Aerial Yoga Teacher Training in Bali

This aerial yoga teacher training in Ubud, Bali is a six-day intensive for yoga practitioners who want to learn to teach hammock-based classes. It is led by Yogi Vishnu Panigrahi of Bali Yoga Retreats, in the Himalayan Yoga Tradition, and runs through the year in four intakes. The 50-hour course ends with Bali Yoga Retreats' own Aerial Yoga Teacher certificate. No prior aerial experience is needed.

What to Expect

The course begins with a check-in day, followed by five days of classes and a check-out on the sixth day. The training covers equipment setup and safety, aerial poses, inversions and transitions, anatomy as it applies to suspended practice, a teaching practicum and a final assessment.

The syllabus is organized in five modules: an introduction to aerial yoga, aerial fundamentals, anatomy and physiology, teaching and practicum, and certification with final assessment. Early work covers the history and benefits of the practice, warm-up and cool-down sequences, and basic alignment in the hammock. Later days move into sequencing a balanced class, spotting, basic inversions, and the spine, muscles and common injuries relevant to aerial work. In the practicum you lead short sequences, give and receive feedback, practise adjustments and cueing, and plan a full class. The course closes with a practical teaching exam, a written assessment on principles and safety, and a graduation ceremony.

Training days follow a steady rhythm. The wake-up bell rings at 5:00 am. Afternoon aerial yoga runs from 2:30 to 4:00 pm, followed by aerial breathwork from 4:15 to 5:15 pm, then aerial meditation and yoga nidra from 5:30 to 6:30 pm. Practice teaching or self-practice fills 6:30 to 7:30 pm, dinner is from 7:45 to 8:45 pm, and lights go off at 10:00 pm. The school notes that timings can shift with the season. Weekend excursions, a Balinese culture experience and an optional kirtan session are part of the programme.

About Yogi Vishnu Panigrahi

Yogi Vishnu Panigrahi is the founder of Bali Yoga Retreats. He is an E-RYT 500 teacher in the Himalayan Yoga Tradition with more than 25 years of experience. He and Maa Haripriya, both teachers at the school, divide their time between Rishikesh and Bali depending on their schedules.

The Setting

Training takes place at Bali Yoga Retreats in Ubud. Accommodation options include a private room and a twin-share room, and the school also offers shared rooms for four or six, with shared rooms for women only. Three meals a day are served, mainly sattvic and vegetarian, with vegan, gluten-free and lactose-free options and special preparation for allergies. Fresh and organic ingredients are used where possible.

On arrival day, students are welcomed with a drink, and fruit is kept at reception. Anyone arriving at mealtime can eat in the dining hall. For those coming from other hotels, the school can arrange a pickup by car or scooter on request.

Before You Go

A regular yoga practice is recommended, along with a willingness to learn hammock technique and work carefully with the equipment. An existing teaching certification is not required.

The certificate is issued by Bali Yoga Retreats. It is not a Yoga Alliance registration, since Yoga Alliance has no aerial yoga category. Training like this may count as continuing education hours for an existing RYT where the school holds that status, or stand as a certificate of completion on its own.

Included are accommodation in the package options, daily meals, outdoor yoga classes, props, an aerial silk hammock for practice, rigging and safety training, towels and bed sheets, and pre-recorded preparatory videos once you have enrolled. Not included are medical expenses, insurance, Ayurveda consultation, visa, panchakarma, toiletries and air conditioning or room heating, which is an extra monthly charge.

This is hammock-based aerial yoga, not partner acrobatic Acro Yoga.