Why a Hong Kong outdoor aerial yoga teacher is making a splash with her ‘over water’ classes
Aleksandra Milewicz is bringing aerial yoga outside the studio and into nature with Bamboo Yoga, an exceptionally photogenic workout which provides a new challenge for even experienced yogis. Valerie Teh gives it a go
Aleksandra Milewicz is on a mission to change your views on yoga. The fashion marketer turned yoga teacher is one of several practitioners in Hong Kong out to prove that there is more to yoga than going through a series of poses on a mat in a studio.
Inspired by countless yoga variations that have gone viral online, Hong Kong studios have run everything from yoga on stand-up paddle boards to yoga with your dog and even the occasional beer yoga class – all just this year. Tapping into this zeitgeist of experimentation, Bamboo Yoga is Milewicz’s attempt at bringing aerial yoga, usually taught on low-hanging hammocks indoors, outside the studio and into nature.
Five unusual Hong Kong water sports you should try this summer
Milewicz began teaching outdoor aerial yoga workshops this summer in the idyll of Sai Wan beach in Sai Kung, spending her weekends guiding students into various poses on aerial hammocks held up by sturdy bamboo tripods.
It is not only Hong Kong’s sole outdoor aerial yoga offering, but also arguably the city’s most photogenic workout. The novelty factor, plus ample opportunities for envy-inducing photographs, have proved popular with Hong Kong’s fitness enthusiasts since Milewicz started running the classes in June.
Aerial yoga with a side of hiking sounds like the perfect antidote to a stressful week of crouching at my desk, so I opt for a half-day “hike and fly” session (Bamboo Yoga also runs a full-day session for beginners, which includes an introductory morning aerial yoga class at Yoga BamBam in Sheung Wan).
Smaller proves better for Hong Kong gyms as bigger chains struggle under the weight of high rents
