the Way of the Aerial Hammock™

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Flit, Flight, Freedom

 

Arising out of circus performance, aerial dance, gymnastics, yoga and the fitness world comes a different way to move the body in and out of suspension. Recognized in the United States in the 70’s, aerial dance became a form of modern dance where performers explored dimensionality in space. Horizontal and vertical movement was made possible by various types of apparatus that dangled the performer from above or along a plane.  A fabric “silk” was strung from above allowing wrapping and binding of the body for suspended movement.

 

The exploration of three-dimensionality moved from the performing arts into the fitness world several years ago as seen in anti-gravity programs, suspension training, and in aerial yoga/ pilates.

 

Today, postures that were traditionally bound by the earth are now able to unfold as the fabric (a.k.a. the Aerial Hammock), trails to the floor below bound above by an anchor, carabiner(s), and cable or webbing. The  “U” formed by the bound hammock body may be narrowed to act as a strap or waved out in width to act as a “blanket” of support.  With the use of the aerial hammock, physical movement develops in spatial planes that go beyond front to back, and up or down.  Axes of movement extend into spheres and symmetry that angle or align with twists, turns, and nuances in range of motion. The aerial hammock moves with the body to assist postures in depth, elongation, decompression, strength, and relaxation.

 

What becomes possible through the partnership of the aerial hammock resides in the individual expression and movement of the practitioner.  Facilitating bending, stretching, balance, back-bending, decompression of the spine, core engagement, and much more that aerial hammock provides spaces of movement that might not otherwise be possible from the ground.  It works with the abilities and design of the practitioner.

 

Guided in a myriad of aerial hammock postures, the practitioner(s), collaborate with Tanya Miller (instructor) and the aerial hammock to design personal applications and practice sequences that benefit overall physical, emotional, and spiritual health and wellness. This partnership between the practitioner and the aerial hammock is developing as Miller’s and BLUE PLANET LIVING INSTITUTE’s unique approach to aerial yoga, fitness, and movement. Seeing the aerial hammock as an animate partner, practitioners are invited to notice the ways the body moves in partnership, the way the hammock can evoke emotion, the way the spirit and the soul can soar to new places, and how this partnership provides metaphors for lessons on LIVING. The Way of the Aerial Hammock™ encourages practitioners to meet this partnership as one that fosters personal resiliency, which leads to planetary resiliency. Moving beyond a physical workout or exercise routine, delving into this form of aerial yoga, fitness, and therapeutics is bound to flip your perspective on LIVING.