15-Minute Aerial Yoga Tutorial

Hello aerial yogis! This gentle 15-minute aerial yoga guide is perfect for beginners who want to learn some basic aerial poses and those looking to add a new warm-up routine to their yoga classes.

About Our 15-Minute Gentle Aerial Yoga Flow

Discover how to properly do the chair pose, backbend, camel position, and more so you can add them to your aerial workout routine.

Warm Up Position

Start by standing with your back towards your aerial hammock. Then, lean back and put your fabric on, like a backpack, and position the hammock in the middle of your back. Bend your knees and sink into the hammock for support.

Take a deep inhale and bring your hands to the base of your neck, supporting your head. Exhale, lean to the left, opening up the side body. Inhale to the right, sway back and forth, and pace with your breath.

When you reach your center, release your hands from your neck. Grab the fabric in front of you and widen your stance into a straddle. Wake up your legs by shifting your weight from side to side, bending one leg and then the other. Don't exhale. Sink into your left side. Inhale, come back to the center. Exhale, sink to the right, and continue to move at your own pace.

Chair Position

Next, we’ll move into a chair position. Walk your feet together so they’re about a hip distance apart. Bend your knees at about a 90-degree angle and move through some gentle pelvic tilts.

Exhale and curve the spine outwards. Inhale and tuck the pelvis. Exhale and tilt outwards. Inhale and tuck under. You can move with your breath. Allow the hammock to support your upper body weight, which allows your lower back to release.

Wake up your toes and ankle. On your next inhale, lift your right leg and point and flex your toes. Then, roll your ankle to the right and the left.

Lateral Lifts

Practice some lateral lifts and continue to breathe as you lift your right leg out towards your right side, keeping it as straight as possible. This position is a huge strength builder for the IT bands and outside of the leg.

Next, exhale and bring your leg down to the mat to meet your left foot. Do the same movement on the other side–lift your left leg, point, and flex. Wake up all the muscles in your toes and your feet. Roll your ankle to the right and left. Then, lift your left leg out towards your left side and strengthen the left side of your legs.

Bring your foot down to your mat and across the top of your right thigh. From this position, you can sway gently if it feels good for your left hip. Ensure your left foot is flexed to protect your left knee. Continue to breathe. With each exhale, see if you can get your left knee to sink a little closer to the ground.

Do the same thing on the opposite side. Lift your right leg over the top of your left thigh, keeping your right foot flexed. When you’re ready, release from that position and come back into your straddle by widening your stance. Practice lifting up, which will strengthen all the little micro muscles in your legs.

Doing this position will help you build up to more beautiful inversions down the line. With each exhale, lift your legs, keeping them as straight as possible. Inhale and bring them down to the mat. Practice holding them up in the air or just simply lifting them. Next, lift your legs together and swing to strengthen the abdominal muscles.

Return to the starting standing position with the hammock fabric behind the upper back touch point. Lift off and bring the backs of your feet towards your glutes. To further engage your abdominal muscles, bring your knees towards your chest.

Float here, keeping your core engaged and taking deep breaths. Enjoy the gentle wind from the sway.

When you're ready, bring your feet back to the mat. Take a deep inhale and move your arms over your head. Take a few deep breaths here or recenter yourself. Then, return to gentle swaying movements to further open up the side body. Exhale to one side, inhale to the center, and move with the pace of your breath.

Lunge Pose

Now we will do the lunge pose. Return to your chair pose and step back with your right knee. Set the top of your shin on the mat–you may want to use a blanket or a second rolled-up mat for extra support.

Your left leg should be in front of you at a 90-degree angle with your left knee over the top of the foot, overextending past your toes. Hinge forward, over your left leg, with your hands holding onto the fabric to further stretch out the tops of your shoulder blades. You should feel this stretch across the top of your right thigh.

Now, move into a hamstring stretch for the left side. Bend back slightly to strengthen your left leg, engaging your core to stabilize yourself. Switch to the other side this time, bringing your right foot forward, left leg back, and arms extended overhead. Breathe deeply and then straighten that right leg. You should feel a stretch in your right hamstring. Engage your core here to stabilize yourself, and lean into that hammock for a little bit more support.

