Unnata Aerial Yoga: Flyers Taking Flight

Linda C

The first time I ever heard of aerial yoga was from a former colleague's Facebook post. It was a selfie she took in the class while suspended upside down. It seemed a little crazy, but also possibly fun. At the time my concern was more that yoga class etiquette should not have allowed her to have her phone with her, let alone allowing her to take a photo while suspended upside down – how un-Zen! The second time I encountered aerial yoga was last year when the Flyers had a yoga recovery day at Sacred Sounds Yoga (located on the second floor of 163 Bleeker Street).  

Flyers member and studio owner Stephanie T gave us a tour of the studio after our core yoga class, and part of that tour included a peek into the room used for the aerial yoga classes. Hanging from fixtures on the ceiling were beautiful blue silk cloths that were at the time tied together in storage until the next aerial yoga class. After that, I attended other yoga classes at Sacred Sounds and would occasionally think of giving aerial yoga a try, but it was always a passing thought. I had some reservations  ––  after all, regular feet on the ground yoga is challenging for me :) But then it happened, a Flyers recovery yoga session was scheduled for June 8th and it was going to be an aerial yoga class. Fate was calling. I signed up!

Officially, the aerial yoga class is called Unnata Aerial Yoga. What exactly is Unnata Aerial Yoga? Well, the course description explains that "Unnata is the Sanskrit word for "elevated," meaning both elevated in spirit and physically elevated. With the weight of the body supported, students learn how to achieve proper postural alignment through relaxation rather than effort, enhancing a relaxed and peaceful state of mind as well."  

This time when I walked into the aerial yoga room, the beautiful blue silks were down and we could see that they formed a loop anchored to the ceiling. The silks were very welcoming, like a swing or a hammock. Some people were a little more adventurous than I was and popped into the silks swinging and laying back in them, but I’m a Capricorn and pragmatism is my middle name. I wasn’t going to do anything until I had some instructions.     

Unlike traditional yoga classes, our mats for this class were arranged diagonally across the room, one mat per person under each loop of silk. The silks were cool to the touch.  Our instructor, Cynthia, went around adjusting the height of the silk loops as needed for each person  ––  the silk loop should hang to a spot between the pelvic bone and belly button. Once everyone's silk loop was properly adjusted the class began with some traditional yoga poses on the mat as a warm up. Then it was time to take flight. 

Cynthia, Our Instructor, Getting Us Set Up

The first pose incorporating the silks was an elevated downward facing dog. It sounded easy enough and some did take to it rather easily, but I had difficulties getting the loop in the right position along my pelvis to support my weight so that I could come off the ground. The idea was to get off the ground and reach down and forward, while keeping the legs back and down (as if to form a floating triangle).  

Debbie P and Luiza S

As recommended, I used a blanket placed over the silk loop to help better place the silk loop along my pelvis and relieve some of the pressure. I felt the pressure of the silk on my pelvis and with Cynthia's assistance I was suddenly up and reaching forward in an elevated downward facing dog. I was just a few inches off the ground, but it felt wonderfully free and much higher. The elevation allowed me to extend my arms out long without the pressure of my weight on them (as I normally experience in a traditional downward facing dog pose).  

For a few moments, I felt very free. I took breaks from the pose at times to relieve the pressure where the silk loop was pulling against my pelvis and possibly because of moments of fear as my mind screamed that my feet were off the ground and I was likely to lose control. There was a regular Unnata practitioner on a mat near me who seemed to hang forever in the pose. But I was new to this and I was taking it easy.  

Next up was a reverse lunge using the silk loop for support of the upper body. The silk loop wrapped around under our arms and along the widest part of our ribs while we stretched one leg back in a reverse lunge. I could feel my hips open up more than I've ever experienced in a "grounded" reverse lunge  –– my physical therapist would be impressed!  

Dave K and Pei A -- Disobeying Directions

Then came some of what we were hoping for, but also probably fearing.... inversions! You'll have to take a class to learn how to go from a seated swing position to have your legs wrapped around the silks and your head and arms hanging down towards the floor. The most challenging part for me was actually getting into the silk loop to sit in it like a swing - a seemingly insurmountable obstacle that I was able to overcome with the assistance of two yoga blocks to stand on. Once I was in the swing, it was a snap for me to get into the inverted position. It was exhilarating. Of course, Cynthia advised that the rush of blood to our heads would give us a natural sense of excitement and it did  –– a yoga equivalent of a runner’s high?  

Lara K Enjoys Her "Yoga High"

Coming out of the pose occasionally to relieve the blood that was rushing to my head in the inversion, I looked around to see our fellow Flyers in their inversions. One warning, should you take this class, don't stay inverted for too long at any one time as some began to feel a little nauseous from inversions held for long periods of time.

A few more different poses aided by the silks and soon it was time to wind down. We were in the silks once again, but this time in restful cocoons. Each silk loop is nine feet wide and served as luxurious hammocks. We were completely enveloped in the blue cool fabric swaying ever so slightly as we were lulled to a peaceful calm in the silky cocoons.  Sheltered from the outside world, we enjoyed some restful minutes suspended above our mats. Then it was time to emerge from the silks and come back to earth, back on to the ground where we ended the class with some traditional yoga poses. 

There were some wonderfully fun moments in the class and the cocoon was very soothing, but there were moments that I found challenging. I'm still relatively new to yoga, having attended less than a dozen classes, and Unnata aerial yoga didn't require any special knowledge from traditional yoga. It was yoga, but a very different experience. The days following the class, I found that I had some slight bruising on the sides of my pelvis where the silk rested when I was in the elevated downward facing dog pose. However, I note that I bruise relatively easily and some of the other Flyers I spoke to did not experience any bruising. 

Will I try aerial yoga again?  Yes, I think I will. For a runner who pounds on the ground for hours at a time, the time floating in the silks was a treat. 

By the way, if you’re thinking about taking a selfie while participating in an aerial yoga class or if you’re concerned that your aerial yoga attempts will be photographed by selfie-takers, note that Sacred Sounds does not allow photographs to be taken during class. Namaste.

-Linda C