Set Sequences in Airo
Author: Natalie Basch
Airo is a style of aerial yoga or “supported” yoga. The differentiating factor to Airo is the swing AND the teaching methodology. The teaching methodology consists of set sequences that are put together to help teachers teach a structured and consistent class right after their training.
Teaching students a structured way of teaching eliminates unnecessary stress and prepares them to teach right after their training. I encourage my teachers to start with the set structure, and once they feel confident, they are free to modify and adapt the sequences as they see fit.
The same applies to those students who want to develop a self-practice. Learn the basics, do them well and then feel free to explore and play.
There are currently five Set Sequences in Airo:
A Warm-Up sequence to get the energy flowing in the body and to warm up the spine. This sequence includes a short meditation and helps us connect the breath to our movement. Here, the three-legged down dog and the plank pose are introduced, key poses in the Airo Yoga practice.
Once the body is warm, we want to create even more heat in the body. For this, there are three sequences, each one having their purpose and focus.
Set Sequence I (my favourite!) is similar to a Sun Salutation we see in traditional Ashtanga Yoga. It also includes three plank variations to increase the difficulty level. At this point, we start to get super sweaty and we can really feel the muscles work. The legs, the buttocks, the core, the arms – EVERYTHING is working!
Set Sequence II focuses on standing poses. Here we visit traditional postures such as the high lunge, Warrior II, Triangle pose, and split pose preparation. In this sequence, we also move through our swing transition. This can be a scary or a playful pose – depends on how you see it. This is the first pose where the swing supports the WHOLE body. An essential part of our practice is building trust in the swing before moving on to the full inversions.
Set Sequence III is all about the CORE. The swing is placed under the shoulder blades, allowing the spine to lengthen. Three different core activations are introduced and oblique crunches before moving into a nice long backward stretch.
From here, we are ready to invert and play around with some of the fancy poses. I suggest moving through 5 inversions in a class before cooling down.
And lastly, we have our Cool Down sequence; a gentle sequence which allows the heart rate to lower and prepares us for our final resting pose – Savasana. Often, we tend to overlook the Cool Down and jump straight back into our busy lives. It is imperative to give the body some time to adapt to any shifts and changes it underwent during the practice – especially after hanging upside down.
These sequences are taught on the Online Intensive Course and the Teacher Trainings – both in-person and online. The good news is if you want to work through these sequences by yourself and in your own time, you can do so with the Foundations Course. The course is on our e-learning platform, and you will be guided step by step through ALL of the sequences so that you can develop your practice at home.
Simple and efficient. Just like the Airo swing. So, are you ready to swing?
