aerial yoga faq's
Frequently Asked Questions: Aerial Yoga
Q: What is aerial yoga?
A: Aerial Yoga as a practice started over 10 years ago, as teachers began combining traditional yoga asanas with suspensions and aerial acrobatics. Most styles of Aerial Yoga share in common the use of a suspension system with therapeutic value. This refers to an aerial hammock (also sometimes referred to as the aerial “silk”) or an aerial yoga swing, which is suspended from the ceiling. The apparatus not only supports your weight, but also eases pressure on the body by creating space in your joints, decompressing your spine, and helping you to find greater mobility.
Q: What is the weight limit for your aerial swings or hammocks?
A: 400 pounds or less is the recommend weight limit for our aerial swings and hammocks.
Q: What are the benefits of aerial yoga?
A: Practicing Aerial Yoga in its many forms can be beneficial for re-aligning correct symmetry in the body, promoting healthy digestion and circulation, as well as stimulating lymphatic drainage, which supports the natural detoxification of the body. Literally every system of your body is positively impacted through the practice of Aerial Yoga. There is even evidence to suggest that hanging upside down improves mood and can have an anti-aging effect by mitigating the effects of gravity!
As you allow your body to be held and supported by the hammock or swing, the gentle squeezing of the fabric against your legs, arms, and torso help to stimulate myofascial release, similar to the benefits of a Rolfing session.
Students who practice Aerial Yoga develop a kind of upper-arm and core strength not typically seen in students who practice only traditional yoga. With the support of the swing or hammock, certain poses (such as inversions and back-bends) can actually be more safely achieved and practiced with less risk of injury than in traditional yoga. The hammock or swing can also provide natural alignment adjustments due to its placement at the hip joints in postures such as Standing Forward Fold or Downward Facing Dog, for example.
Practicing aerial yoga enhances your practice by allowing you to explore familiar poses in a new way, creates greater awareness of sensation in the body, and provides you with the opportunity to step outside your comfort zone and experience something new.
Q: Do I need to already be flexible to do aerial yoga?
A: No, you do not. But you do need to have a basic level of fitness that will allow you to do things like lift your foot up to the level of the silk (you can use your hands to assist) and enough upper body strength to complete a modified push up (knees down on mat).
Q: What should I wear to an aerial yoga class?
A: We recommend comfortable but close-fitting clothing. Tank tops alone are not permitted because we require underarms to be completely covered (a good measure is to raise your arms overhead and if they are covered then sleeves are long enough. Shorts are ok, but discouraged, as the hammock fabric can pinch or chafe when in direct contact with bare skin. Longer pants or leggings are preferable. It is highly suggested to wear clothing that covers the insides of your elbows and the backs of your knees. The swings can rub on those sensitive places on your body and could cause a little discomfort.
Please leave all jewelry at home, including watches/Fitbits, bracelets, rings, all earrings, hair pins/clips. Clothing with zippers, metal, or anything that could snag on the swing material isn’t permitted, nor are pointed fingernail styles or nails with rhinestones/crystals adhered to them. These items can catch and cause tearing and snags in the fabric of the hammocks, rendering the swings unusable for safety reasons.
Q: I’m out of shape. Can I still participate in aerial yoga classes?
A: Yes! We offer aerial classes for various fitness levels so that there is always something for everyone to enjoy. You will be amazed at how quickly your body begins to acclimate the more you practice and get comfortable with the swing, gaining both strength and flexibility. Private aerial yoga lessons are also available too.
Q: What should I bring to class?
A: For your first few classes, we suggest bringing ginger drops, ginger chews, or ginger tea in your thermos. You can also find beautiful water bottles complete with tea strainers and doTerra Ginger drops available for purchase in our wellness boutique.
As a new student, you might experience mild motion sickness. This tends to improve over time as you continue your practice. During our staff’s own aerial teacher training, we found that we felt much better each day to the point where we eventually felt great, even after spending nearly all of an 8-hour training day in inversions.
Please bring a filled water bottle to class with you. We are no longer able to offer complimentary water stations due to new health policies. We do, however, offer bottled spring water for purchase at the front desk. Remaining hydrated is a very important way to support your body throughout the detoxification process that you will experience in an aerial yoga class. We also highly recommend our Energybits brand chlorella algae tabs for a daily detox and excellent source of plant-based omegas.
