Introducing Aerial Yoga at CALM Derby

Aerial Arrives at CALM

Aerial yoga emerged as a new style of yoga in 2006, taking its roots from three main pioneers who all shared a professional background in acrobatics and aerial silks but adopted slightly different approaches.

The concept however remained the same and aerial yoga materialised as a fusion of traditional yoga poses alongside moves inspired from Pilates, dance, and aerial circus acrobatics - all practised using specially designed yoga hammocks, which support the body and promote strength and flexibility.

Despite aerial yoga’s acrobatic inspired origins, the practise can be performed by most people with all levels of fitness, so you don’t need to be an acrobat or gymnast to take part and enjoy its many health and wellbeing benefits.

CALM’s Heavenly Hammocks

Situated in our newly refurbished and dedicated aerial yoga room at our CALM Derby studio, we have installed specialised rigging which safely suspends our durable aerial hammocks - giving you complete peace of mind that you’ll be able to perform all your aerial poses safely. This means you can put your trust in us and prepare for your world to swing upside down!

The hammocks act like an additional prop and provide support for all levels and styles of yoga. Our versatile rigging allows us to easily adjust the height of each hammock, enabling us to accommodate several different styles; from higher suspended hammocks for some of our more challenging and playful poses, down to lower-level positioning more suited to restorative or stretch-based classes. This gives us the flexibility to offer a variety of aerial styles for you to choose from.

Aerial Yoga Benefits

Most people’s eyes light up as they see a room full of colourful, silky hammocks suspended from above, and the thrill of trying something with acrobatic origins will certainly help to bring out your inner child.

Apart from providing an element of fun, and promising to finish in peaceful swinging bliss, CALM’s aerial yoga classes also offer a wealth of health and wellbeing benefits.

With the weight of the body either partially or fully supported, and never more than a few feet off the floor, the pull of gravity will help you surrender into the hammock giving you the support and confidence to explore your poses like never before.

Whether you find more length to extend, use the hammock’s support to help build strength and improve flexibility or even find new ways to soften and release, CALM’s aerial yoga will help bring greater awareness of your body and allow you to deepen your practise.

The hammocks also take pressure off certain areas of the body like the head and shoulders - giving you the confidence to try more challenging poses which you may not ordinarily attempt on the yoga mat.

Furthermore, the support of the yoga hammock can also help with muscle and joint rehabilitation and can prove especially beneficial for those who suffer from back pain; allowing for safe, supported inversions that allow the back to lengthen and the spine to decompress - often providing much needed relief.

Aerial yoga is also great for building core strength and can help to improve circulation and digestion too.

Hang Out with Us

We are currently offering a variety of aerial yoga classes at CALM Derby, which are suitable for all levels of experience. Our yoga teachers have been specially trained in aerial yoga and our CALM and friendly approach will help you develop in both confidence and ability.

Aerial Yoga - This class is a great introduction to the wonderful world of aerial yoga. Based on traditional yoga poses that have been specially developed to fully utilise our CALM yoga hammocks, our aerial yoga class incorporates some fun and challenging new moves which will help bring out your inner child.

The yoga hammocks are used like a prop to help support your body during your yoga flow, allowing you to experience a wonderful feeling of weightlessness whilst also helping to build strength and increase flexibility.

This class allows you to discover the benefits of yoga from a completely different perspective. And we can’t tell you how amazing it feels to end your aerial yoga practise with aerial savasana, wrapped in a gently swinging, silky hammock. Once you’ve experienced this floating, cocoon-like CALMness – you’ll never want to leave!

Aerial Restorative - Our aerial restorative class is all about the relaxation. A time to unwind, relax and stretch, and let your mind and body be at ease.

Whilst many poses in the aerial yoga class are performed with the hammock at hip height, in our aerial restorative class you’ll notice that the hammocks are anchored much lower to the floor.

This enables you to get the full support from both the hammock and the ground, helping you to hold each pose for longer and feel truly supported throughout. Using additional props such as bolster cushions, blocks, and blankets you’ll be able to surrender into the gentle, supported poses and find great relief from any tension and stress.

Offering a number of physical and mental health benefits, aerial restorative yoga helps to calm the body and mind, promoting deep rest and relaxation that will help you find stillness within.

Aerial Stretch and Release - Whether you run, swim, cycle or spend endless hours in a desk job, many of us suffer from tightness and tension which has built up in our muscles.

CALM’s aerial stretch and release class has been specially designed to target and stretch out tight hips, hamstrings, backs and shoulders, helping you release tension and find wonderful relief.

In this class, the hammocks hang low, allowing your body to be fully supported by both the yoga hammock and the ground, enabling you to deeply stretch your muscles and release those tight spots.

Offering a number of benefits, stretching helps to increase flexibility, improve posture, prevent muscle strains, and increase blood flow so muscles heal quicker.

Deep stretching can also help to reduce stress and relieve muscle pain and soreness. Meaning that our aerial stretch and release class will leave you feeling like you’ve had a marvellous deep-tissue massage.

Join Us

Our aerial yoga classes welcome all levels of experience but are not suitable during pregnancy.

To find out more about our class availability and to make a booking, please check out the Classes section on the website or visit the CALM app.

We look forward to hanging out with you soon!