Everyone wants to feel lean and sexy right? These days you no longer have to join expensive gyms because you can easily get a yoga swing and trapeze stand in the comfort of your own home. This incredible new tool helps you gracefully stretch and build core strength while getting the added benefits of a high intensity aerial yoga workout!
With the proper swing and stand you can feel secure that you won’t fall on your head during pigeon pose. In this review, we’ll show you the absolute best ones and why.
Quick Answer: 5 Best Yoga Swings
What Is a Yoga Swing?
A yoga swing, sometimes called a yoga trapeze, aerial yoga hammock, or yoga hammock, is used in aerial yoga as a way of supporting your body and helping you achieve positions that would be impossible from the ground. They’re usually made from a silk or silk like material that can hold a max weight of about 300 pounds on average.
While the materials are the same among yoga swings, there’s a variety of handle styles. Some use curtains of silk as handles while others may have one, two or even three sets of plastic with foam handles.
You might think you need a lot of space or huge trapeze frames to hang your swing from. But I have good news for you, a yoga swing can easily be hung on everything from a tree branch to an anti-gravity yoga frame and they can fold up into a tight little package that’s easy to travel with.
Despite looking super cool, the swing isn’t just about style. Aerial yoga has many stress relieving and health benefits. In fact, by using the swing as a form of inversion therapy you can relieve pressure on your spine and increase blood flow to your brain.
They’re also a great tool for both advanced and beginner yogis. Since the aerial hammock can support your weight in sensitive areas, its almost like a scaffolding. It helps you avoid injuries by preventing overstretching or tensing up when you find yourself in a tough spot.
For advanced practitioners, the swing offers you the opportunity to deepen your stretches and practice the weightless art of aerial yoga. And of course, you can get a high intensity workout if you desire that.
The Benefits of an Anti-gravity Swing
Because you’re using a swing instead of practicing yoga on the floor, you get the benefits of both normal yoga and inversion therapy. You can do a full aerial workout or combine the use of your swing as a stretching tool while doing yoga on the ground.
The combination of exercises is endless since your swing can also be used in a similar fashion to a TRX and even be used for stretching (think bar class) and balancing exercises.
On top of the notable increased flexibility, more benefits of the hammock are that you can decompress your spine and relieve pressure from those delicate disks between your vertebrae. It’s a perfect tool if you sit at a desk for most of the day.
You’ll also be increasing blood flow and oxygen to your brain and other vital organs. Every time you stretch and compress your body, you’re forcing blood and oxygen deeper into your organs and detoxing your lymphatic system. When you’re upside down in pigeon position gravity is pulling more blood down into your brain resulting in higher oxygen levels.
Beyond the clear health benefits, the inversion swing also assists you in deeper positions such as back bends. We all know how it feels to be humbled by the back bend your 8 year old niece made look so easy. And because the swing helps you achieve deeper positions, you’re building a strong core and elongating your muscles at the same time. Bottom line, if you want a lean and toned look, the swing can help you get there.
Who is a Yoga Swing For?
The good news about a yoga swing is that it can be used by both beginner and advanced yogis alike. And in some cases, it’s even better for a beginner to go ahead and start with. Because the swing has many handles, ropes and the U-shaped hammock, it can be used to stabilize your body during hard moves. This is especially important when starting out because you may not have the flexibility or core strength to safely perform these positions.
How to Install Your Swing
As soon as you look at a picture of a yoga swing, you probably think there’s just no way you can have one at home. Fortunately, once these sweet little tools went mainstream two things happened:
- You no longer have to join an expensive Pilates studio to get access
- They became super user friendly and easy to install at home
The swing can be hung from a stand, an exposed beam, from the ceiling, from a tree, and from a doorway. These days there’s more places TO hang the swing than not. If you hang it from the ceiling just make sure you drill into studs and if you’re not sure how, have a contractor handle this for you.
Review of the Best Yoga Swings
1. UpCircleSeven Aerial Yoga Swing – Ultra Strong
Our Rating
The UpCircleSeven anti-gravity swing is an excellent choice for both beginners and advanced yogis. Its affordably priced, comes in several vibrant colors and it’s crafted from ultra-strong parachute material rated to hold up to 550 lbs (3 adult men).
This swing features 3 foam padded handles, 2 extension straps to further adjust the height of your swing and a nice carry bag. The trade-off with this swing is that its made from ultra strength parachute material which doesn’t stretch or give. For most people this isn’t a problem but if it bugs you then you can opt for a more expensive ultra strong silk swing (however silk swings tend to be significantly more expensive).
Overall this is a great starter swing that’s built to last and can really help you sculpt that toned body image.
Pros
- Ultra strong material
- Very lightweight
- 3 foam padded handles for any position
- Comes in several vibrant colors
- Includes a carry bag
- Includes extension straps
- Portable enough to bring anywhere
Cons
- Parachute material has no “give” to it
2. YogaBody Naturals Yoga Trapeze
Our Rating
The YogaBody official swing is a perfect tool to alleviate back pain and build your core strength. It comes in several colors, has a little carrying bag and includes a DVD showing you how to get started with your new swing.
They also include easy to follow YouTube videos for setup (I put one below this review box). The swing features three rubber grip handles to accommodate any yoga position and includes a 10 year warranty!
Bottom line, if you want a swing that’s guaranteed to be both comfortable and reliable, choose this. And since its the same swing used in YogaBody studios around the world, you get the same quality without the cost of a monthly membership.
Pros
- Official swing used in YogaBody Studios
- Three gym grade, rubber coated handles for strength and versatility
- Includes a 10 year warranty
- Comes with a yoga routine DVD
- Includes a nice carry bag
- Constructed from a nylon/polyester blend similar to parachute swings
- Can be set up in minutes
- Easy to use
Cons
- Material doesn’t “give” or stretch