Cat-Cow Sequence

If you are ready, bring your right leg back to meet the left. Stay in a kneeling position and move through some cat-cow sequences. Inhale, sink your belly down with your chest lifted slightly. Exhale and push your weight into the hammock around your spine upwards toward the sky. Inhale and sink your belly down into the cow position. Exhale and roll from the base of your spine into a cat position. Continue to move with your own breath. You can use the hammock to help you balance and further open your shoulder blades.

Camel Pose

Next, inhale and bring your hands to your chest and move into the camel pose.

Exhale and bring your hands in front of you as you bend backward, extending your arms overhead so you're in a backbend over your legs. Inhale and come back to the center. Repress now in the child’s pose, bring your glutes to the back of your feet, arms still extended in the hammock, and just rest at the moment. It might feel good to sway from side to side, moving with your breath.

If you feel tension or discomfort, feel free to pause and take a couple of extra deep breaths. Roll yourself up from the base of your spine very slowly and release your hands.

Roll out your hands, moving your wrists to the right and to the left. Make fists and extend your fingers to allow the blood flow to go back to normal in your hands. Stay in a seated position on your mat, and come down onto your back. You're going to place your feet inside the hammock in front of you.

You might need to position yourself a little closer to the fabric so your legs are up overhead, depending on where you're at with your mat. If you have a lower hammock, it can be a little bit easier. This position can be done at many heights as long as you can reach your feet up to the hammock. Weigh your feet from side to side to release the glutes and move with your breath.

Windbreaker Pose

Now, move into the windbreaker pose. Release your right foot from the fabric and bring your knee to your chest, hugging it with your arms and trying to keep those shoulder blades on the ground.

You can extend this groin stretch by bringing your right leg further into the crook of your right elbow. Take your deep breaths here. Now, take your right leg and curl it under your body and roll yourself towards the left. You can use that right arm as a pillow and gently sway your left suspended foot forward and back. See what kind of micro stretches you can feel as you move forward and back.

Plank Sequence

Next, move through the plank sequence. Position your forearm directly under your right shoulder blade so that your shoulder is right over the track of your elbow. Your right leg can be bent underneath you or extended for an additional challenge. With your left arm extended overhead, your gaze can be forward or up at your left-extended fingertips. Hips lifted and core engaged. Breathe deeply to stabilize yourself.

Exhale and bring your hips to the mat. Keeping that left leg in the fabric, turn towards the mat so you're in all threes. Your right leg will be curled beneath you, so put it at a 45-degree angle towards the back left corner of the room.

Sink your weight back into that extended leg. Your leg can bend here, so you feel it stretch across the top of your suspended leg as well as your right hip on the ground. You can come down to your elbows or stay lifted.

To exit this pose, lean your weight to the right, bring your right hip to the mat, and turn yourself back to face the hammock. You can lift that foot out.  Do the same thing on the other side.

Release those glutes one more time by bringing both feet up into the hammock and swinging with your breath from side to side. This time, release your left foot from the fabric. Bring in the knee of your chest. Grab a hole at the top of the loop and grab your left shin with your hands. Keep those shoulder blades pressed toward the ground. To stretch the groin, bring your left leg closer to your left elbow to your left armpit. Pull that left leg under you and turn towards your left. Sway your right leg forwards and backward.

Plank Position

Next, move into our plank position. Place your elbow directly underneath your left shoulder with your right arm suspended overhead. Try to repeat what you did on the other side to keep things even. If you extend your left leg or the bottom leg on the other side, do it to the other one as well. You can keep that knee on the ground. Lifting with the hips, keep your core engaged, and focus on your breathing.

Exhale and come to the mat. Turn towards the mat onto all threes. Fold your left leg under you with your right leg overhead and come down to your elbows. Lift your left leg and fold it under you at 45 degrees to feel a deep stretch on the top of that right leg.

One more breath here, and you can turn towards your hammock and release the leg. End this flow in a seated, comfortable cross-legged position! We hope that you have a happy and healthy day!

If you want to learn more poses like the ones we covered in this 15-minute aerial yoga flow video, check out our other free tutorial videos.

This video was brought to you by Uplift Active, the premier supplier of yoga hammocks, aerial silks, hoops, and more. Browse our product collection and get all the aerial yoga equipment you need!