October 17, 2026

Aerial hammock, aerial yoga and silks: which is the gentle one

Of the three, aerial yoga is the gentle one in the sources we read. Aerial yoga is a yoga class done in a fabric hammock that holds part of your weight while you stretch. In the one aerial yoga class we read, the hammocks hang at hip height and going upside down is offered, not required. Aerial hammock (also called sling) uses the same single loop of fabric, but as a circus apparatus, with tricks, inversions and drops. Silks are two long tails of fabric that you climb and wrap yourself in, and a first silks class asks the most of your grip and upper body. The names overlap, so read the class description, not just the title.

What is the difference between a hammock, aerial yoga and silks?

The hammock and the silks are made from the same material. Airborne Circus & Fitness puts it this way in its beginner hammock listing: "Aerial hammock uses the same fabric as Aerial silks, however one piece of fabric is looped and secured at a rigging point creating its own hammock shape apparatus." Sierra Shanti Studio says "The hammock is one continuous fabric, instead of two separate silks."

Aerial yoga is not a separate apparatus. It is a way of using the hammock. M-Pole, a Polish pole and aerial equipment shop, writes that aerial yoga is "often referred to as yoga with silks, but that can be slightly misleading", because "you don't use classic aerial silks, but rather an aerial hammock that supports your body".

So the useful split is not three pieces of equipment but two questions. Is there a loop under you, or two tails you have to hold? And is the class run as yoga or as circus? Our glossary has short entries for the aerial hammock, aerial yoga and aerial silks.

What does a first aerial yoga class ask of your body?

Less height and less grip than the other two, in the class descriptions we read.

Forever Wild Yoga in Brunswick, Maine, describes its all-levels Aerial Flow class as "a great aerial class for beginners new to aerial yoga". It says "The hammocks are hung at hip height and we do a combination of poses touching the ground and fully supported in the hammocks", and that "Students will have the opportunity to go upside down but many poses are done upright." There is "always an option to choose your own adventure and stay more grounded or take flight." The class "ends with a floating savasana (rest) while cocooned in your hammock."

Height is part of why it feels gentle. Yogalaxy, a German aerial yoga hammock retailer, says that for most exercises the hammock is set at "approx. 60 - 90 cm above the ground" (about 2 to 3 feet), and that at that setting "you hang in an inverted position with your head approx. 10 cm above the ground" (about 4 inches). It also describes a "Low Aerial Yoga" setting at "approx. 15-30 cm above the ground" (about 6 to 12 inches), which it says "can be particularly suitable for beginners or those with limited mobility". Those are one seller's recommendations, not a rule every studio follows.

Note the word "opportunity". In that class, inversions are offered, not required, which is the main thing that makes it the softest start.

What does a first hammock (sling) class ask?

More than aerial yoga, and here the studios we read describe the difficulty differently.

Some put hammock on the gentle side of aerial. Voler Aerial Academy's hammock series says that "Because the fabric creates a loop at the bottom, sling does not require as much endurance as silks and can be a great place to start your aerial dance journey". The same listing is careful about the label: "This class is focused on using the hammock as a circus art and is not an aerial yoga class".

Others are plain that hammock is real aerial training from the first class. Aerial Revolution's Hammock Level 1 is "a great class for the first time client but will also challenge a beginner to advanced beginner", where you "learn how to invert in your hammock (go upside down), hip keys, and a few sequences". New clients, it says, "will be introduced to the fundamentals of aerial dance such as inverting, pull up strength, and safety."

And some studios want you to start somewhere else. Airborne Circus & Fitness says of its beginner hammock class: "For students new to aerial we recommend trying our Intro to Aerials class first." Once you are in, that class works on "the basic entrances into the hammock, inverting using the support of your hammock and wrapping yourself to create beautiful poses, all from the safety mat", then moves on to "invert from standing in the hammock" and to "prepare for your first drop if you are feeling confident."

