Unnata Aerial Yoga Sun Salutations

Course Leader: Michelle Dortignac
Language: English

Date: Saturday, May 25, 2024
Hours: 10:00am-12:00pm (noon) Eastern USA time zone (UTC -4)
Instructor: Michelle Dortignac
Location: Online Interactive Livestream Workshop
Education Investment: $50
Workshop Recording: INCLUDED
Send questions to: [email protected]

Can’t make the workshop? Don’t fret! Enroll anyway, and you’ll receive the workshop recording.

Enroll Below

Reinforce the “yoga” in your aerial yoga!

Workshop Overview

Surya Namaskar, otherwise known as Sun Salutations, is a well-recognized part of modern yoga classes. Graceful and dance-like, the movements flow in time with the breath’s rhythm. Frequently used at the beginning of a yoga class as an important warm up for our main muscles and joints, Surya Namaskar prepares the body for the stretching and strengthening of the asanas that follow.

What You Will Get Out of This Workshop (Benefits & Goals)

In this workshop, you’ll learn the purpose and effect of the different parts of a Sun Salutation, and how we can integrate use of the yoga hammock into the Sun Salutation to enhance our experience. We will learn numerous different ways to integrate the hammock into the Surya Namaskar, placing the hammock at different points along the body. Additionally, we will learn ways to use the hammock for Shiva Namaskar, an expanded version of the Sun Salutation, in order to offer more variety and a more thorough warm up for students.

Brief History of Surya Namaskar

As with anything that derives from a mostly oral tradition, there is some debate on the roots of Surya Namaskar, and the dates of when it arose. It’s connection to yoga asana classes is most commonly attributed to Krishnamacharya only as early as the 1930’s, not even 100 years ago! Considering none of the positions that make up Surya Namaskar are described in the Hatha Yoga Pradipika, the ancient guidebook for hatha yoga, it would seem the practice is more of a modern adaptation. Even so, movement sequences like the sun salutation were used in various contexts (perhaps more spiritual, as opposed to physical fitness) as far back as the 12th century BCE. Therein lies the debate – a lot depends on if you see yoga as more of a physical fitness practice, or a spiritual practice.

Whether or not your yoga practice is to develop physical fitness, or spiritual connection, we can use the yoga hammock to enhance your experience of Surya Namaskar.

“Unnata made me understand and love yoga poses I have hated for years by allowing me to do a pose supported and therefore correctly.”

Monica T., NY, NY

Enroll In This Workshop

Can’t make the workshop? Don’t fret! Enroll anyway, and you’ll receive the workshop recording.

Unnata® Aerial Yoga is the original aerial yoga method created by a yogi, for students (and teachers) who love yoga. The Unnata method weaves use of the hammock into a traditional Hatha Yoga class to enhance and refine a traditional floor yoga practice. Considered more of a “supported” yoga class than an “aerial” yoga class, students unwind old physical patterns, reset their body’s true alignment, and learn deeper body awareness in multi-dimensional space. Unnata Yoga classes ground as much as elevate, and balance both earth and air.

Unnata is real Yoga, elevated.


Michelle Dortignac, founder of Unnata® Aerial Yoga, is credited with developing the entire genre of aerial yoga. She is an E-RYT 500 certified Yoga instructor of 25 years, while during a large portion of those years also being a professional aerial acrobatics performer. Her most influential Yoga teachers include Dharma Mittra, Alan Finger, Cyndi Lee, Susan Braham and Nishit Patel.

Since its inception in 2006, Unnata Aerial Yoga led the growth of popularity and the continued development of aerial yoga. Today the Unnata Aerial Yoga Teacher Training program is world renowned for its high standards, high-quality training. Participants receive large amounts of personalized instruction, and graduates receive a great amount of continuing support.

Sunrise Photo by Mohamed Nohassi on Unsplash