You’ll also want to bring a yoga mat, if you have one. Yoga mat rentals are available at the front counter should you need one.
Q: How do I decide which class I should take?
A: We’re adapting a ‘grow with our community’ philosophy within our aerial yoga program. Everyone starts with our Intro to Aerial Yoga class before moving onto other aerial yoga classes. As our aerial yoga community grows, we develop appropriate level classes. Once we have an established program, our more advanced classes will have prerequisites and/or you will need special permissions from our staff to take them.
Q: What can I expect when I arrive at the studio?
A: When you arrive at the studio, our friendly concierge staff will greet you and help you check in for class. We’ll walk you to your classroom, introduce you to your teacher, and we’ll show you which aerial hammock or swing you’ll be using for that class.
Q: Do I need to wear a mask while practicing at your studio?
A: We follow all state mandates. If Washington state requires masks to be worn in public places, then a mask would be required in all yoga classes. If there is not currently a mask mandate then masks are optional. If you do not know if there is a mask mandate in effect or not, feel free to give us a call!
Q: Is it possible to socially distance while practicing aerial yoga at your studio?
A: All of our aerial swings are naturally placed far enough apart to allow for sufficient range of motion, which allows for natural social distancing.
Registration/Booking and Cancellations
Q: Do I have to pre-register for class?
A: Yes. We ask that everyone register for class ahead of time as we no longer accept walk-ins. If it is your first class with us, please visit the homepage of our website to create an account. Once your waiver is signed, you’ll be automatically logged into the online scheduler and may book class from there. After your account is created you may also download the WellnessLiving Achieve app to your phone and schedule from there if that is more convenient for you.
We hold class even if only one student has registered, but if no students have registered for a class two hours before it is scheduled to begin, the class for that day will be cancelled and removed from our online scheduler. Please be sure to use the online scheduler and sign up before the two-hour window closes. You may either log on using the homepage of our website or the WellnessLiving Achieve scheduling app.
Q: How early should I arrive for class?
A: The classroom doors open for students 15 minutes before the class begins. Students are encouraged to come 15 minutes early in order to have enough time to have your hammock adjusted for your height, get settled, meet your teacher, use the restroom, and start to let go of the day before you begin class.
We no longer accept late arrivals into classes.
Once the class has begun, check-in will be closed. Safety procedures need to be followed, like making adjustments to the height of the hammock. Out of curtesy to other students, class cannot be stopped to help a late student with aerial swing adjustments once class has begun. This also ensures a quiet, reflective time for the beginning grounding portion of class without any disruptions from the door opening/closing and late students setting up. We want to be fair to the students who have arrived on time since this portion of class sets the tone for the remainder of their hour, so please understand that we cannot make exceptions. Please adjust your schedule so you arrive 15 minutes before every class. If you’re attending class for the very first time, please give yourself extra time to park and find us in this big historic building! If you miss a class due to a late arrival, please refer to our cancellation policy for late-cancellations.
Q: What is your cancellation/refund policy?
A: We have a 24-hour cancellation policy for all yoga classes. If you need to cancel your registration for a class, please be sure to do so either from our website through your Account Login or through the scheduling app on your phone no less than 24 hours before the class is scheduled to start, otherwise there is a $25 late cancel charge applied using your credit card on file.
If you purchased one single class then there is no additional charge, but you would not be able to re-schedule the class. For those with class punch cards or memberships with a limited number of classes, your class is returned to your Flow Motion account to be used toward your next class and the late cancel fee is charged.
Our tip to yoga students who have busy schedules or schedules that change often: many people prefer waiting until the day of their class and signing up for class when they know they will be able to make it to class instead of signing up for all of their classes for a week or two at a time. This helps avoid late cancel fees and keeps spots open for other yoga students who plan out their week and know they can dedicate their time to a yoga class that day.
*Please note that a class will be cancelled if there are no yoga students registered 2 hours before the class is scheduled to start.
Q: How much do classes cost? What are the purchase options?
A: Aerial yoga classes will be included in all of our yoga memberships, digital punch cards, and single class rates. We have several options for you! Please see our pricing page for more information or call us at 360-393-8829 if you need additional assistance.