Best Aerial Yoga Teacher Training in Rishikesh

Written by Mayuri Shewale, E-RYT 500 (Yoga Alliance), founder of Swaastik Yog School in Rishikesh.

Disclosure: Swaastik Yog School runs the aerial course described here. Use the checklist below on every school you consider, including ours.

Rishikesh has hundreds of yoga schools, but very few of them teach aerial yoga seriously. Many list "aerial" as an add-on class in a mat-yoga course, with a hammock or two hung in a corner of the shala. If you want to lead aerial classes safely when you go home, you need a course built around the hammock, and a teacher whose main job is aerial.

What makes an aerial yoga teacher training good?

A good aerial teacher training teaches you to keep students safe in the air first, and to sequence poses second.

Aerial yoga adds height, inversion and load-bearing equipment to an ordinary class. A student who slips out of a wrap or hangs upside down for too long can get hurt in a way that rarely happens on a mat. So the questions that matter are about safety and supervision:

• Is there a dedicated aerial teacher? Ask for the name. At our school, aerial is taught by Priya Sharma, our aerial yoga teacher, rather than rotated among mat teachers.
• How is rigging taught? You should learn how hammocks are hung, what hardware is used, how to inspect it, and when to call a professional. A course that skips this leaves you unable to set up your own studio.
• How many students per hammock and per teacher? Spotting inversions needs close attention. Ask for the maximum batch size, not the average.
• Do you practise teaching? You should lead parts of a class and give hands-on spotting under supervision before you finish.
• What does the certificate actually say? Check whether it is Yoga Alliance continuing education (YACEP) and verify the school in the Yoga Alliance directory.

What does the Swaastik aerial yoga teacher training cover?

Our aerial course is a 7-day residential certification that takes you from your first time in the hammock to leading a basic aerial class.

The week is built in three blocks:

1. Foundations and safety (early week): what aerial yoga is and how it differs from aerial silks, safety protocols, hammock setup and height, basic positions and grips, body awareness in the air and aerial warm-ups.
2. Inversions and asana (mid-week): supported inversions, flying poses and transitions, aerial sun salutations, and hammock-supported standing, seated, backbend, hip-opener and restorative poses.
3. Teaching methodology (end of week): sequencing for different levels, verbal cues, hands-on adjustments and spotting, choosing and installing equipment, insurance and liability, and pricing and marketing your own aerial classes.

Hammocks and all equipment are provided during the course. If you want your own hammock to take home, one is available to buy.

How much does aerial yoga teacher training in Rishikesh cost?

At Swaastik Yog School the 50-hour aerial teacher training costs $195 in a dormitory, $385 in a shared room and $550 in a private room.

Item	Dormitory	Shared room	Private room
Course fee, all-inclusive	$195	$385	$550
Length	7 days (Monday to Sunday), 50 hours
Start dates	Every Monday
Included	Training, accommodation on our Tapovan campus, 2 sattvic meals a day (brunch and dinner), hammocks and equipment, certificate
Not included	Flights, visa, travel to Rishikesh, a personal hammock to take home
To book	10% deposit, balance on arrival

When you compare prices, compare the full package. A lower fee that excludes the room, the meals or the certificate is often not cheaper in the end.

Is an aerial yoga certificate from Rishikesh recognised?

Our aerial certificate is issued as Yoga Alliance continuing education (YACEP), which is the standard way specialist trainings like aerial are recognised.

Here is what that means in practice. YACEP hours are continuing education: if you are already a registered yoga teacher, they can count towards the continuing education hours Yoga Alliance asks you to log. They do not make you an RYT on their own. No aerial course, anywhere, gives you an RYT 200; that comes from a 200-hour teacher training at a Registered Yoga School. You can check our school's registrations (RYS 200, RYS 300, RYS 500, RCYS and YACEP) on our Yoga Alliance profile.

Whether a studio or gym will hire you depends on them, not the certificate. Most will want to see you teach a sample class, and many will ask about your insurance, which is why the course covers liability.

Do I need yoga experience before aerial teacher training?

You do not need any aerial experience, but a regular yoga practice and reasonable upper-body and grip strength make the week much easier.

If you are a mat-yoga teacher, you will already know how to cue and hold a room, and you can focus on the hammock. If you are new to yoga, you can still join, but expect to finish as a confident practitioner who can teach simple beginner sessions, not an expert. Seven days is enough to learn the foundations and safe teaching habits. It is not enough to master advanced flows; that comes with months of practice afterwards.

Aerial yoga involves inversions. If you are pregnant, or have high or low blood pressure, glaucoma or other eye conditions, a heart condition, recent surgery or a head, neck or shoulder injury, talk to your doctor before you book and tell us when you apply.

Swaastik Yog School or Aerial Rishikesh?

They are the same school. Aerial Rishikesh is the aerial-only programme of Swaastik Yog School, with its own site for students who want to focus entirely on aerial training. It lists both the 50-hour and a longer 100-hour aerial teacher training. The teaching team, campus and Yoga Alliance registration are the same.

Honest trade-offs

• It is short. A 7-day course gives you strong foundations, not years of experience. Plan to keep practising before you teach paid classes.
• It is physical. Your hands, forearms and shoulders will be tired by midweek. That is normal.
• Your own studio needs its own rigging check. We teach you what good rigging looks like, but the ceiling or frame where you teach at home should be checked by a qualified professional.
• Living is simple. Meals are vegetarian and sattvic, and the campus is quiet. If you want a resort, this is not it.

For the wider picture of the school, ratings and reviews, Swaastik Yog School holds a 4.8 rating on Google from 137+ reviews.

Next step

Check the next Monday start dates and room options on our Aerial Yoga Teacher Training in Rishikesh page, or visit Aerial Rishikesh to compare the 50-hour and 100-hour programmes. You reserve your place with a 10% deposit and pay the balance when you arrive.