Jenna’s First Time: Aerial Yoga

Welcome to our new blog series here at Sixx Cool Moms called Jenna’s First Time! Jenna Liu, the founder of Sixx Cool Moms, will be trying the latest trends in beauty, fitness, child rearing, and activities; all for your education and amusement! If there is something you would like Jenna to try email info@sixxcoolmoms.com

Giving Birth to a Rotisserie Chicken

If you are anything like me, then you love a good yoga session. A little downward dog during the week really sets my intentions for the crazy thing called life in a pandemic. It also helps to tone up that post baby jiggle on my hips and thighs and my balance so I am less of a clumsy giraffe that stumbles into walls. When my friend Shannon, who is a yoga teacher herself, invited me to try Aerial Yoga (sometimes known as Aerial fitness) for the first time, I was all about learning a new skill. Especially one that didn’t involve me buying a tie dye or metal stamping kit off the internet to collect dust in the basement (I’ll get to you metal stamping kit I purchased while drunk shopping on Amazon in 2013!)

My intentions were good…

Aerial yoga is a hybrid type of yoga developed by Michelle Dortignac in 2006 combining traditional yoga poses, Pilates, and dance with the use of a silk hammock. It’s super Instagramable, as seen below, and great for those of us who may not be able to do inversions during a regular yoga practice (that ish is hard AF!)

METAL.

I rolled into the Flying Buddha studio located in Gaithersburg Maryland, on a Tuesday at noon ready to tackle my first Gentle Aerial Yoga class. The gentle class, taught by studio owner Sarah Rehman, incorporates longer, slow stretching, pranayama (breathing techniques), and self-massage with hammocks, blocks and balls. As a newbie Sarah set my hammock up for me, so I did not run the risk of doing it wrong and falling to the floor in the middle of class fucking up everyone’s Zen vibe (Sarah is a full-service instructor with awesome hair and a dope iTunes playlist. We love Sarah.) Each hammock is secured to the ceiling by a suspension system designed by a certified mechanical engineer and can support over 6,000 pounds!

Stargazer!

The class itself was way easier than I anticipated. If you know traditional yoga poses it’s not a big jump to do something like child’s pose in the air. I also LOVED some of the new poses that only work with the support of the silk (especially the Stargazer. My hips told me they were happy after class.) Plus, every single pose looks cool. Like really cool. 

Shannon showing me the ropes…literally.

Aerial yoga is also fun to learn! You get to challenge your balance and core strength all while floating in the air like a butterfly or bat (whatever you are into!). What I enjoyed the most is that I felt like I worked out and meditated at the same time. I left the studio with a sweet yoga high, and immediately signed up for my next class!

Sup?

Now onto the COVID factor. For the studio I visited, each in-person class is limited to 9 students, all more than six feet away from each other, and you are required to keep a mask on throughout the practice.  Most studios are following similar guidelines, but I recommend checking with a studio near you to confirm safety protocols.

If you aren’t comfortable in person yet, you can try an Aerial Yoga class online as there are several available through Zoom; although I would not recommend trying this at home without taking a fundamentals class first. Additionally, if you want to cocoon in the safety of your basement use a contractor to install your rig so you don’t crack your head open over your nice hardwood floor the first time you hang upside down (once you get blood in the cracks it will never come out!)

Flying Buddha Studio 814 West Diamond Avenue Suite 100 Gaithersburg, MD 20878

Author: Jenna Levine Liu is the Founder & President of Sixx Cool Moms. You can find a Cool Moms chapter by you by visiting our directory.