Aerial Mukti Yoga blends ancient Yoga practices with the athletic principles of aerial acrobatic dance and fun. This Yoga practice incorporates using the aerial Yoga hammock as a prop. This Yoga hammock is made up of a long piece of woven nylon fabric called tricot that is about 108 inches wide. A Yoga hammock is similar to an aerial silk as it is made from the same woven nylon fabric. An aerial silk is rigged so that the center point of the fabric is tied to one point on the ceiling and the ends of the fabric touch the floor. A Yoga hammock is rigged with either the ends of the fabric tied about 2ft apart to 2 points on the ceiling (or together to 1 point on the ceiling) and the center of the hammock hangs off of the floor as a loop.

 The practice of  “grounded” Yoga postures (asanas) deepens our connection to the earth with a pushing energy. When we practice asanas with a Yoga hammock, we start to experience how we can connect to the sky with a pulling energy. However, there are many aerial Yoga poses involving both the earth and the sky, or just the sky.

 What does Mukti mean? Mukti is a Sanskrit term that means: FREEDOM. It is the state of liberation, emancipation or release from the wheel of samsara (the cycle of death and rebirth). It also means being freed from ignorance and achieving Self-realization and Self-knowledge.

 By its very nature, aerial Yoga is deeply transformational. Suspension from the Yoga hammock is therapeutic, relieves compression and elongates the spine. Lifting ones own body weight is strengthening and develops integrated muscle coordination. Dangling and moving in the air naturally promotes childlike laughter and is an extreme amount of fun and feeling of freedom. At the same time, aerial Yoga challenges ones sense of possibility by exploring ones capacities in a new way.  A pose that was once inaccessible is now possible. The internal experience of achieving what was once thought of as impossible transforms the idea of possibility in all aspects of life.

 So what is it we want to be liberated from? Whatever it is, it is causing you unhappiness. Empowering ourselves (and our students) to connect to our (their) innate inner strength is the key to have the strength to make a change.  That is why every Aerial Mukti Yoga class emphasizes joy while gaining core strength.