Aerial yoga is such a wonderful practice to build strength and flexibility in the body. This picture demonstrates how to take an ordinary pose, such as pincha mayurasana, or scorpion, and use the hammock to build up strength for the final pose, unassisted, without the hammock.
When the hammock is down at the hip crease, (blue shirt) more of your weight is supported by the hammock, say about 50%. When you stretch your legs up long, (pink shirt) the fabric falls out of the hip crease to your knees; this changes the weight ratio to 20% supported in the hammock, and 80% support coming from the core, arms. Final version in the hammock is where you let the fabric wrap around your ankles, and lets you work on the flexibility part of the pose.
Pincha handstand benefits are:
* increased back strength, increased core strength, increased digestion, inversions are wonderful for calming your mind, they also develop focus, and arm strength, particularly in lower arms and wrists if doing the pose resting on lower arms. Most importantly, they allow us to play, and test our limits and beliefs on what we think about ourselves. The hammock supports our journey to awesomeness!
I have told my students, I will always practice aerial, as you use your body weight through space, it’s the ultimate core work out. It alone has has eased my back, knee pain like no other practice.
It’s also a great way to learn traditional head stand. If some of these more difficult poses seem unatainable for you, come and give hammock a try, not just once, but at least 6-8 times, or until you are reasonably comfortable with a beginner class.
Come and see us aerial teachers, upside down!!
Paula
