10 Things You Learn From Your First Aerial Yoga Class

Whole Life Balance has You Covered with Engaging and Fun Aerial Yoga

Written By: Chelsea Lauren 10 Things You Learn From Your First Aerial Yoga Class
Photographed By: Patrick Martin

Sequestered away off of Wilshire Boulevard, just blocks from the ocean, is an innovative studio that is taking workouts to new heights and making strides as its team pioneers the next greatest thing in the wellness community: drip IV. Chatting with the owner, Shane Griffin, his bright blue eyes glimmering with excitement and his energy palpable, he exuberantly states, “I believe in people tremendously and I know that each one of us of has a unique story to tell and different talents and gifts to share with the world. Due to this, Whole Life Balance offers several different classes – with each of my instructors creating their own classes based on their strengths.”

Shane gives me a tour of the facilities as he explains that finding wellness and balance should not be limited to one thing (like a good diet) but rather a whole body practice, starting with a drip IV of a vitamin cocktail, rigorous physical training, along with challenging activities that get you out of your head – in this case, aerial yoga.

He opens the door to a room where seven chartreuse silks hang, waiting for a daring soul to try one out. I’d seen the acts at Cirque du Soleil before but never imagined that I’d one day attempt to loosely imitate their moves…

  1. First off, you don’t need to be a lifelong yogi yoga or a natural-born acrobat to join in. Most of the classes are geared toward beginners and are small enough (with seven people max) to receive individual attention.
  2. I’ve done a lot of yoga, but I’ve never done yoga like this.
  3. At times I felt more like a chunky caterpillar than a graceful butterfly, but you have to just accept this and let your body move.
  4. Relax into the pose and let the silk take on your weight – this can be very frightening at first, but rest assured that the silks can sustain upwards of 1, 000 pounds. Once you relax into the silk cocoon, it feels like you’re floating on a cloud.
  5. When you go to flip upside down, you’ll most likely stop and think to yourself “there is no way I am doing that” as a wave of fear washes over you. Hang in there and trust yourself.
  6. There’s a sense of playfulness with aerial yoga as you’re swinging through the air and contorting your body into positions that gravity usually does not allow. Everyone looks silly, the masks get removed and you get out of your head, as you really have to focus on how your body moves.
  7. There’s a liberating moment when you realize that everyone is focused on their own movements and not thinking about yours. Once you recognize that any judgement, fear or standards were self-imposed – you free yourself.
  8. You might not be able to do every move – when we got the position called “Diaper” and “Diaper 2”, I opted out, and that was perfectly okay. Listen to your body.
  9. You’ll probably be (surprisingly) very sore the next few days. You’re using muscles you don’t even know you have – doing pull-ups and planks while partly suspended, which allows you to be able to stretch deeper.
  10. After you’ll be asking yourself – “When can I do that again?”

Tips: Dress for the part – to prevent your clothes from falling down when you’re upside down, form-fitting apparel is best.

Also, eat at least an hour before class – since you’re doing inversions and may get a tad dizzy. However, do not go with a full belly either, otherwise you might just see it regurgitated.

Whole Life Balance
507 Wilshire Blvd Ste #101
Santa Monica, CA 90401
888.540.5714 | wholelifebalance.com

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