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New Studio Coming to Texas!

This past month, I got to interview Anne McCarthy, who is taking a journey that many across the country are also trekking upon this decade and many more are dreaming of: opening an aerial yoga studio. Anne is leading a team of yoga teachers as they embark on creating a place for aerial yoga in the South Texas area. Here’s a view into her journey.

Rebekah: How did you get into aerial yoga?

Anne: I started dance in high school and danced through college. In 2002, I tried yoga for the first time. In 2010, I started to study yoga more seriously. It allowed me to find stillness for the first time. After my mom passed away from brain cancer in 2012, I went to my first aerial silks class and have been practicing ever since. When I went to yoga teacher training, I began to combine the two art forms. I remember the first time I did downward facing dog in an aerial hammock. My back felt free and my heart softened. A light turned on within me and I knew that I needed to share aerial yoga in San Antonio.

R: What made you decide to open a studio?

A: I began teaching aerial yoga workshops in 2014. It was really hard to find spaces that would be safe and could accommodate aerial classes. I found one studio and we sold out every class. I knew I wanted to be able to teach more than twice a week. The only way to do that was to open a studio for myself.

R: It’s always hard to find a space for aerial. How did you go about finding the right space?

A: After looking at many spaces over the last year, I was starting to get discouraged. It is so incredibly difficult to find a place with height and an amazing ceiling. I kept teaching a workshop series twice a week. Then in March, things just lined up. I serve on a board for a non-profit yoga school that was starting a capital campaign. One of the other board members brought up an existing yoga studio for sale. I had been once and remembered a big i-beam that I thought could be perfect for aerial yoga. The space had this wonderful quality to it, truly something special. There is just this amazing energy to it. Another board member, Desiree, lived nearby and was also interested in the studio. We met and within 3 weeks made an offer on the studio.

R: How did you go about making sure that your space is ready to handle aerial loading?

A: My aerial teachers, Julia Langenberg and Laura DiPasquale, put a huge emphasis on safety and taught me to ask lots of questions about structures. Julia put me in touch with an engineer that she had used for her aerial studio. I had the engineer out to the studio and learned that it was a prefabricated metal building with z-purlins off the ibeam. I learned that these metal buildings are not built to support extra weight besides the roof and the required safety factor. I thought we were going to be able to it, until the engineer recommended a free standing structure inside the space. Then we started the next part, trying to get it right.

From my teachers, I knew that in aerial the standard is a 10:1 safety factor and requires at least 2,000 pounds of dynamic weight per student. With aerial yoga, I believe a lot of people think you can lower that standard. However, in my classes, I know we swing and flip into the hammocks. That is a lot of movement for many people all at once. I wanted to maintain that level of safety for my students.

We ended up with an engineer that had been a performer at SeaWorld and worked for SRO Associates, a theatre production company who builds the sets and designs shows for many places. So when we began, everyone had some understanding of the unique needs and types of dynamic movement produced by aerialists and aerial yogis. I worked with them to come up with good spacing and layout for our studio and then had the engineer run the numbers and create the official design. SRO has a metal shop and was able to build it off sight. It was amazing to watch them load in 500 pound i-beams and see the structure go up. We have 18 student hammocks and an instructor hammock. The engineer designed it so that everyone can be swinging and flipping at the same time. It is such a great feeling teaching in a space where I know beyond a shadow of a doubt that the rigging is all held to that standard of 2,000 lbs of dynamic movement.

The following is a time-lapse video of the internal rigging being installed. (Aerial teachers everywhere share your excitement!)

R: What sorts of surprises have you encountered in the process of opening a studio?

A: It has been an amazing learning experience. I looked at spaces with wood beams and talked to engineers and knew it wasn’t possible to rig that many students safely from wood. Before this, I never would have questioned rigging off an i-beam. I thought all i-beams were created equal. I have learned that there are so many elements to look into. (When the building was designed, what safety load for the roof was included – did they just meet the basic safety requirements or go above, does it snow and add more weight to the structure.) Now that we have a freestanding rig in the space, I feel like this is a wonderful way to rig. It allows everyone to see the structure and understand what they are hanging from.

R: Tell us more about your team.

