Aerial Yoga

What is it? As you twist and turn in yoga poses while dangling from a fabric called ‘silk’— (because it feels silky-soft), it’s hard not to feel graceful and slightly acrobat-ish at the same time. At first, you feel slightly awkward as you understand your ‘equipment’, but once you get a hang of it, it’s surprising how easily the human body can adapt. Trainer Talk Created in New York, unlike traditional yoga, this practice helps build greater upper body strength, better balance and improved flexibility because you are working against gravity. “It seems challenging at first, especially if you lack upper body strength, but with gradual practice, we build strength and then move on to climbing poses on the silk,” says Kiran Sawhney, Delhi-based trainer. It’s exhilarating and has a kick to it that makes you feel as if you have wings! Reader Take “I have been doing yoga for three years now but this felt so fluid and wonderful—like silk, actually,” says Sharma.  As Kiran said, it involves the mind too. You need to stay focussed, get a firm grip and let go of the fear of falling. “If you are planning to try it, don’t wear sleeveless clothes  or slide your hands down the fabric…it can cause a burn similar to a rope- burn,” she cautions.