Frequently Asked Questions

• Be early, remember to allow ample time for public transport, parking and finding the studio.
• Make sure you’re well hydrated: drink at least 1-2 litres of water throughout the day, but at least an hour before class.
• Try not to eat a large meal within 2 hours of the start of class. However, if you’re starving, do have something small such as a banana, bliss ball or light snack to stave off the hunger pangs and give you a shot of energy.

Go to our Yoga for Beginners page to see what the best starting classes are for yoga and aerial. The main thing to know is that everyone is welcome and everyone starts somewhere. Our classes offer yoga for men, women, older, younger, injured, and athletic. Bend + Fly is a judgement-free zone where you can feel comfortable honing your skills.

You will need a Yoga Mat for all Floor Yoga classes and Aerial Restorative based classes. We sell environmentally friendly rubber mats in our store.

If you’re new to Aerial Yoga you should complete the prerequisite of an Aerial Basics Class or our 4 Week Aerial Foundations Course before advancing to Aerial Flow, Fit or Play.

Please wear a T-shirt & Socks (grippy socks are best) to all Aerial Classes. We have these for sale at reception 🙂

Floor Yoga:

• A yoga mat
• A towel for hot classes
• Drink bottle & water (we have filtered water)

Aerial Yoga:

• T-Shirt with sleeves
• Socks (grippy socks best)
• Yoga Mat (if you dont have grippy socks)

Wear easy slip on/off shoes – as the studio is a shoe-free zone, you’ll leave your shoes near the entrance.

Yoga Clothing

• Comfortable clothing that you can move and sweat in. Most people wear active gym wear eg: tights, shorts, singlet

Aerial Clothing

• Long tights are good to wear to avoid the hammock chaffing
• Wear a T-Shirt with sleeves for hygiene and to avoid underarm chaffing
• Wear ‘grippy socks’ (we sell Move Active socks from $12.50)
• Don’t wear makeup (it stains the hammocks)
• Don’t wear jewellery (it tears the hammock)
• Don’t wear clothing with zippers (it tears the hammock)

Our core offering revolves around the YIN and YANG (soft and strong) of aerial and power yoga – two very contrasting, but complementing styles of yoga.

Power yoga is a strong vinyasa style, moving more quickly between poses than other styles. Aerial yoga meanwhile with its magical gravity-free inversions leans towards the softer side and will leave you feeling decompressed and moving more freely.

Within both floor and aerial yoga, there are soft and strong classes, such as the restorative classes of Yin (deep stretch) and Aerial Restorative to strength-based classes of Hot Yoga Play and Aerial Play and Aerial Fitness. Go to our classes page for more details and benefits.

For safety and enjoyment (for both you & other clients) Aerial Flow classes require you to complete an Aerial Basics Class or our 4 Week Aerial Foundations Course as a pre-requisite to other Aerial Classes.

Aerial Play is a level 2 class and open to students who have done at least 5 or those who have been previously trained in Aerial.

If you have already taken aerial classes at another studio, please call the studio to discuss whether you need to take a pre-requisite class.

Aerial Yoga classes need to be booked due to the limitation of hammock spaces. There is a 7-day booking window for aerial classes and 90 days for yoga. And a 6-hour cancellation window for Aerial Yoga (a $10 fee for no shows/late cancels/not confirming waitlist may apply).

There will be two reasons for this:

1. You have booked your first class of a new Class Pack or 2 Week Intro Pass ahead of time, and then booked your next class earlier than the first booking -> To rectify cancel the first booking ahead of time and go back and make your first booking the first class you will try. This will start the pass from that first booking.
2. You have accidentally created two duplicate accounts -> To rectify email the studio hello@bendandfly.com.au ask to merge the duplicate records.

Yes. We have lockers, change room, toilets and showers.

Yes! Mat storage is available to members when space is available.

YES!

• Parking space is available at 25 Donkin St. West End (3 only, at the end of Donkin St). Please use the park only when attending classes. 😊

Other Parking Options:

• Street parking (check if it’s metered).
• GetParked @ Donkin St: Weekdays $14, Weekends $5.

When you take your first yoga class, you may hear foreign words or phrases from your Teacher. Yoga, being a 5000+ year old pursuit uses traditional Sanskrit words (ancient Indian dialect) for yoga poses (asanas) and concepts. To help you understand common terminology, here’s a helpful list of terms used in a yoga class. OM (or Aum): Considered to be the first sound of creation. Om is sometimes chanted before, after and/or during classes – you’ll find some teachers like to OM, others don’t. Pranayama: Breath awareness to facilitate inner stillness and awareness. Mantra (“tool or instrument of thought”): Sounds, syllables, words or groups of words that are repeated with the goal of creating a positive transformation; a sacred thought or a prayer. Mudra: Positions of the body that have an influence on the energies of the body, or mood. Mostly the hands and fingers are held in a mudra. Namaste: Commonly said at the end of yoga class by the instructor and the students. One beautiful interpretation: I honour that place in you where the whole Universe resides. And when I am in that place in me and you are in that place in you, there is only one of us. Drishti: Focal point of gazing during meditation or yoga practice (useful during balancing poses!). Bandha: Internal muscular ‘locks’ that, when engaged, support the toning and lifting of strategic areas of the body. Ujjayi (a.k.a as Hissing Breath, Victorious Breath): A type of pranayama in which the lungs are fully expanded and the chest is puffed out; most often used in association with yoga poses, especially in the vinyasa style. Savasana: Final relaxation; literally translated as “corpse pose.”

You can practise as often as you like, just remember to listen to your body. Some committed students practice 5-6 times per week, however the intensity will vary to suit the needs of their body on the day. If you’re cross-training with other sports, then 2-3 times a week would likely be of great benefit.

Heated yoga and aerial yoga with inversions are not recommended for pregnancy, so we advise you not to attend those classes. As an alternative, why not try Yoga Flow (non-heated), Yin, Vin Yin, or Aerial Restorative? However, always check with your doctor in advance and let your teacher know you’re pregnant so they can help you modify poses as necessary.

Please see the Terms & Conditions page for all the conditions regarding membership, passes, refunds, suspensions, and terms of use.

Shoes Off – Leave shoes at the entrance in the shoe racks – yoga is traditionally practiced barefoot and from a hygiene point of view, it’s better not to have shoes in the studio area.

Mobile Phones – Leave phones in storage spaces (not in the studio). Having technology switched on in the studio goes against the idea of disconnecting. You are welcome to grab your phone after class to take a photo.

Always Arrive Early – Always arrive early for class to ensure you have time prepare. Be aware that by arriving late, you may be refused entry at the discretion of the teacher or the studio if your lateness affects the flow of the class.

Good Hygiene – Out of courtesy for other clients, we appreciate the use of anti-perspirant, whilst also ensuring your mat is cleaned regularly.

Refusal of participation – We reserve the right to refuse entry for any of the following issues: (a) wearing inappropriate clothing; (b) poor hygiene; (c) being under the influence of drugs or alcohol; and (d) engaging in conduct that is disruptive or offensive to other members or students.

When doing yoga or aerial yoga, we recommend a good quality yoga mat made from either tree rubber, microfibre suede or cork. A mat that is grippy and dense around 3-5mm thick is a good option. Cheap foam , TPE or overly thick bouncy mats are not ideal for yoga or aerial. We sell a range of quality yoga mats in store.

Yes and No. Children over the age of 14 can attend with their parent and over 16 by themselves if their parent has signed a waiver on their behalf. We don’t allow for children to wait unattended in reception for insurance and safety reasons.