A: We have an amazing team. Besides myself, my partner Desiree Whitney is also a certified yoga teacher and did aerial yoga training this summer. The yoga school we studied at (the Esther Vexler Yoga School) focuses on Iyengar style yoga with lots of props and modifications. So for our style of yoga, the aerial hammock is another prop and makes yoga so much fun! We also have an amazing group of traditional yoga teachers: Michelle Bowles, a yoga therapist, Debbie Pedersen, a certified Iyengar yoga instructor, Tricia Messinger, a thai massage yoga teacher, Donna Foster, a power yoga instructor, and Cathy West, a vinyasa teacher.

R: What is the name of your studio and how did you decide on the name?

A: Aerial Yoga Boerne. We really debated over several variations. Boerne is a small town 15 minutes north of San Antonio where the studio is located. We are the only full yoga studio in the area. While we have many styles of yoga, we know aerial yoga is rare and wanted to highlight it. In the end, we kept it simple to describe what we do and where we do it.

R: What do you love about the aerial arts?

A: I love the way aerial arts focuses me. When you climb the silks, it’s the only thing you can think about. I found it to be a form of mediation, keeping me fully present in every moment. In aerial arts, you must fully focus your attention to keep you safe. I also have never had strength. Through training, I see myself become stronger. I love that aerial arts blend together dance, strength, and grace.

R: Who are you most excited to teach?

A: I love teaching students who are new to yoga and aerial. The feeling of flipping upside down for the first time is incredible and I love sharing that with people who don’t think they can. I love watching the growth as they find strength.

R: What is one thing that’s got everybody talking about your studio?

A: Besides the fact that we have an amazing rig for 18 students?! We also have yoga rope walls, tons of props, amazing teachers, and a beautiful space. There is something special here. When you walk in, you know you are in a warm and welcoming space.

Anne, thank you so much for the interview! Aerial Yoga Boerne will have their official ribbon cutting on October 22, 2015. We wish them the best of luck. To find out more about how you can “build your yoga practice from the ground up,” visit www.aerialyogaboerne.com.

Not sure what to expect in an aerial yoga class? Watch this time-lapse of a class at Aerial Yoga Boerne:

Ways to connect with Aerial Yoga Boerne:

Facebook: www.facebook.com/aerialyogaboerne

Instagram: @aerialyogaboerne

Twitter: @yogaboerne

6 Balancing Acts for the Aerialist

If you were to sum up all of my soapboxes into one word, that word would be: BALANCE. We need balance in so many ways. We need balance in the obvious ways and the not-so-obvious. We need balance physically and mentally. The list goes on forever. For this blog, I decided to make a list of the top 6 physical juggling acts that an aerialist needs to do to stay balanced.

Strength AND Flexibility

An aerialist needs to be both strong and flexible. In your training regime – or if you are a studio owner planning out your curriculum, take note – you need to have time for both conditioning and for stretching. People who are tight might need more time in aerial yoga classes that focus on muscle lengthening. People are already very bendy don’t need to spend time in the splits. They need to focus on getting strength in order to protect their bendy tendencies.

train both sides — *photo creation: Jamie Ray of AirSeekers*

The Right Side AND the Left Side

When you climb with your right hand leading, the next time up climb with your left hand leading. Many aerialists get lazy and complacent (it happens to the best of us), and then they wake up one day realizing that one shoulder IS in fact bigger than the other. And that one climbing side is stronger – like, WAY stronger – than the other side. And they can’t even hip key on their bad side. These muscular imbalances can lead to body imbalances that will lead to limited range of motion and are not the ideal situation for injury prevention.

Many aerialists will agree that there is an exception to this for safety’s sake. When you perform drops, muscle memory can help keep you safe and having both sides in your body can be confusing. Some brains are up for the challenge, but others (like mine!) need to keep life as simple as possible to be safe. Aerial Performer Elizabeth Stich makes this point in her latest guest blog for Born to Fly Aerial.

