Aerial Yoga Teacher Training in India With a Female Instructor

Written by Mayuri Shewale, E-RYT 500 (Yoga Alliance), founder of Swaastik Yog School and lead teacher of its aerial programme, Aerial Rishikesh. Prices and dates taken from our live course pages on 2 November 2026.

Disclosure: Swaastik Yog School wrote this guide. Aerial Rishikesh is our own aerial programme, and it is one of the options described.

Many women who write to us about aerial yoga ask the same thing before they ask about the price: "Will a woman be teaching me?" It is a fair question. Aerial yoga is the most hands-on style of yoga there is. Your teacher holds your legs as you go upside down, checks how the fabric sits on your hips and stands close while you find your balance.

This guide explains how to find a female-led aerial yoga teacher training in India, what the course should include, what to ask any school before you book, and how our own programme works. I have taught in Rishikesh since founding Swaastik in 2015, and I lead our aerial programme myself.

What does a female-led aerial teacher training at Aerial Rishikesh look like at a glance?

A female-led aerial teacher training is one where a woman leads the course and the spotting, not just one class. Here are the key facts for our 50-hour course.

What you want to know	Aerial Rishikesh (Swaastik Yog School)
Who leads it	Founder Mayuri Shewale, E-RYT 500, 15+ years teaching. Aerial yoga is taught by women.
Length	50 hours over 7 days (Monday to Sunday)
Start dates	Every Monday
Price (all-inclusive)	$195 dorm / $385 shared / $550 private
Included	Training, accommodation, two sattvic vegetarian meals a day, herbal tea, filtered water, hammock and equipment use, course manual, Wi-Fi, certificate
Not included	Airport transfers, laundry and personal costs, your own hammock (available to buy)
Certificate	Yoga Alliance YACEP aerial yoga certificate (continuing education)
Experience needed	None in aerial. You should be in good health and willing to go upside down.
Campus	Tapovan, Rishikesh, the same campus as Swaastik Yog School
Winter (Nov–Feb)	Heated halls and a heated blanket in every room

The full syllabus for the 50-hour and 100-hour courses is on Aerial Rishikesh, and dates and room options are on our aerial yoga teacher training page.

Why do many women prefer a female aerial yoga instructor?

Many women prefer a female aerial instructor because aerial yoga involves close, constant physical contact, and they relax faster when a woman is doing it.

In a mat class, a teacher may adjust you once or twice. In the hammock, contact is part of almost every pose. Your teacher may hold your ankles in an inversion, guide your hips into the fabric, or stand behind you while you lean back. Fear makes the body tense, and a tense body learns slowly. When students feel safe with the person spotting them, they let go sooner and progress faster.

There are practical reasons too. Women often want to talk openly about their period and inversions, about fabric pressure on the chest or hips, or about bruising, without feeling awkward. A female teacher has felt the same things in the same hammock.

A good male teacher can also teach aerial safely and respectfully, and many do. What matters most is skill, consent and clear communication. But if a woman teacher is what helps you feel at ease, it is reasonable to look for one.

Is Aerial Rishikesh really one of the few aerial-only schools in India?

Yes. Aerial Rishikesh is one of the very few aerial-only schools in Rishikesh, and one of the very few in India with a dedicated aerial yoga teacher training.

Most Rishikesh schools that offer aerial treat it as a short add-on to their main 200-hour course. Aerial Rishikesh is the reverse. It is Swaastik Yog School's specialist aerial programme, with its own website, its own 50-hour and 100-hour courses, and a weekly start date. It runs on our Tapovan campus with the same team, so you get a specialist course with the support of an established Yoga Alliance school behind it.

What should a 50-hour aerial yoga teacher training cover?

A 50-hour aerial teacher training should teach you to practise, spot and sequence aerial yoga safely, not only to do poses in the air.

Our 50-hour syllabus covers six areas:

1. Aerial fundamentals: how the hammock works, grips, safe entries and exits, warming up and body awareness in the air.
2. Inversions and flying poses: supported inversions, transitions and how to build confidence upside down, step by step.
3. Aerial asana: aerial sun salutations, standing, seated and lying poses, backbends, hip openers and restorative poses.
4. Teaching methodology: class sequencing for different levels, verbal cues, hands-on spotting and contraindications.
5. Studio setup and business: choosing equipment, safe hammock installation, insurance and pricing your classes.
6. Benefits and adaptations: spinal decompression, therapeutic uses and how to adapt poses for different bodies.

If a school's syllabus does not mention spotting, contraindications or hammock installation, ask why. Those three topics are what make an aerial course a teacher training rather than a workshop.

Do you need yoga experience to join an aerial teacher training?

No. You do not need aerial experience to join our 50-hour aerial teacher training, and complete beginners do join.

You do need good general health, the willingness to try being upside down and the commitment to attend all seven days. Being able to hold your body weight on your arms for a few seconds helps, but you build that strength during the week. Students who already teach yoga usually find the teaching sections easier. New students usually find the playful side of aerial is what gets them hooked.

If you are not sure, try a class first. Our daily aerial drop-in class runs from 12:30 to 1:30 PM, Monday to Saturday, and is beginner friendly. Details are on our drop-in classes page.

What does the YACEP aerial certificate let you do?

A YACEP aerial certificate shows you completed an aerial training with a Yoga Alliance Continuing Education Provider. It is a specialist certificate, not a full teacher registration.

