What are the benefits of Aerial Yoga?

Aerial yoga is a unique form of exercise that combines traditional yoga poses with the use of a silk hammock suspended from the ceiling. This innovative approach is available in Southeast London, Forest Hill by Floating Fitness London. Our aerial yoga classes offer numerous benefits for physical, mental, and emotional well-being. Here are some reasons why aerial yoga is beneficial: 

1. Core strengthening: Aerial yoga requires constant engagement of your core muscles to maintain balance and stability while performing various poses. This results in improved core strength, stability, and toned abdominal muscles. 

2. Spinal decompression: The hammock provides support and allows for gentle traction of the spine, which helps decompress the vertebrae and alleviate compression. This can relieve back pain, improve spinal alignment, and enhance overall flexibility. 

3. Increased flexibility and range of motion: Aerial yoga incorporates both active and passive stretching. The silk hammock assists in deepening stretches and achieving greater flexibility by reducing the pressure on joints and muscles. Over time, regular practice can lead to increased range of motion and improved overall flexibility. 

4. Improved balance and proprioception: Balancing on a suspended silk hammock challenges your stability and coordination, enhancing your balance and proprioceptive abilities. This can have positive effects on overall body control, posture, and body awareness. 

5. Full-body strength: Aerial yoga engages various muscle groups simultaneously, resulting in a full-body workout. In addition to core strength, it also helps strengthen the upper body, including the arms, shoulders, and back muscles. Over time, this can lead to improved muscle tone and overall strength. 

6. Stress reduction and relaxation: Aerial yoga incorporates elements of meditation, deep breathing, and mindfulness. The gentle swinging and supported poses can induce a sense of relaxation, calmness, and stress reduction. This combination of physical movement and mental focus helps to relax the mind, promote mindfulness, and enhance overall well-being.

7. Circulation and lymphatic flow: Inverted poses, such as hanging upside down, can improve blood circulation and lymphatic flow. This can promote detoxification and enhance the delivery of oxygen and nutrients throughout the body, thereby supporting overall health and vitality. 

8. Boosted mood and energy: Like most forms of exercise, aerial yoga stimulates the release of endorphins, which are known as "feel-good" hormones. This can help elevate your mood, increase energy levels, and promote a sense of well-being. It's important to note that aerial yoga may not be suitable for everyone, particularly those with certain medical conditions or injuries. It's advisable to consult with a qualified instructor or healthcare professional before starting any new exercise program.

No Jewellery, Please!

Written by Veronika Rakli

This is what you always hear at the beginning of our Aerial Yoga and Pole Dance classes. Is this only our teachers passion to ask you, to annoy you to remove your favourite ring(s), earring(s), necklace(s), bracelet(s), even fitband trackers, watches, that you love so much? You got it from your parents, from your special frined, partner, husband, you fell in love with this shiny little beauty and bought it years ago (or just yesterday). Basically you feel this jewellery belongs to your body. You don’t even know it is there, as you wear them night and days.

Oh, yes, we know it can feel intrusive to ask to remove those things. But why we ask this? Is there something behind this request, that you should know about?  Why we ask you to remove jewellery in Aerial Yoga and Pole Dance classes?

To remove jewellery when participating in physical education activities serves yours and other class participants’ SAFETY. Ear studs, nose rings, watches, rings anklets and other hanging accessories could cause harm or be broken.

Don’t destroy your beloved tresures! As they can bend, break, indeed, during aerial activities. You won’t like the feeling when you need to go to jeweler to get it fixed or into a shop to buy a new one, that can never be the same…

But more imortant, that jewellery-related sports accidents and injuries can happen when jewellery worn by participants:

• Comes in contact with classmates, for example assissting each other in pole classes.

• Comes in contact with sport equipment (pole, hammock, gym or studio floor)

• Or... just for comfort to prevent blisters, cuts and contusions.

Earrings in particular are prone to being torn from earlobes when contact is made aspecially in hammocks.

For this reason, it is our strict safety rule to remove any-and-all jewellery BEFORE a practice, training in the gym/ studio.

It is good to know that jewellery-related accidents can cause severe injuries that could compromise patients’ health.

• Earrings present risk of damage to the ear lobe if caught and pulled sharply.

• Rings can occure degloving, aka avulsion. (Wikipedia: A degloving injury is a type of avulsion in which an extensive section of skin is completely torn off the underlying tissue, severing its blood supply. It is named by analogy to the process of removing a glove.)

