy again next week!
Purenergy offers a few options if you want to give this unique workout a try. There are only 10 hammocks in the room so its always a small group for very individualized attention. Kids (ages 9-12) can take aerial yoga class every Friday at 4:30 pm. On Sunday, there is family yoga at 11:00 am (children as young as 7 can take the class with an adult). There are also a few adult aerial yoga classes on the schedule. Purenergy also books private one-on-one sessions, semi-private sessions and private group sessions. And parents, you can even have your child’s next birthday party suspended in the silks. Check it out here and contact the studio to fly on out of your comfort zone!