If you are already a registered yoga teacher (RYT), the hours can count as continuing education with Yoga Alliance. If you are not yet an RYT, you still receive the certificate, and many studios ask for exactly this kind of specialist training before they let you teach aerial. If you also want to become a registered yoga teacher, you need a 200-hour course from a Registered Yoga School, such as our 200-hour yoga teacher training.

Always check a school's status on the Yoga Alliance website before you pay. A logo on a website is not proof.

What should you ask any aerial school about its female instructors?

Ask who will actually teach and spot you each day, because the face on the website is not always the person in the room.

• "Who leads my batch, and who does the spotting?" Ask for names, then look them up on the Yoga Alliance directory.
• "How many students share one hammock?" You learn far more with plenty of time in the fabric.
• "How do you handle hands-on assists?" A good teacher asks before touching you and accepts a "no" without fuss.
• "What if I have my period, an old injury or a fear of heights?" The answer should be calm and practical, never "just push through".
• "Who installed the rigging, and how often is it checked?" Safety starts above your head.
• "What is included, and what costs extra?" Ask about meals, the hammock, pickup and laundry.
• "Are the dorms women-only or gender-separate?" If you are booking the cheapest room, this matters.

Our own answers to most of these are on our women-led yoga school page. For the rest, message us and we will tell you straight.

Which other schools in Rishikesh run aerial teacher trainings?

Several other Rishikesh schools list a 50-hour aerial teacher training on their websites, usually over six or seven days. They are worth comparing, and each sets its own format and price.

Arohan Yoga

Arohan Yoga lists a seven-day aerial yoga teacher training in Rishikesh with several dedicated aerial sessions a day and a YACEP certificate. Ask the school who leads current batches and what the price includes.

Tratak Yoga Academy

Tratak Yoga Academy lists a 50-hour, six-day intensive aerial training in Rishikesh described as Yoga Alliance continuing education. Confirm dates and current fees with the school.

Ishavasyam Yoga School

Ishavasyam Yoga School lists a 50-hour, six-day aerial yoga teacher training in Rishikesh. Ask about batch size and who teaches the hammock sessions.

Jeevatman Yogshala

Jeevatman Yogshala lists a 50-hour aerial teacher training in Rishikesh, and a version combined with sound healing. Ask how the hours are split if you choose the combined course.

We could not confirm these schools' current prices or the names of their lead aerial teachers when we wrote this guide, so we have not listed them. Please ask each school directly. For a wider comparison, read our guide to the best aerial yoga teacher training in Rishikesh.

Is it safe to travel to Rishikesh alone for an aerial course as a woman?

Rishikesh is one of the easier places in India for a woman to travel alone, especially if you stay on a campus that is set up for women.

Tapovan, where our campus is, is full of yoga students and small cafés. On our campus there are female staff, gender-separate dorms and a written code of conduct, and hands-on assists are always offered with consent. Most students fly into Dehradun airport (DED), about an hour away by car, and we can arrange a pickup at extra cost so you are not negotiating a taxi on your first night.

Our full guide on solo female yoga teacher training in India covers arrival, money, health and the emergency numbers to save. You can also read about female yoga teachers in Rishikesh if you want to train with a woman beyond aerial.

What should you pack for an aerial yoga teacher training?

Pack fitted clothes that cover your underarms and the backs of your knees, because the fabric can rub bare skin.

• Leggings or fitted long pants, and fitted tops with sleeves. Avoid loose clothes, zips and buttons.
• No rings, watches or long earrings. They can snag or tear the fabric.
• A bath towel, toiletries and any medicines you need.
• A notebook for sequences and cues.
• From November to February, warm layers for the mornings and evenings. Our halls are heated and every room has a heated blanket.

Frequently asked questions

Is there a female-led aerial yoga teacher training in India?

Yes. Aerial Rishikesh, the aerial programme of Swaastik Yog School in Tapovan, Rishikesh, is led by founder Mayuri Shewale (E-RYT 500), and aerial yoga is taught by women. The 50-hour course runs 7 days, starts every Monday and costs from $195.

How much does an aerial yoga teacher training cost in Rishikesh?

Our 50-hour aerial teacher training costs $195 in a dorm, $385 in a shared room or $550 in a private room. That includes accommodation, two sattvic vegetarian meals a day, hammock use, the course manual and the YACEP certificate. Other schools set their own prices, so ask what is included.

Can a complete beginner do an aerial yoga teacher training?

Yes. No aerial experience is required. You need good health and a willingness to go upside down. If you are unsure, try our beginner-friendly aerial drop-in class first.

Is Aerial Rishikesh the only aerial yoga school in Rishikesh?

No. It is one of the very few aerial-only schools in Rishikesh. Several other Rishikesh schools also run aerial teacher trainings alongside their other courses.

Is the aerial certificate recognised by Yoga Alliance?

Our aerial certificate is issued as Yoga Alliance continuing education (YACEP). If you are a registered yoga teacher, the hours can count toward your continuing education. It does not replace a 200-hour registration.

If you want to learn aerial yoga from a woman, in a small, friendly setting by the Ganga, see the next Monday start dates on our aerial yoga teacher training page, or explore the full syllabus at Aerial Rishikesh. Message us with any question, and I or my team will answer honestly.