Aerial swings are powerful, energising and liberating with a host of benefits. So, it is necessary to do a lot of grounding work in sessions so that people are not opened or changed too quickly when using the swings. To ground through the feet is an important physical connection. However, grounding is not always a feeling of heaviness. It's also energising and a mental shift. With both feet on the floor, the ground holds firm and supports, in a literal way and this feeling is important not just physically, but psychologically as when finding a connection to the earth, there is a connection to something far greater than ourselves. Although our cultural ideals are to move up or transcend, it is a reminder that human beings are not just egos floating in space; there is an attachment to a huge planet that nourishes and shelters. Problems seem smaller; people are part of an ecosystem, and an expansive timeline. So, resting into gravity, and feeling pulled down is not just a pulling to the floor but also to the roots of the Earth.
‘It harnesses the power of passivity to return homeostasis to our overwrought nervous systems. So, calmed and strengthened, you can go on with the quest.
Richard Holroyd, Aerial Yoga London
A practice that is focussed and grounded, can bring people to stillness.