Aerial Yoga: History, Health Benefits & Modern Styles

Aerial yoga can be great for spinal health by decompressing the spine, can improve cholesterol, and can facilitate a healthy, limber body and mind.

Let’s take a quick look at a journey through the history of aerial and see how many of us can benefit from the practice, playing with gravity and challenging not only our bodies but our minds and our fear boundaries too.

Ever been to the circus and found yourself goggling over the aerial acrobats in awe as if they are some sublimely strong and elegant other life-form? Well, I have. I’ve always found the aerial acts the most fascinating. I love the way the body seems to slide so gracefully whilst suspended precariously above my head as if defying normal rules of gravity.

This fascination led me to explore aerial and its benefits; it is clear that as aerial has evolved, the benefits of the practice have become widespread and, happily, have merged with other disciplines like yoga!

I am satisfied to find that not only are practices like aerial yoga great for flexibility through stretching and releasing, but by working with and against gravity to reach deeper tissue we’re able to enhance results. 

A History of Aerial

Just as yoga has evolved from being practised by wizened mystics alone in the Himalayas to being a mainstream exercise in health centres and studios globally, acro and aerial have also seen changes in their development. Acrobats were first to take the stage in various regions across the world. Early depictions are found in Minoan art dated around 2000BC. Egyptian and Greek artefacts also exist evidencing acrobatic forms and feats. Further east by the time of the Han Dynasty, Chinese acrobats were widespread and performing regularly.

During the Roman Empire, the circus took on the form of a long amphitheatre where equestrian races, games, fights, athletics and performances took place. With the development of Roman roads, acrobats and circus performers were able to travel their countries in troupes exhibiting their accomplishments far and wide. Skills were typically inherited generationally through families and it wasn’t until around the 18th century that the traditional circular circus tent evolved.

Aerial arts came later, as acrobats began to broaden their scope and experiment with new and spectacular innovations to wow audiences. Late in the 19th-century tightrope walkers precariously petered at great heights until their experimentation resulted in the first flying and static trapeze. Gradually other aerial arts such as silks, straps and hoop started to catch on until making a grand appearance in Cirque du Soleil in the 1990s. Cirque du Soleil, a Canadian circus arts company with international renown, had a part in changing the world of circus to a more nouveau appeal, influencing contemporary expressions of performance arts. 

From here aerial arts have soared in popularity becoming recognised in many countries and today practised as a sport or hobby. Aerial left the stage to be adopted by yoga enthusiasts intent on maximising physical aptitude. These days we are seeing aerial yoga equipment installed in multiple yoga studios and health centres, providing activities such as aerial yoga swing, aerial yoga hammock, and acroyoga.

A Healthy Pursuit?

Of course this type of performance-based art was not traditionally health focussed and injuries were common! American acrobat and aerialist Karl Wallenda, who’s famous for his jaw-dropping acts, ended his days at the age of 73 as he fell from a high wire. After a lifetime of aerial and acrobatics he died doing what he loved best.

But, that is not to say that modern forms of acro and aerial will leave you pushing up the flowers – far from it! Today’s modifications provide maximum support and safety – not least in being practised close to the ground!

As an aerialist and yoga teacher, I would argue that movement, bodywork, exercise of any kind can promote a healthy body and mind. The palpability of feeling the body’s movement, the blood pulsing through your veins, your heart pounding and your muscles flexing and contracting as you explore your potential both inside and out can be a powerful healer.

The experience of weightlessness contrasted with the satisfying weight of the body and the strength possessed to bear it helps us connect with our bodies and realise our power. The stoic combination of power with beauty and fluidity is empowering for self-confidence and self-esteem.

These paradoxes allow us to utilise the whole of our scope, our strength and our vulnerability, whilst experimenting with our comfort zones. Of course it is not to everyone’s taste to hang upside like a fruit bat or to entirely surrender your weight for ‘the greater good’; however, as Einstein once said:

‘a ship is always safe at the shore, but that is not what it is built for’.

By challenging our fear capacity and pushing past what we believe we are capable of, we are able to reach deeper levels of self-healing and connection. Personally, and I can only speak for myself, this beats any offered medical prescription.

The Benefits of Aerial Yoga

But why take my word for it? Having researched it’s clear that these originally performative activities do indeed have scientifically credible results on our health. Take yoga hammock, for example, these help enhance flexibility whilst providing greater support than in a traditional yoga class as weight is carried by the hammock allowing the body to ease gradually into a stretch. This technique allows for the muscles to stop working so hard and essentially ‘butt out’, making way for the targeting of deeper tissues and tight fascia. Yoga and its aerial offshoots can improve blood pressure and cholesterol, appease varicose veins and give a healthy, radiating glow to the skin.

What’s more, supported inversions can be awesome for certain back issues such as scoliosis, herniated discs and back spasms. By relaxing the surrounding muscles and lengthening ligaments with the aid of gravity, spinal compression is reduced. Aerial yoga is practised with the same focus on mindfulness, breathwork and alignment as a regular yoga class, encouraging a meditative state and improving mental well-being.

Working with and against gravity can also greatly assist with balance, inviting a sense of stability both inside and outside the studio. And finally, aside from all this, it is fun! Which is a truly worthy healer in my book hands down.

Of course, these practises must be approached with care, and for any existing health conditions it is always essential to consult a medical practitioner before taking to the air. Tap here to read more about aerial preparation and contraindications to keep you safe and happy in the air.

And That’s a Wrap

Aerial acrobatics are no longer disciplines refined to the mysterious and lofty heights of the circus tent and are certainly not exclusive to those fearlessly flexible folk of Cirque de Soleil!

Here we’ve seen how aerial has grown and spread from a sturdy circus seed to a discipline accessible to us all, from the very beginner to the more seasoned inverter.

We’ve explored the extensive benefits of aerial yoga toward a healthy, balanced body and mind. We find that utilising gravity’s push and pull can work on our side, in stretching, releasing, lengthening and accessing deeper tissue.

Finally we realise that with opportunities at our fingertips we can explore our own potential and challenge our comfort zones, finding that practice that makes us tick. No doubt this is different for us all, but for me aerial and yoga are the perfect combination for a strong body and a healthy being.

If this all sounds exciting to you then why not join our Yoga and Aerial Yoga Retreat in May! This retreat is focused on self-confidence and self-care, leaving you feeling amazing in yourself and your body as well as confident, nourished and aligned. Learn more about this nurturing opportunity here.