Aerial Yoga

Aerial Yoga:

My Experience

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

M.J. Wyllie

CSOCS 3452 Yoga: Theory, Culture and Practice

Professor Laura Douglass Ph.D.

October 18, 2012

Abstract

The bulk of this paper is a look at aerial yoga from a limited experiential perspective.  I was able to attend one class at the Riverside Yoga Studio in Keene, NH.  The aerial yoga class was fun and unique.  The practice of aerial yoga appears to be relatively new and I could only find very limited information on the practice.  The information I was able to gather was from personal observation, the studio’s website and a few videos that were available on YouTube.    

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Aerial Yoga: My Experience

I have been practicing yoga for several years, in which I have tried various hatha practices, at many different locations.  A couple of years ago, someone had told me about their experience attending an aerial yoga workshop.  I was completely unfamiliar with the concept at the time.  It was explained to me as a yoga practice done with silk scarves in the air.  I was very intrigued, but never pursued the class.  I felt this project would be a great opportunity to experience aerial yoga.  Luckily, I had remembered there was a place in Keene, NH that had such a class. 

I found the Riverside Yoga website and read a little more about aerial yoga.  Aerial yoga required the use of circus scarves that are hung from the ceiling.   The Riverside Yoga studio in Keene had four sets of scarves. Aerial yoga was not available on a walk-in class basis, because the class is limited to the number of scarves available.  Small classes also help ensure the safety of the student.

I reserved my spot for a Tuesday mid-morning class.  The studio is in an old mill building that has been converted into spaces for businesses to rent.  The large brick building sits on the river in downtown Keene.  I arrived at the studio about fifteen minutes before the class was to start.  The studio door was locked and there were a few seats.  There was information posted on the walls about the studio and classes.

The first thing that I noticed was a framed picture at the end of the hall in the outside waiting area.  The image showcased was the cover of a modern American Pilates magazine.  As we have discussed in class, yoga in the United States tends to focus on the physical aspects.  Magazines like that one emphasize our own cultural esthetics.  The lady was athletic and attractive.  She was wearing a sports bra and spandex shorts.  The photo showed off her ultra-tone tummy, long blonde hair and a big smile.  The woman shown did not accurately portray the average women, but rather an idealized image that we often see in our culture of what beauty and health should look like.

Ordinarily, I wouldn’t have thought twice about this image.  However, I immediately thought about the day in class when we were presented with a very similar image, alongside other photos representing yoga in other cultures.  The cultural representations were greatly varied.  I didn’t realize that I had previously accepted this look and physique without any question.  I had seen it as a normal yoga body type, because of my own cultural background.  I had overlooked this type of image, which I can now see serves as a marketing tool to sell yoga. 

I was the only person who signed up for the class that day.  I enjoyed the luxury of a private lesson, which catered to my personal ability.  Unfortunately, from the research perspective, it did not give me much material in regards to the cliental serviced by the studio.  I was able to access a few YouTube videos after the class.  From what I could see, the people doing aerial yoga were mostly women.  I didn’t notice much diversity amongst them.  However, that may have been more to do with where the studio was located, rather than the actual practice.

Justine was the instructor for my aerial yoga class.  I noticed her body structure right away.  She was very petite, thin and tone.  I asked her how long she had been teaching for.  She had been teaching sense April of this year, after completing the teacher training offered at the studio.  I told her I was taking the class, because I was interested and for a project I’m doing for a college class.  I asked if I could photograph the studio.  She happily agreed and offered to take photos of me in the postures. 

The studio was a good sized room with hard wood floors, brick walls and high ceilings.  There were bars around the room, like what I would imagine in a dance studio.   The four sets of red silk scarves hung from each corner of the room.  The large windows had several plants beside them and I noticed statues resembling deities. 

The studio space held a few shelves with various props, such as foam blocks and extra mats, associated with aiding the yoga practice.   Shirts with the studio logo and refillable water bottles were available to be purchased.  I had been accustomed to seeing items available for sale in other yoga studios.  Previously, I would have overlooked them.  However, I now wondered if this is a result of yoga being part of a money making industry in our country.  Would I  have seen items for sale if I were practicing yoga in India? 

Justine put on some music and we began the practice.  We placed our yoga mats across from one another, each under a set of silk scarves.  I lied down on my mat, while she spoke about the studios focus for that week, the second chakra.  I don’t remember everything she said, but I recall her saying the second chakra is associated with the color orange, the hips and pelvis, along with sexual and sensual energies.  

