Just look on Instagram and you’ll see all sorts of crazy moves in aerial hammocks. Flips, popouts, inversions - it’s all really fun stuff, and I love playing around these type of movements but its not what I want to teach.

Don’t get me wrong, there are amazing teachers doing amazing stuff, but personally I struggle to see where the yoga is here. My preference is to strip it back. Using the hammock as a supportive tool rather than something to just hang from. We can still do the strengthening movements, but I enjoy the challenge to weave them into a flow that keeps you in the moment. I personally find it had to stay with the breath with some of the “advanced” postures. If you’re suspended in the air trying to bring the fabric around your foot before dropping into the splits while the fabric is digging into your armpit, it can be a bit of a struggle.

Again, I think that these practices are great and there is a place for them, but for me, I prefer to keep things simple, a little more accessible.

The fabric is such a powerful tool for personal introspection. It gives a unique path into proprioceptive and interoceptive awareness. It can move, strengthen and lengthen the body in new and versatile ways. We can reinterpret “standard” yoga postures in a way that creates new dimensions of physical awareness.

It’s also possible to go upside down in the hammock in a way that’s safe and feels good. It’s adaptable and I love seeing the look on people’s faces when they have an experience in the fabric that they never thought they would be able to have.

It’s a wonderful tool, so if you come to one of our classes, just know that you can throw away any expectations, and be able to experience the fabric in a fun, supportive and nurturing environment.