That thing they call Aerial Yoga

If you're reading this, chances are, you 1. Are interested in Aerial Yoga 2. Interested solely on MY experiences or 3. You're just here to show ya sista some love <3 THANKS for that!

So to be honest, I have attended 1 yoga class my whole life. That's not including the yoga I try to do at home. I saw my cousins attend a aerial yoga class a couple weeks back and it really intrigued me. So I got the deets and booked my class.

The class I went to was located in South Portland, Maine. I went on their website and go to view everything they offered all week long. I easily created my account, and signed up for my Saturday 10am class.

They say to attend the beginner class before attempting the more experienced levels. I HAD NO PROBLEM WITH THAT PLAN! So I booked the appointment about a week out. Tried to get my friends on board with me but it wasn't convenient for them. So this chick went solo! My social anxiety has been on a hiiiiigh lately, so me going alone was huge!

The day had come, I headed out around 845am, as it is a 50min drive from my house and I planned to be there a bit early to scope things out.

The studio was slightly hidden in the an shaped building. The parking lot was small, but if you're familiar with the Portland area, you know that's a common theme. The other businesses in the building were not open so the lot was solely Tula guests. I walked in and was greeted by a beautiful red head! She had this whole hippie vibe to her and I just felt so calm walking right in. She told me what to do, checked me and gave me a mini tour around the studio.

Now this place wasn't just for aerial yoga, they also do Barre, spin and they have a rope wall (which I know nothing about!). And wait! Before or after your class, you an chill out in their infrared sauna!

I came to class, in boots as I heard I'm going to be bare foot anyways, a bottle and a second shirt because I tried to look cute instead of anything else (so the second shirt became the main shirt, aka the not cute shirt). I walked in, a girl told me I should grab a matt, so I listened. I found my spot and conveniently it was right in front of the instructor! Kat was our instructor for the day, she was subbing in so I'm not sure who normally runs the Saturday 10am class.

Funny thing! I wont lie, because I never do, I was thinking the whole ride there, "sucks I cant get a photo, I will not be that girl to put her phone out and snap an auto timer photo! not today". So I get to class and luckily this girl who was set up next to me mentioned how she wanted a photo before the class ended! So I offered to grab hers if she would grab mine! Is it weird I wish I would have got the girls name?? I'd love to see my photography work live ;). You guys know, it didn't happen if it didn't go on the gram.

This class was definitely not what I expected. That's not in a bad way or an amazing way, it was just different. I mean in general trying something new isn't the easiest always. First off, that first time I did yoga, It was quite, it was dim, we drank Tea, the music was so soft you could drift off to a dream. So I kind of went into this class thinking, Its going to be the exact same, with a hammock. Sort of but not really. Now since this was a beginners class, there were more questions and some people needed a little more direction, so the zen moment, wasn't quite there for me. There were about 4 or 5 windows in the class so the natural light was beautiful. The music but low but not spa like music. Kat walked us through every step. We did basic moves like, basically laying in the hammock swinging ever so slightly, this was actually my favorite, it was nice to escape reality for a bit and feel borderline asleep. We learned Inversions, you know, when people hang upside down. Definitely had some moments where I'm thinking to myself " I'm supposed to trust this cloth/ silk type material to hold me while I hang? But Kat assured up, those hammocks can hold around 1,000 lbs! So after that the concern didn't cross my mind again. I liked how when she would teach us inversions she would be sure to say " If you have not done this, please do not attempt it until I show you the proper way to do it". Reassured me I wasn't the only one learning there though I felt like I caught on pretty well. The downfall was when I was laying down all cocooned up in the hammock, I couldn't see what other people were doing, when I wasn't really sure if I was doing the right things!

So to wrap this up for you, overall my final thoughts about aerial yoga isssss, I'll need to try it again and give it another shot, here is why. I had instacart delivering my groceries that morning and had them messaging me on what replacements I wanted for certain foods, so that took my attention often, and caused slight stress, which I was going to the class to leave the stress anywhere but there. I didn't know the flow or know names of certain moves so I felt lost at moments. Those two things can really affect the way you relax, so I had a hard time with that. Now I could go into it thinking of it more as a workout than yoga and I think my zone would be better. On the other hand when I was able to get into the zone, even if it didn't last long, it was so pleasant. To stretch and acknowledge every part of your body along the way was relaxing on its own. I loved how I literally felt stretched out after I left, in a good way, an almost taller feeling. Some do aerial yoga solely for the relief of compression in the spine, for the challenge to your mental capacity and central nervous system, to improve flexibility and increase strength all over the body.

If you are thinking about giving Aerial Yoga a go! I totally recommend taking the time to check out Tula Studios at 146 Ocean st in South Portland Maine. Of try out there spin class, rope call or sauna! If you try them before me, YOU can tell me about them!

Enjoy and have fun!