The joy of suspending the body is unmatchable

Among the variety and different kinds of workout styles that have crept up over the years, aerial silk has found a huge fan following from across the globe. People are enjoying hanging upside down or just literally hanging by a fabric. Aerial silks, also known as aerial contortion, aerial ribbons, aerial tissues, fabric, ribbon, or tissu, by definition, is a type of performance wherein one or more artists perform aerial acrobatics while hanging from a fabric.

The fabric - two-way stretch polyester lycra or nylon tricot - could be hung as two pieces or a single piece, folded at the bottom forming a loop. The performers climb up the suspended fabric with no safety harnesses holding them, thus relying solely on their skills and ensuring their own safety. Once the performers climb the fabric, they use it to wrap, suspend, drop, swing and spiral their bodies in and out of various positions. While on the suspended silks, performers freely fly through the air and easily strike poses midair.

Aerial Yoga Different from aerial silk but close to performing yoga, aerial yoga is basically doing asanas while hanging by the silk rope. Herein a silk hammock or sling is suspended from the ceiling to perform the same asanas. The hammock is useful in taking off the pressure from certain areas of the body such as the head and shoulders, which allows the body to attempt the otherwise challenging poses with ease. Also, you might think all the asanas would require you to hang in the air but that is not the case. Many aerial yoga poses only require you to take one body part such as your foot or leg off the ground.

Benefits of doing aerial yoga

This practice of performing asanas helps in increasing the full-body flexibility and helps strengthen it better. It gives a full-body movement that strengthens the muscles while the hammock allows deeper stretches.

By hanging upside down the weight is taken of the spine which otherwise bores the bodyweight throughout the day. Hanging by the silk alleviates back and neck pressure and can help lengthen and decompress the spine.

Most important of all, turning the body upside down also promotes great blood circulation as well as digestion.

It is advised that in order to maintain stability throughout the poses, one has to keep the abdominal muscles engaged. This also helps strengthen the core.