The honest summary: the loop supports you, which Voler says makes it easier than silks, but the circus-style hammock classes we read ask you to invert and hold yourself up sooner than the aerial yoga class does.

What does a first silks class ask?

The most grip, and you climb.

TriCity Centre for Circus Arts describes silks as an art that creates "a stunning performance high off the ground", where "aerialists climb, twist, and drop on suspended fabric". Its adult beginner class teaches "foundational skills, basic climbs, and a variety of moves from foot locks and simple wraps." Voler Aerial Academy's intro silks class covers "foot locks, hip keys, climbs, and arabesque skills."

M-Pole draws the contrast directly: in silks "the fabric doesn't provide the same level of support", and "everything depends on your ability to grip the fabric, hold it, and use it effectively during movement." It calls the start "more demanding, as your body needs to adapt to grip, tension, and movement sequences".

None of that means silks is closed to beginners. TriCity says "No previous experience is required, and all levels of fitness are welcome", and Voler says "No prior aerial experience necessary". It means the first weeks are about strength and technique, which our posts on aerial silks for absolute beginners and aerial silks vs pole cover in more depth.

So which one is the gentle one?

If gentle means low to the floor, inversions optional, and the fabric holding you most of the time: aerial yoga. M-Pole says it "will be the easier entry point" for someone who wants calmer movement, and calls it "usually less physically demanding at the beginning."

Hammock comes next, with one caveat: whether a hammock class feels gentle depends on whether the studio runs it as yoga or as circus, and the class titles do not always tell you.

Both sources we read that compare silks with another apparatus, M-Pole and Voler, call silks the more demanding start. M-Pole also notes that "Some people start with aerial yoga to get used to suspended movement, then transition to silks." That is a reasonable path, not a requirement.

Is aerial yoga safe for everyone?

That is a question for your studio and your doctor, not for us. Some studios publish their own health exclusions for aerial yoga. Read your studio's list before you book, and ask them if anything applies to you.

How common is each one in our directory?

Of the 1,168 listings in our directory (US and Vietnam) on 2026-10-10, 472 list silks, 382 list hammock/sling and 69 list aerial yoga. These are rows per discipline: a studio that teaches several is counted once for each, so the discipline counts add up to more than the number of listings. For context, 798 list pole and 489 list lyra. Our post on pole vs aerial walks through the full mix.

Do not read the aerial yoga figure as "aerial yoga is rare". Our aerial yoga tag was only admitted to the directory on 2026-09-02. Before that, many aerial yoga venues were recorded under hammock/sling, because a yoga hammock is a hammock, and those rows were left as they were. On 2026-10-10, 73 rows tagged hammock/sling but not aerial yoga mention "aerial yoga" in their name, notes or intro offer, and 21 rows carry both tags. So hammock/sling in our data means "teaches on a hammock", whether as yoga or as circus, and the aerial yoga tag is a partial count. If you want one of the two specifically, check the studio's own class description.

Quick answers

Which is easier, aerial yoga or aerial silks? Aerial yoga, in the sources we read that compare them. The hammock supports your body and inversions were optional in the class we read, while silks asks you to grip and climb from the first class.

Is aerial hammock the same as aerial yoga? Same apparatus, different class. Aerial yoga is yoga done in a hammock; an aerial hammock or sling class is often run as a circus art, with tricks, inversions and drops.

Is aerial hammock easier than silks? One studio we read, Voler Aerial Academy, says yes, because the loop carries part of your weight. One studio's Level 1 still introduces inverting and pull up strength to new clients.

How high is an aerial yoga hammock? In the class we read, at hip height. One retailer recommends about 60 to 90 cm (about 2 to 3 feet) above the ground, and 15 to 30 cm (about 6 to 12 inches) for low aerial yoga.

Do you have to go upside down in a first aerial class? In the aerial yoga class we read, no: inversions are offered, and many poses are upright. The beginner hammock classes at Airborne Circus & Fitness and Aerial Revolution both teach inverting.