Trying Aerial Yoga At Sky Yoga In Eau Claire, Wisconsin

Beginner yoga. Yoga fit. Hot Yoga. Goat yoga. Cat yoga. Dog yoga. Water yoga. Aerial yoga.

All the yoga.

I actually enjoy yoga. I’ve tried it a few times in different classes and have done various video series at home. It’s a time to focus on yourself mentally, physically, emotionally and spiritually.

A friend in the Hogwarts Running Club has been sharing about her experiences at aerial yoga in the UK and I became fascinated. I’m not in peak physical shape right now. I have goals that I’m working towards but I haven’t had as much success on the road yet as I was hoping.

You know when you watch celebs and you’re like “Yeah well if I have 4 hours a day to work out I’d look like that too!” Well, it turns out even when you have 4 hours a day to work out – like I actually do if I want – you still have to choose to do the work! Who’da thunk it!? Despite my current size, I decided I wanted to give aerial yoga a try.

I found an introductory class with Sky Yoga in Eau Claire a few weeks before we were due to arrive. After reaching out, I signed up for a Thursday evening class for $18. I was also interested in their bungee fit class but was unsure I’d meet the weight requirement at this time – I’ll be back for that someday!!

As with any serious yoga practitioner, I texted all my friends and posted on Facebook about what I was about to do.

It was a little tricky to find, plus parking was crazy in the area. That’s because Eau Claire has a Thursday night music event downtown, but once I arrived everyone helped me get settled very quickly.

There were 10-12 of us in the class, which was a full class, and I was in the front row by the door. I was one of the oldest and definitely the largest girl in the class. However, I was determined not to let that stop me from having fun. It can be so intimidating going to new gyms, exercise classes, or even being around new groups of women, even for an extrovert like me. You never know if you’re going to feel welcomed or judged. I definitely felt welcomed.

It was intimidating having to put my trust (and weight) into what felt like a glorified 1800 thread count Egyptian cotton sheet hanging from a beam in the ceiling, but I needn’t have worried. My silken cocoon held fast and supported me as I tugged, swung, flopped (yeah, not much flipping for me my first time) and rested.

You start with a warm-up. For me, it was one of those warm-ups that you finish and are like “Wait, that was just the warm-up!?” It did a great job of stretching me out and getting me comfortable with my aerial silk in preparation for practice. At one point I commented that I looked like a walrus, to which the instructor sweetly said I did not. From then on I tried to channel my inner majestic manatee which are so graceful despite their size.

The aerial is moved around your legs, hips and back to support you in the best ways through your practice. It takes time to get used to it. And it is uncomfortable, I won’t lie. But the other girls in the class who were significantly smaller seemed to be having a lot of the same discomfort, so it seems to be an aerial yoga thing rather than a majestic manatee thing.

I was actually pretty good at one thing which others seemed to struggle with – thank goodness for small blessings – which involved standing up in your aerial and then kind of creating a hammock with it.

Sadly I was less good when it was time to swing your legs through the silk and flip over onto your stomach. But I tried several times and was able to gently, if not gracefully, lower myself to the floor all tangled up.

One thing that I attempted over and over that didn’t happen for me during my first visit was flipping my legs over my head. First, you have to commit. You can’t be scared you’re going to fall. You have to trust your aerial. Second, you need to keep your silk down by your hips and hold it there while you flip. Which I kept letting go of too early because I didn’t want to fall on my head and therefore my silk kept moving up my back.

I was determined to do it once, before we left, but for all my efforts it didn’t happen for me. But I plan to keep trying until I master it. It requires a lot of upper body strength to do aerial yoga and I need to build that up before the next time I try.

For your viewing pleasure… the video of my attempt at this pose – don’t blink!

Finally it was time to end. We all got into our silks and laid in them like caterpillars in cocoons. The instructor came around and stilled our swinging silks and we rested in peace and quiet. I was very good at that. I emerged as gracefully as a majestic manatee butterfly would and completed my practice.

Sky Yoga allows a few minutes at the end of class to get pictures (which is when I took all the shots above). Practice itself is kept photo free. There’s a lot of positivity all around. From sayings and pictures to a wall of body-positive and female-positive quotes. You can get your Sky Yoga gear as well so that those who attend regularly can represent.

As you can see from the photo below, my shirt was drenched – it was definitely a workout.

After arriving back at the hotel, I headed for the hot tub to try and relax my sore and tired muscles. I thought for sure Stephen was going to have to feed me the following day, but he didn’t.

We’d planned to go tubing so I was sure it would be a relaxing way to spend the day. Turns out you need your core to sit up and drink cider on the river, so I felt those muscles most of all, but it wasn’t off-putting.

Would I do it again? Yes, without a doubt. Our budget is tight but I’d love to find a drop-in introductory class on occasion. I think I’ll need a few more intro classes before I’m even ready for a beginner’s class.

I was weak when I left. My muscles were exhausted from the practice, even my fingers and toes. My face hurt from smiling and laughing, which I think is always a good feeling.

Address

Sky Yoga, 415 1/2 S Barstow St, Eau Claire, WI 54701