When you perform aerial yoga or any form of aerial sports, there is a lot of friction caused between your skin and the equipment. Unfortunately, that leads to bruises, frictions burns and other annoyances that we aerialists have to deal with. However, there are several things you can do to treat and prevent friction burns during aerial yoga.
Many aerialists will know by now that friction burns and bruises come with the territory of the art form. Eventually, your skin does toughen up and you do become used to is, but certain poses will always get you right in that pinch-point that really hurts no matter how much you try to distract yourself.
It does get easier with time and practice, but as a beginner, you may find it difficult to overcome this challenge. So, we’ve put together some tips for you to prevent friction burns during aerial yoga workouts, as well as how to treat them when the inevitable burns do happen.
Cover up your Skin
Basically, if your skin is out and it’s contacting the fabric, you’re going to feel the friction.
By covering your skin, you’re protecting yourself from friction burns during your aerial yoga workouts
If you get warm during your workouts and feel like shedding layers, stay hydrated instead. Your muscles stretch with ease while you’re warm, hence why hot yoga is so effective.
Wear Appropriate Clothes
For aerial yoga, you need to wear form-fitting clothes. With regular yoga, you can get away with loose tops or wide bottomed yoga pants but loosely-fitted clothes will get in your way and may become tangled in the yoga swing!
During an aerial yoga class, you’ll be more comfortable wearing fitted clothes, even if you don’t normally wear form-fitting clothes in your day-to-day life.
Yoga Leggings/Meggings
Ankle-length leggings are the best because they cover your skin to avoid friction burns. Meggings are leggings, but designed for men to keep their junk covered and protected!
Sports Bra
For women, you’ll be grateful for a sports bra keeping everything in place while you’re upside down!
Headband
If you have long hair, it’s essential that you tie it up out of the way. The last thing you want is your hair caught in the swing – ouch! You may also want a headband to keep your bangs out of your eyes too.
Form-Fitting Tops
Any form-fitting top will do, avoid loose tees as they will fall over your face while you’re performing upside down poses!
For all your aerial fashion needs, check out BoomKats – they sell beautiful aerial fashion for a wide range of aerial disciplines. Click on the image below to visit their online store.
Wear Gloves
If you struggle with sensitive skin on your hands, try wearing workout gloves during your aerial yoga sessions. Not large boxing gloves! There are discreet yoga gloves available which are perfect for aerial yoga.
If you find your grip slips a lot, try pole dancing gloves! These are specially designed gloves that allow you to grip shiny surfaces (like poles or aerial yoga hammocks) without slipping.
If you choose pole dancing gloves, opt for the “tacky” version for maximum grip! The company called Mighty Grip make lots of different options for pole dancing gloves.
Try Yoga Socks
Yoga socks may seem like a gimmick, but they’re actually most definitely not.
They have little rubber grip pads on the soles, meaning less slippage on the yoga mat.
Yoga socks are incredibly useful for aerial yoga. You can’t really wear shoes, and if you go barefoot then you’re opening yourself up to friction burns. Yoga socks provide the perfect ratio of grip : protection that you need when using the swing.
They’re also great for walking around the house, if you have hardwood floors, less chance of slipping at home also!
Treat Bruises Immediately
If you do get bruised during your workout, that s totally normal. Aerialists like to wear their bruises and burns with pride! Pole dancers call them “pole kisses”.
In all seriousness, if you have painful bruises then you should apply one, or both of these things as soon as possible after the bruise occurs:
Ice
Apply ice as soon as you can after you caused a bruise. This will help to reduce swelling caused by the injury that caused the bruise and hopefully reduce its size.
Arnica Gel
Apply Arnica Gel after the ice and let it soak in before washing or covering the bruise, This will help the bruise to heal much quicker.
Take Care of your Skin
Keep your skin moisturized, but only apply moisturizer after a workout, or it will make you too slippery to use the swing! Use diaper-rash ointment, such as Bepanthen on visible friction burns to treat them safely and quickly.
By generally looking after your skin, paying special attention to any extra-sensitive areas which are prone to irritation, you can avoid the risk of friction burns during aerial yoga.
Related: Health Benefits of Aerial Yoga
Try an Aerial Grip Aid
For us aerialists, we have plenty of choices available when it comes to grip products! They’re all rated differently; some have antiperspirant properties, such as Carpe Lotion, whereas some are tacky grips, such as iTac2.
So those are our top tips for avoiding, treating and preventing friction burns during aerial yoga. What have we missed out? What are your top tips for feeling the burn? Leave a comment below if you want to get involved in the discussion.
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