We are drawn to the sky. We no longer have enough “earthly” loads, and we try aerial yoga, aerial acrobatics, ribbon dancing … What do we discover in ourselves, taking off from the ground?
Yoga, which occupies almost the first place among sports hobbies, especially among women, has moved to a higher level in the last few years. And now yogis all over the world do asanas not only on the floor, but also at a meter height with the help of hammocks. And this is not a large shopping bag, which is usual for a tourist, in which you can bask in the sun. Aerial yoga hammock is special: it is a wide canvas that is suspended from the ceiling in the form of a loop. By changing the width of the canvas and the position of the body, you can experiment endlessly.
There are other types of air sports that also came into fashion not so long ago: alpha gravity, dancing in hammocks, aerial gymnastics on canvases and on rings. All of them originate in circus acrobatics. And until recently, it was believed that this art is available only to circus artists. But thanks to the numerous yoga centers, fitness rooms and schools for the general public, air balance has gone to the masses. Popularity was added to him by the television shows «Circus with the Stars» and «Ice Age», where singers and actors demonstrated the availability of tricks for mere mortals.
Yoga is a unique combination of physical activity and spiritual practices
In some types of such aerial acrobatics, they work on soft hammocks, on fabric non-stretch canvases and stretch canvases. “But this is rather closer to dancing, where the main emphasis is on beauty, plasticity, artistry, entertainment. It’s really very beautiful, the pirouettes of the dancers are mesmerizing,” explains yoga and meditation master Alena Kadykova. — Somewhere there is more power load, and then aerial acrobatics becomes a fitness option. But yoga, in principle, is a unique combination of physical activity and spiritual practices. It is a bridge to connect body and soul.”
For Alena, her passion for aerial yoga has turned into a profession. At first, she led Hatha Yoga and Yoga Nidra groups. And one day I saw an advertisement for yoga in hammocks and decided that she should definitely try it. And fell in love with her. And two years later I learned to be a teacher and began to work with groups and participants of different ages and builds.
What makes us climb onto ribbons and into hammocks? What are we looking for and finding at the top?
Stranger Muscles
“For us, the usual support is the floor. And we are so used to it that we don’t even think about how we stand, how we move in space, what we rely on with our feet when walking,” says Alena Kadykova. Our body gets used to moving in a certain way. And suddenly it finds itself in conditions that are completely unfamiliar, when a hammock becomes a support. And we need to not only hold on to it, but also sit in the lotus or half-lotus position, or stand on our feet, or roll over upside down.
In aerial yoga, those muscles are included that are not involved in other ways, those that allow us to balance. These are deep stabilizing muscles. And we don’t feel them on the floor, so we will never work so effectively.”
The feeling of flying changes consciousness in such a way that we begin to feel easy in everyday life
Many yoga practitioners admit that they remembered in class what they experienced in childhood when they were swinging on a swing: breathtaking, butterflies in the stomach, the delight of flying … “Often, students admit that after training they seem to grow wings. That they seem to become lighter and continue to soar above the ground even after the lesson, ”says Alena Kadykova.
The feeling of flying changes consciousness in such a way that we begin to feel easy in everyday life. We are inspired by the «dance in the air» project and more easily implement other projects — in work, in our own development. And especially in relationships.
Hammock as a metaphor
Our support in everyday life is earth, asphalt, floor. This is our partner, he is invisible, but we are sure that he is always in his place. And suddenly the ground leaves from under the feet. And we are left alone with ourselves.
“We doubt something in life, we tend to distrust a partner – in relationships, in business. And here, being without a solid support, we learn to rely on something that is not so stable — on a hammock. Trust arises gradually, we carefully acquire it, trying to carefully use the support of the hammock and at the same time not hang, but take on part of the responsibility. The hammock and us in it is a very accurate metaphor for partnership,” Alena Kadykova is sure.
Even when it’s scary, you have to relax — otherwise it’s hard to keep your balance. There are poses in which practitioners catch balance by leaning on a hammock folded into a strip 10 cm wide, tailbone or back of the head. And on this thin tape, you need not only to hold on, but also begin to swing yourself, pushing off, giving the body back and forth. And finally, there comes a moment when you can trust your hammock partner, he will not extend his hand to you, will not pick you up, if anything. But you know for sure that you can rely on it.
Caution and safety
In aerial yoga, according to Alena Kadykova, it is necessary to follow safety precautions, which are explained before class. For example, you can’t exercise in socks, because a good grip on the hammock fabric is required. “We start by doing exercises on the floor, stretching. We learn first to interact with a solid support. Then we go to the hammock, but we hang it low. And gradually we raise the level, ”the master explains.
Caution should be exercised in aerial dances and acrobatics for those who have a tendency to high blood pressure, especially with upside down poses. Mature people should be careful and not force the load if they have joint problems. With low pressure it is better not to swing. And it’s absolutely impossible to “go to heaven” for those who have fresh injuries, especially of the hands and ankles. After a full recovery, you should wait at least a month before starting classes.
This gives an incredible surge of energy and universal calm, a sense of security, peace.
For pregnant women, aerial yoga helps compensate for the lack of movement. It also relaxes, soothes, prepares for childbirth, gives pleasant sensations. For example, when we lie down and curl up in the fetal position and the hammock wraps around the body, we feel as if we are in the womb of our mother. “This gives an incredible surge of energy and universal calm, a sense of security, peace, which is useful not only for pregnant women,” says the yoga master. But a hammock for these students is usually hung closer to the floor for safety reasons.
When we hang upside down, we qualitatively stretch the spine, it would be difficult to do this on the floor. When we do a deflection under the force of gravity of our own weight, the thoracic region opens up, and this, surprisingly, affects the ability to be creative. Many of those who are engaged in sedentary work are characterized by chest tightness, stoop, and this affects breathing. And when we breathe deeply, we open up like a flower.