High Trapeze Seat and Supported Shoulder Stand Tutorial

Hello aerial yogis!

This beginner high-swing aerial yoga tutorial covers two basic ways to get into the trapeze seat and do a gentle shoulder stand from a high swing. These are great poses for learning the aerial basics and a gentle way for an inversion.

About Our Aerial Yoga Trapeze Seat Tutorial

Follow along with our aerial yoga trapeze seat variations guide and learn how to perform the shoulder stand trapeze seat successfully.

To start, we’ll go over the most basic way to get into your trapeze seat. First, stand with your back to your hammock and grip the fabric behind you with an overhand grip on either side of your waist. You should be able to climb on your tiptoes and lean back into a gentle seat so that the fabric is coming across the backs of your glutes.

From here, you can rest and enjoy the nice massage on your hips or move into different poses. However, the second option is highly recommended if this pose is difficult for you or if the fabric is too high that you can't easily get into the hammock without jumping.

Next, stand behind your fabric and grab the hammock so that you have about a foot of space. Then, with your left leg straight, place the bottom of your right foot on top of the fabric and reach up with your upper arms to easily pull yourself into a standing or scorning position.

Pull up with your arms and bring your left foot to meet your dominant leg, and lower yourself into a squat. From here, it should be very easy for you to let go, one foot at a time, to bring the hammock around the bottom into your trapeze seat.

Now, you’re in a great pose. Feel free to sit and enjoy the gentle massage on your hips or go into a variation of a supported shoulder stand. If you choose to go into different yoga poses, lean backward and allow the fabric to come up your legs into the bottom of your knees. You can rest here for a moment and enjoy the nice little massage on your knees.

When you’re ready, walk your hands one at a time down to the bottom of the hammock so that your body is really close to the ground. You should be able to touch the ground with your head.

Then, let go of the fabric, one hand at a time, and rest your shoulder blades on the mat. Press your palms into the mat, engage your core, and feel a nice inversion in your back and into the gently supported shoulder stand. In this pose, keep your head facing straight up to protect your neck.

When you’re ready, you can easily come out of this pose by lifting one leg at a time and bringing them onto the ground. With your knees bent, you can rest here and feel the difference that your back may feel from that inversion.

If you’re interested in learning more aerial yoga poses that strengthen your muscles, improve balance, promote spinal health, and stretch your body, check out our other tutorial videos!