She writes: “I choose not to train or teach advanced drops on both sides (In the heat of the moment in performance, when lights, music, and audience can make thinking challenging, I want my body to have muscle memory of executing potentially dangerous drops on one side only); however, I still have to figure out a way to safely address this imbalance. For me, the answer is to practice my flamenco S-wrap entrance from my non-dominant side and then windmill down instead of wrapping for the drop. This gives me the same sense of spiraling entrance and rolling descent, without actually wrapping the drop on my non-dominant side.”

The Front AND the Back

When was the last time you did some superman’s? (where you lay on the ground and raise both legs and upper body off the floor). It’s important to focus on extension of the whole body just as much as flexion. Hollow body is great, but it’s only half the story. To train a truly beautiful body, you need to practice both hollow body AND the exact opposite of hollow body. You want a strong core – all the way around, not just in front. Having a strong front prevents your back from working when it shouldn’t – so you need to train carefully, but you also need to train holistically. No one wants to end up hunched over and we all slouch too often when sitting (did I just make you check your posture? score if I did!). Strengthen your back so that it’s not work to sit up tall and balanced. Strengthen your hamstrings so that your hip flexors never dominate. Some muscles are meant to be larger and work harder, but it shouldn’t be overly so. When a muscle constantly works, it can become tight and shortened. This prevents it from being able to work at full strength. It starts a chain of events that involve all the undesired parts of movement = tightness, weakness, etc. To undo this chain, strengthen what is weak. This will be the theme for your whole body!

The Top AND the Bottom

As an aerialists, we know you got a pair of nice-lookin’ shoulders! But, what about them legs? How are they doing? Think about throwing in some squats after those pull-ups to keep a body that is shape from head to toe. You may also consider taking some ballet classes in order to work on your feet articulation. After all, your lower body articulation is what gets to be highlighted while your arms stick you to the apparatus.

The Push AND the Pull

Getting into aerial shape is all about getting that first pull-up. It is challenging to go from zero to one. But you can do it! After the (very necessary) obsession of pull-ups wears off, you should return your focus to whole body work. You need to be able to do push-ups too. This will actually give your pull-up muscles a break. Anytime you fire muscles, the opposing muscle group gets sent a response to relax, so when you push, your pulling muscles get a much needed direction from the brain to shut off. You don’t want to walk around all tight and tense all the time. Your body craves balance.

Another great way to add some push to your pull is to do handstands. Many aerialists, by nature of being acrobatic, already like to do handstands. You might already be that type of person, or maybe I have now given you a reason to start. I learned this lesson early from my mentor who was obsessed with handstands. Before every show, her warm-up always include hand-balancing. I’ve never been good at them, so I tended to avoid them, but lately, I’ve warmed up to the idea of heading upside-down in this fashion.

The Fast AND the Slow

Many aerialists I know have gotten to a point where there strength is phenomenal, but their cardio…well, let’s just say, it’s obvious that there workouts for the past several years have mainly consisted of slow-moving, strength-focused work. The only time they do fast-movements is by doing finger-flicks in their warm-ups (which are all well and good, but I’m talking about keeping up a fast pace for a sustained period of time). If we speed it up, their heart starts racing, and I’m scared they aren’t going to make it through the workout. For me, the goal is simply an overall balance for the sake of the heart. I want to be able to make it through a high-energy piece and not be winded at the end of it. I want to keep up my stamina and be strong. I want to have my cake and eat it too. It’s possible, you just have to juggle your training to get it all in there. Get creative and make it happen.

Now go do what you haven’t been doing. And stop doing so much of what you have been doing. Don’t read that wrong. Don’t stop altogether! But, tether back and add in some variety. You might not notice the change now, but years from now, you’ll reap the benefits of your choices.

Rebekah Leach is a person who thrives on being balanced in mind, body and spirit. Being a parent helps to throw all of her balance out of whack, but you know, that’s the fun of the journey towards balance. It’s a constant teeter-totter with forces at all ends.

Jamie Ray of AirSeekers submitted the awesome photo. Thanks Jamie!

Approaches to Building Sequences for Aerial Yoga

I wanted to take a moment to go over a few types of sequence that you can use in your Aerial Yoga Classes. We have been training many teachers lately in the art of aerial yoga, and much of the training tends to focus on individual poses. The first way to further your training is to start building those poses into sequences. That is a whole art in and of itself. And guess what?! This website is here to help you – we have aerial yoga sequences ready for your viewing pleasure, complete with voice-over instruction.We have different types of sequences, and also have sequences from different teachers to give you fresh and different perspectives.

