When I was little I loved it when the circus came to town. I used to go with my parents, grab some popcorn and enjoy the show. I wasn't a big fan of clowns or magicians, instead, my favorite part was the acrobats. Sitting on my mom's lap I wondered how it must feel to fly.

I forgot about that thought until my friend invited me to a flying yoga class. Now, I'm aware it's not the same experience, but as someone who never tried acrobatics, I immediately associated this childhood memory with it and enjoyed the class

For those who don't know what flying yoga (also called aerial yoga) is, it's a hybrid type of yoga that combines traditional asana (the postures of yoga), pilates, and aerial arts.

Practicing yoga with props was developed by B.K.S Iyengar, an Indian yoga teacher and founder of Iyengar Yoga. It's a form of yoga as an exercise that combined the use of props, like belts and blankets, and even yoga swings. With these aids, beginner students, elder people, or those injured could perform properly the asanas.

The concept and popularization of flying yoga are highly attributed to Michelle Dortignac, founder of Unnata Aerial Yoga in 2006, she's a master of aerial yoga with 20 years o experience. She has trained almost every aerial yoga teacher who exists today.

Nowadays flying yoga is a popular way of doing sports and is quite mainstream among celebrities. For example, in October the K-pop group BTS did a masterclass on flying yoga (check the IG post that Suga published and a group pic). Also, many K-pop idols have uploaded photos of them practicing this type of yoga.

If you combine the arts and athletics, you get to have physical and psychological benefits, and that's what flying yoga offers you.

Reduce back pain: Bill Davis, director of group fitness for The Athletic Club in Brantford, stated that if you suffer from back pain you should consider flying yoga. It is said that by hanging freely, your spine tends to lengthen, reducing back pain.

Increased strength and flexibility: As for other yoga disciplines, flying yoga helps you increase your endurance and flexibility, as well as bringing you greater awareness of your body.

Improved mental health: like I said before flying yoga benefits include psychological ones. While you are hanging, your mind tends to forget about your daily worries and focus on what you are doing. Also, it's not a competitive sport, and more accessible that formal acrobatics lessons.

Last but not least, it's a good option for those who can't or don't want to do a high-intensity sport and it's proven that is effective in terms of burning calories (50 minutes can burn up to 300 calories). However, it's not recommended for pregnant women or those who are not prepared to be hanging upside down, so make sure you speak to your yoga teacher before the start of the lesson.

Flying yoga has gained quite a reputation, especially for its aesthetic. Still, we can't forget that yoga is an ancient practice with an underlying culture, so we must educate ourselves beforehand to appreciate and value this beautiful practice.

PS: be prepared for the stiffness in your muscles the next day!

Ezrin, S. (2022, February 10). Learning to Fly: All About Aerial Yoga. Healthline. https://www.healthline.com/health/fitness/aerial-yoga

Wikipedia contributors. (2022, September 5). Aerial yoga. Wikipedia. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aerial_yoga

Michelle Dortignac - Teacher Profile | Yoga Alliance. (s. f.). https://www.yogaalliance.org/TeacherPublicProfile?tid=30689

Scarantino, D. (2019, 16 julio). The Benefits of AntiGravity Yoga. Best Health. https://www.besthealthmag.ca/article/the-benefits-of-antigravity-yoga/