• Necklaces may present a risk of choking/strangulation.

This picture is only for strong nervousness!!!!

These items can injure equipments occuring holes in fabrics, scratches on poles. Hammocks can get snagged and ripped – nobody wants to fall because of neglegence of rules. A scretch on crome pole can cut your or others skin occuring bleeding.

What else do we ask not to wear in Aerial Yoga class?

• Zippers

• Metal buttons

• Sharp hair accessories

• Dress, tops with sequins

• Any embellishments, buckles, or things that can get caught on the fabric

• Avoid wearing too much perfume, cologne, essential oils, or anything with a strong smell that can linger on the hammock long after your practice.

• Too much lotion, sunscreen, or other cremes can stick to the hammock and make it difficult to grip the slings.

• Long/Sharp/(fake) fingernails. Please make sure your fingernails and toenails are trimmed! (especially children!)

• Sleevless top that does not cover your armpits - this is for hygiene reasons and to protect your delicate skin.

Please, no jewellery!

• for your and

• others safety, as well as

• protecting your equipments! 

Thank You!

Safe and Happy Flying!

One Movement That Tightens Every Muscle and Helps Lose Weight!

The Plank is the most effective exercise. It helps you to perfect every muscle in your body. You can burn cellulite, flatten your stomach, strengthen your back and shape your hands and legs.

How to Do It:

It is important to keep your body properly.

First, lie on your stomach. Then you lift your body almost the same like when doing push-ups, with one small difference: here you have to bend the elbows 90 degrees and rely on your forearms. The point is to keep your body flat as a plank at all time in order to activate all the muscles in it. You are not allowed to relax at any point of the exercise if you want to do it properly.

Feet. Get them close in order to keep pressure on the abdominal muscles.

Legs. Keep your legs tight and straight so that the pressure on the right abdominal muscle is constant.

Buttocks. You mustn’t relax your buttocks in order to activate the muscles on the lower torso.

Lower back. This is the most important part in the “Plank”. Keep the lower back flat if you want the exercise to be effective. Don’t dent it or curve and don’t relax at all.

Stomach. Get your stomach in as much as possible. Imagine a big belly guy that tries to tuck his stomach in under the ribs in order to appear sexy in front of a girl. You have to do the same here, but don’t keep your breath, just breath normally.

Elbows. Keep your elbows at a 90 degrees angle directly under your shoulders. This will help you with the strain.

 You have to “float” your body like that for full exercise. 

The longer you keep this position, the better. Begin slowly if you are not physically fit. Try to hold the position for at least 10 seconds, and repeat this at least 3 times between 2 minute breaks. Try to increase the position hold time each day (20, 40 and 60 seconds.) If you achieved 1 minute, the exercise is very effective. At first it may be hard for you to endure even 20 seconds, but in time you will improve. 

To do plank in hammock is even more effective at the same time it is FUN. Come and join us in our Aerial Yoga class at Floating Fitness.

Aerial Yoga and Rowing exercise help you to feel confident with your body

Did you know, that looking confident can help you feel confident? One of the best ways to look and feel your best is to stand tall with you head held high.

Unfortunately, because we spend so much time sitting in front of computers, texting, reading and studying these activities draw the neck and shoulders forward creating a ‘hunched’ upper back. This puts strain on the neck and elongates the muscles located between your shoulder blades which diminishes not only the appearance of confidence. It can make the most elegant outfit look frumpy - but also our own sense of feeling good about ourselves.

Antidote: Rowing!

Rowing is the most effective exercise to strengthen the rhomboid and trapezius muscles. Rowing is an extremely varied exercise - you can do it many different ways. It can be carried out without or with device (i.e. elastic band, TRX, rowing machine, dumbbells, bars); sitting, standing or tilt strain, two-handed, symmetrical, or even in turns.

Whichever you choose, the most important thing is to bring the scapula together towards your spine. Bring the shoulder blades as close together as you can. This is the way to strengthen those muscles. When you relax the muscles, let your scapula drift slowly apart. Do 3 sets of 10 repetitions with a 20 second break between each set.

Include rowing in your weekly training program! When done in the aerial hammock rowing exercise is especially effective.

Check out our short tutorial video, and give a try in aerial yoga class at Floating Fitness on Sunday, 3-4pm.