How to Become an Aerial Yoga Teacher

Jan 7, 2024 | Aerial Yoga, Yoga Teacher | 0 comments

Chances are if you’re in the yoga or aerial world, you’ve heard of aerial yoga. Or maybe you even practice it yourself and love it so much that you want to teach it. Well, good news for you! Aerial yoga has exploded in the last 5 years and it is more popular than ever before. And not just aerial yoga but all aerial arts- hoop, silks, pole, and more. Maybe aerial yoga has even gotten you interested in trying more daring aerial hammock/sling classes where more height and drops are involved.

So, with that being said, it’s important to get clear on what you want to teach. Are you more yogi or more aerialist? Do you like stretching or are you an adrenaline junky? Lucky for you, there’s something for everyone.

With this being said, let’s define aerial yoga:

Aerial yoga is a stretching and strengthening technique using a single or double-point aerial silk hammock for support, alignment, and inversions designed to decompress the spine. Usually, at least one limb is on the floor although flying sequences can also be performed. It’s also often known as a more fun style of yoga where laughter is common, while at the same time, it can be super relaxing to lay in the cocoon of the fabric for savasana.

Aerial Hammock, on the other hand, is more like this:

Aerial hammock/sling is a single-point hammock on a swivel which causes it to continuously spin and is usually a much higher height. To use this height, the aerialist performs various inversions and wraps to climb up and perform acrobatic feats and drops where they tumble down. They practice with crash mats underneath them whereas in aerial yoga there is usually just a yoga mat.

Now, this is not to say that there is not some crossover between the two. Some moves which can be done on the aerial hammock, such as small drops and tricks and flips can be incorporated into aerial yoga and are often taught in Level 2/3 or Intermediate/Advanced classes.

Aerialists and yogis often fight with each other about what is what and what they should be called.

Okay, so back to you wanting to become a teacher. Here are a few questions to ask yourself:

Do you have any background in teaching, yoga, dance, Pilates, physical therapy, or performance?
Do you want the program you will take to be certified by a governing body such as Yoga Alliance, NASM, ACE, or others?
Are you already a yoga teacher and need Yoga Alliance Continuing Education credit to keep up with your training?
Are you ready to help people with spotting, adjustments, and even overcoming fears?
Do you have any injuries or mental health issues that could prevent you from teaching or completing a course?

The traditional way most people become aerial yoga teachers is because they have already completed a 200/300/500-hour Yoga Alliance Teacher Training (many of which are available online now) or in-person in exotic destinations like Bali, Thailand, or India.

Some aerial yoga programs offer different sets of hours such as 25, 30, 50, and all the way up to 100. They also offer different modalities such as for example, Foundations, Flow, Restorative, Advanced, Core Pilates, and more. Yoga Alliance requires registered teachers to complete 30 hours of continuing education every 3 years. I recommend you start with a basics or foundations course and build from there.

It’s easy to find programs through websites such as BookYogaRetreats or BookRetreats but they take out a percentage so it’s better if you book directly through the studio/teacher/retreat. You can also use Google. And of course, there are many online options. Some programs will require you to have your yoga certification or one of the qualifications I mentioned above to be admitted to the program.

I run aerial yoga teacher training worldwide and found this qualification to be limiting. So, I decided that aerial yoga teacher training was an excellent way for new teachers to get their feet wet teaching a new and different style of yoga. Yes, it is difficult in the beginning for anyone to teach aerial yoga because you are essentially using a giant silk hammock as a yoga prop and need to learn proper terminology, build your confidence with the moves, and find your unique voice as a teacher. It’s no easy feat!

What to Look for in an Aerial Yoga Teacher Training:

How many hours
Is it Yoga Alliance credentialed
What background does the teacher have and how long have they been teaching aerial yoga or yoga or aerial?
Make sure they provide a manual
Topics covered should include: daily classes, meditation, breathwork, philosophy, history, posture breakdown, anatomy, methodology, sequencing, practice teaching, the language of aerial yoga, rigging, spotting, adjustments & safety, and business of aerial yoga
Is there a written or practical exam at the end?
Will you be provided a digital or paper certificate?
Can you use your teacher as a reference for job opportunities?
Do they provide a Facebook group to stay connected to your fellow students?
Can you take pictures and videos, or will there be a photographer on-site?
Are there any references or reviews on a Facebook page or Google? Do they have an Instagram page?
Can you contact them with any questions?
Is it online or in-person or a hybrid model?

During the pandemic, many of us aerial yoga teachers pivoted and began offering online aerial yoga teacher training. I was one of the first to start it in June 2020 with my brand Rising Wings Aerial Yoga, which I previously taught on 4 continents within 2 years’ time. While I was stranded in India for 18 months during the pandemic, I later created 200/300/500-hour Yoga Alliance schools all incorporating aerial yoga as well as advanced, restorative, and core Pilates courses and certifications using the Teachable and Google Drive platforms to organize my material.

Nearly every month during the pandemic lockdown, I usually taught at least one aerial yoga course live on Zoom and eventually started running weekly classes for my students and hiring out teachers to teach for my school Samanova Yoga.

If you have a specific job location in mind you want to apply for, make sure they accept online teacher training if you are planning to go that route. Online aerial yoga teacher training is convenient because you can do it at your own pace and usually have unlimited time (although I used to limit my live online training to 2 months in the beginning, I have waived this policy now). It is also important to have highly-rated and high-quality aerial yoga gear when you are getting set up or have permission to use your studio space (such as during open gym time, etc.). I recommend Uplift Active where you can use code LINDSAYNOVA to get 10% off your purchase. I do not recommend products from Amazon as I have had equipment break on me from there.

If rigging from home, you need to ensure safety by hiring a structural engineer to inspect wherever you are going to rig from. Otherwise, you can buy an outdoor rig, although not convenient during the winter months.

What To Do After You’re Certified

It’s time to start teaching aerial yoga! Let your home studio know that you got certified and see if you can offer some trial classes, and workshops, or shadow an instructor. Most studios I talk to tell me their classes are regularly sold out because of limited hammock space so maybe they will even add a new class with you teaching on their schedule!

You can also reach out to other studios in your area and offer workshops and classes to expand your teaching.

If you really want to take a leap of faith and have the capital, you can open your own studio. Some people have done this the brick-and-mortar way by leasing space and investing in all the equipment and insurance (don’t forget to get insured before you start teaching! I’ll list a few options at the bottom of this article). Some people invest in aerial rigs and have outdoor businesses if they live somewhere the weather permits this.

You can also teach private lessons in your home if you have an at-home setup for however much money you want! It’s up to you.

Studios may have a set rate ranging from $25-75 per hour plus commission or bonus on how many students attend. Remember that when you get into teaching, you are doing more than teaching so always try to negotiate a fair rate because you:

Paid for your insurance
Paid for your teacher training
Are planning your classes each week
Are driving to the studio
Are possibly helping with setup or check-in and breakdown afterward
And then driving home

Also, you will need to see if the studio hires you as an employee or a contractor (I only know US laws and taxes regarding this).

how to become an aerial yoga teacher lindsay nova online certification

To become more official, I recommend the following:

Come up with a name for your business and build a website, or add it to your already existing website
Post regularly about your classes on Instagram and Facebook
Schedule a professional photoshoot
Start a Facebook page for your new aerial business
Start a YouTube channel where you share tutorials or classes

There’s so much more you can do to market yourself as a new aerial yoga teacher, but these are just a few ideas!