In this blog, I’d like to discuss three specific approaches that are my personal favorites: the Apex Pose Approach, the Ladder Approach, and the Body-Part Target Approach

The APEX Pose Approach

One way to create a sequence for your aerial yoga class is to build it backwards from a specific, challenging pose. For example, camel is no starter pose. Camel requires the hamstrings to be engaged and fully firing. Camel requires the hip flexors to be open (to allow the hamstrings to effectively work), and the core, as well as spine, needs to be warmed up up and ready to operate. So, with this apex (also known as peak) pose in mind, choose moves that will get you there.

In this wheel example, you might start with a general body warm up that could include some cat cow to start warming up the spine. You might start with some light hip flexor openers, then pick a move that engages the hamstrings. This also has the advantage of bringing heat into the body. With that new heat, you can circle back to hip flexor opening, going deeper this time with the blood flowing and heart pumping oxygen to the whole body. In this way, you are warming up the whole body, getting muscles ready to fire, plus focusing on opening the muscles you want open, and engaging the muscles you want engaged for your climatic moment: the Apex Pose (dramatic music here). You should get there around 3/4 of the way into class. After that, it’s all downhill. After that, use the spirally downhill energy of the apex move to get deeper into select stretches, include some gentle counter poses and cool down the body.

For an example of a sequence that is exactly what is described here, log in to your paying account to view our latest supported camel sequence.

The Ladder Approach

I have no idea if “ladder sequence” is an official term or a term that I just made up on the spot. It just seemed to be the right fit. “Ladder Sequence” is the name I give to a sequence that climbs up in progression, each time adding something new. It’s like stepping up to the first rung of the ladder, then stepping down. Then stepping to the second rung, and stepping down. Then stepping to the third rung, and you got the point.

Recently, we uploaded a ladder sequence designed by Amy Tynan into the aerial yoga section of our Video Library. (Login to view!) The sequence revolves around some grounded lunge work and ladder climbs into diaper wrap. The first time you go through the sequence, it stops at the straddle inversion. Then you repeat. The second time adds the crocheted legs. etc. The third time adds a ball crunch, and the fourth time around you complete the ball crunch to pull all the way up into diaper wrap. Each time the sequence is repeated, you switch which leg goes into the crescent lunge, so at the end of the sequence, you have complete two full set of grounded lunge workouts on each leg. (This is an awesome bonus to whole ladder idea.) Each time through the sequence adds other progressions and challenges that can be added as students get more experienced with the sequence. The video in our library shows the full progression through to the end.

The Body-Part Target Approach

I couldn’t think of a better name for this approach, so I called it what it is (I guess). In this approach, you pick specific body parts and focus on those. However, it’s generally good practice to focus on the whole body too. Like every rule, there are exceptions, and there may be days when maybe you do focus on one muscle group for an hour. It’s like getting a massage. It’s nice if the masseuse does a full-body rub down even if the focus is your neck and shoulders. She might spend more time there than at any other body part, but all of relaxation only further helps promote the relaxation of the neck and shoulders. Every once in a while, especially if time is short, she may just simply focus on the neck and shoulders. period. Well, it’s just like that for a yoga class. You could focus on one body part the whole time, or maybe more, or maybe just try to get a little bit of everything. Bonus points for having several sequences pre-planned and then poll the class to see what body part they would like to focus on that day. Maybe it’s the hips that day, or maybe it’s the legs. The other day, I really wanted to focus on bettering my splits for fabric, so I wanted to focus on lengthening/opening my tight legs. Guess what? I also uploaded that video into the library at AerialDancing.com! If you are logged in to your member account, go here to view that sequence.

Well, that’s all folks. Hope this brief lesson on sequences has inspired you to try a new approach to creating an aerial yoga sequence today.

Rebekah Leach is in love with aerial yoga, especially since having two kids and two surgeries. She views aerial yoga as the best way to gradually build the strength and flexibility needed for the other aerial arts. It is also whole and complete for the body as its own thing.