Aerial yoga is becoming an increasingly popular form of exercise, combining traditional yoga poses with the unique challenge of being suspended in the air. As a fun way to build strength, flexibility, and balance, aerial yoga provides an intense full-body workout.
One of the most common questions for new aerial fitness students is how many calories you can expect to burn in an aerial yoga class. While the calorie burn will vary significantly based on the style and intensity of your workout, aerial yoga can be an extremely effective way to burn calories and lose weight as part of a comprehensive fitness plan.
If you’re curious about how many calories aerial yoga burns, read on.
What is Aerial Yoga?
Aerial yoga utilizes soft, fabric hammocks that are hung from the ceiling to suspend you in the air. Students perform traditional yoga asanas and Pilates-inspired movements while supported by and suspended in the hammock. The hammock acts as the apparatus to facilitate floating yoga postures that defy gravity. Aerial yoga helps decompress the spine, building core strength, and improving posture and alignment.
Is Aerial Yoga Beginner-Friendly?
Aerial yoga classes are accessible to students at all levels. Beginners rely on the hammock for support while more advanced students perform challenging inversions and drops. Classes focus on breath, postural and strength training, flexibility, and balancing skills.
Traditional Yoga Vs. Aerial Yoga
While based on traditional yoga principles, aerial yoga offers some distinct advantages. The hammock provides the support needed to allow beginners to comfortably hold and deepen basic yoga positions. Students can safely perform inverted postures, like handstands, bringing blood flow to the heart and brain.
Students can achieve poses not possible on the ground due to limitations and significant improvements in flexibility. Arm balances like the crow pose require less core strength thanks to the foot cradles supporting your body weight.
The hammock allows passive stretching from the suspension, letting gravity do the work. This helps increase the overall range of motion. Aerial yoga improves balance, concentration, and body awareness as students are off-center hovering above the ground.
While traditional mat yoga builds strength from the ground up, aerial yoga relies on a stable core and engaged muscles to stay centered in the hammock.
So, How Many Calories Can You Burn Doing Aerial Yoga?
The number of calories burned during aerial yoga depends on the duration and style of your class. Aerial yoga is considered a moderate-intensity exercise. In a recent study by the American Council of Exercise (ACE), a 50-minute aerial yoga session can burn an average of 320 calories.
For a 155-lb person, that hourly calorie burn jumps up to 267-445 calories. The more you weigh, the more calories you can expect to burn in your first class of aerial yoga. Aerial yoga styles emphasizing cardio intervals with climbing, spinning, and acrobatics will burn more calories than gentle, restorative classes. As you build strength and stamina, you can burn upwards of 500 calories in an intense one-hour aerial class.
Aerial Yoga as a Full Body Workout: The Benefits of Aerial Yoga
Aerial yoga provides an excellent full-body workout, toning muscles while increasing heart rate for cardiovascular benefits. Forming the foundational poses challenges balance and fires up core abdominal muscles, glutes, and hip flexors to stabilize the body. Arm balances like side plank require total body tension from finger to toe to keep the body-centered. The upper body gets an intense workout through repetitive pulling, pushing, and suspended arm balances. Gripping, hanging, and climbing recruit the muscles of the arms, shoulders, and back.
Here are the benefits of aerial yoga and why should you consider it as your next full-body workout:
Aerial Yoga May Help with Weight Loss
Aerial yoga classes build metabolism-boosting muscle to help with the weight loss journey. Hanging upside down may increase circulation and metabolism burning calories, too. As stated, people usually burn 320 calories in a 50-minute aerial yoga class. More aerial classes create a calorie deficit for losing weight.
Aerial Yoga May Provide Cardiovascular Benefits
Aerial yoga elevates maximal heart rate through sustained muscle engagement for cardio training. Inversions improve blood flow and oxygen uptake helping cardiovascular heart disease risk factors. It provides 150 minutes of moderate-intensity exercise weekly for heart health benefits.
Aerial Yoga May Improve Strength and Flexibility
Aerial yoga requires total body tension and core strength to hold yoga poses in a hammock. This builds upper body strength while increasing range of motion and flexibility.
Aerial Yoga May Provide Better Balance and Coordination
Aerial yoga enhances balance, coordination, and body awareness through unstable off-center movements while performing tricks.
Aerial Yoga May Help with Joint Health
Hanging upside down decompresses joints, improving circulation and mobility. It reduces pain and stiffness providing joint mobility and decompression.
Aerial Yoga May Improve Brain Boosting Concentration
Intense focus during challenging aerial maneuvers increases blood flow to the brain improving brain function. Concentration during physical activity enhances cognition and mind-body connection.
The Bottom Line
Aerial yoga provides an excellent full-body workout that tones muscles, builds core strength, increases flexibility, and provides an intense cardio boost. The unique challenge of performing yoga poses while suspended in mid-air requires total body engagement and focused concentration. This allows for a dynamic workout that burns upwards of 500 calories per hour.
With regular practice, aerial yoga can help facilitate weight loss, lower blood pressure, improve cardiovascular fitness, have muscle groups build strength, and enhance balance. The mental focus required boosts brain power enhancing mood and cognition. While the calorie burn will vary based on the class format and your stats, aerial yoga can be an extremely effective part of your workout routine.
Sign Up for an Aerial Yoga Class Today
Aerial yoga provides a fun, unique fitness experience unlike any other workout. The hammock allows you to safely stretch and strengthen your body in new dimensions. Aerial yoga classes offer an incredible sense of joy and freedom of movement.
Whether you are brand new to yoga or an experienced practitioner, aerial yoga helps you improve your physical and mental health while having fun.
Sign up for a class with Aerial Yoga Austin today to start your fitness journey, improve your flexibility, and discover your inner zen!