Justine demonstrated a few simple stretches, while I mimicked her body movements.  The stretches were done on our mats, but incorporated the scarves for support.  The next step was for me to learn the proper way to tie a knot with the scarves.  Depending on the posture, the knot had to be tied at different levels that we measured against our individual frames.  Before I left the ground, Justine told me that the scarves had been tested to hold up to 2,000 lbs.  I felt very secure in the scarves, but I feel some of my comfort came from my previous experience with yoga postures.  The scarves were the only new thing I had to learn that day. 

Some of the postures Justine did alongside me and others assisted me into.  The most interesting part of the class seemed to move rapidly.  I struggled to recall the details when I was through.  Perhaps, in order to achieve the poses, I was being required to be fully present in the moment.   

I made a few observations during the poses.  I wasn’t instructed to breathe in a particular way.  Since I was the only one taking the class, I felt comfortable to ask Justine questions while we were practicing.  I asked if there was a pattern of breathe associated with aerial yoga.  Justine told me to breathe in a way that was comfortable for me.  Some people hold their breath and it was important to remember to breathe.  She said she chose cleansing breaths, which were in through the nose and out through the mouth. 

Justine referred to the poses in the class by the English names, such as downward dog or pigeon.   I don’t know if English is typically used during aerial yoga or if it was her personal teaching style.  I didn’t think to ask her, but Justine did tell me she was new to teaching aerial yoga.  Maybe being a new teacher, she was more comfortable with English.  Regardless of the reason, I did notice the absence of Sanskrit during the class.

The class was challenging and fun.  It definitely required upper body strength to achieve many of the postures in the air.  When I was finished, I was very curious if this was a practice for any body type.  Justine told me that the main concern for the instructor is the health of the student.  The inversions can be intense and the instructor needs to be informed of any health problems.  As for body size and strength, she told me that the instructor would modify the poses to the student’s capability. 

 

The Studio, the Practice and the Founder

The studio I visited offered aerial yoga in addition to several other movement based classes.  Pilates, barre, yoga, structural therapy, as well as workshops and teacher training are all offered.  From what I read on the studio’s website, the studio focused primarily on choreographed movement to tone and strengthen the body; however, the approach was considered holistic.  The belief was by balancing the body calming benefits would be accessible for the individual.   

Riverside Yoga was founded by Elizabeth.  Elizabeth had a background in dance and teaching yoga.  I watched a video of Elizabeth and her colleague Susan. The ladies answered questions about the practice and demonstrated aerial yoga techniques.  Both women had been previously certified to teach yoga, when they decided to be trained in the Circus Arts in Boston, Massachusetts.  Together they combined their previous knowledge of yoga with their circus training to take postures into the air on silks. 

The Riverside Yoga website had a short write-up about Elizabeth.  I noticed an emphasis on empowering women and sexuality.  The write up about her began, “Elizabeth: Writer.  Artist.  Business Owner.  Gypsy yogini.  Dedicated to giving women a voice and dedicated to making spirituality sexy.”  In my opinion, “making spirituality sexy” is a reflection of our American culture.  Our culture is very candid in regards to sex and uses sexuality as a marketing tool.  I’m not saying that was the intention here; I’m merely pointing our beliefs are often formed from our cultural values and out society promotes sex.   

 

The website listed a number of things the business is doing to be environmentally friendly.  In our country, there has been a lot of emphasis on making green choices and using organic products.  I had watched a documentary on how big corporations are now more likely to include environmentally safe products on their shelves.  Earth friendly products appeal to today’s consumer.  Personally, I support the movement as well, but it is interesting to reflect upon.  Does a green yoga studio make it more marketable to the perspective student?

Conclusion

I considered myself an open minded person.  I was unaware of the depth my American upbringing had influenced my perception.  When I began my yoga practice, I had wanted to incorporate exercise into my life.  I thought of yoga as a form of exercise.  I knew that there were spiritual aspects, but that was not my focus.  I didn’t realize how my cultural values were entangled with my perception of yoga.  I thought I understood what yoga was, not what American’s considered yoga to be.  I had also overlooked yoga as a money making industry; despite the large amount of money I spend monthly to be able to practice yoga at a studio.  I was not looking at looking at yoga as a business nor had I considered I was the ideal market. 

My experience with aerial yoga brought several things to my attention.  My first reaction was aerial yoga was more like an acrobatic exercise.  Yes, I had done yoga postures, but it didn’t really feel like yoga.  Then I remembered the first time I did poses on the floor.   I was overly focused on learning the postures, but it didn’t take long for me to experience something deeper.  Yoga brought my attention to the relationship between my mind and body.  Yoga allowed me to stop thinking and become present with the sensations of my body.  In my experience on my mat, yoga is a holistic practice despite my conscious intention.  I wonder how an aerial yoga practice would evolve with time.  Would I eventually feel centered as I have felt from yoga on my mat?