Eight Limbs of Aerial Yoga

Adapting Practice for Accessibility, Neurodiversity and Physical Support

Finding safety in our bodies is central to yoga practice, yet traditional classes don't always meet the needs of people with mobility challenges, neurodivergence, or mental health conditions. This new guide repositions the aerial hammock as a supportive, sensory tool that allows more people to experience yoga's physical and mental benefits - regardless of body type, ability, or neurological differences.

Written with trauma-informed, mental health-aware language and informed by the latest therapeutic research, this book honours yoga's South Asian roots while making the practice genuinely accessible to all.

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For Teachers, Students, and Every Body

This book serves both yoga professionals seeking to teach more inclusively and individuals wanting a safe home practice. Through lived experience testimonials, you'll discover how aerial yoga benefits people experiencing anxiety, depression, chronic pain, and PTSD. Contributors share how the sensory aspects of aerial yoga support those with autism and ADHD, while Jo provides practical strategies for self-managing different sensory needs in group settings.

Whether you're a teacher wanting to welcome more diverse students, or someone who's felt excluded from traditional yoga spaces due to body size, age, mobility, or neurodivergence, this book offers a pathway into practice. The aerial hammock becomes more than equipment - it's a tool for empowerment, allowing you to explore yoga's benefits in ways that honour your body's unique needs.

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250+ Photos, Sequencing inspiration and diverse options

Professionals will find over 250 photographs of aerial yoga postures organised in a systematic structure that adapts to your teaching needs and mixed-ability groups. The book provides clear guidance on modifying postures for larger bodies, older adults, pregnancy, and conditions including MS and EDS.

Beyond the poses themselves, you'll get practical support for hammock installation, safety considerations, and how to sequence postures together for effective, therapeutic classes. This isn't just a pose library - it's a complete framework for creating classes that are fun, safe, and genuinely relaxing for students of all abilities.

The systematic approach means you can quickly find what you need, whether you're planning a class, working one-on-one with a student with specific needs, or developing your own home practice with confidence.

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The Hammock as Your Support System

What makes aerial yoga uniquely accessible? The hammock itself becomes a co-teacher, providing physical support that allows bodies to safely explore inversions, backbends, and stretches that might be challenging or impossible on a traditional mat. The sensory input-gentle compression, floating sensations, the cocoon-like embrace offers benefits particularly valuable for those with anxiety, trauma histories, or sensory processing differences.

As Jivana Heyman writes in the foreword: "What strikes me most in this book is Jo's commitment to welcoming everyone to the practice. There's a big heart here that is open and welcoming to all of us. It welcomes our differently-shaped bodies, our neurodiverse minds, and the truth of our entire spirit."

This is yoga as it should be - not as something you must conform your body to, but as a practice that adapts to serve you, exactly as you are.

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Publication Details

Written by Jo Stewart | One of Australia's most experienced aerial yoga teachers, Jo has taught yoga since 2005 and aerial yoga since 2011. She founded the Garden of Yoga studio and is passionate about making movement accessible to marginalized communities.

Foreword by Jivana Heyman | Photography by Danielle Raphaël | Published by Singing Dragon, 2026

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