Up in the air: Aerial yoga an artistic, challenging way to become strong, powerful
By Tami Lange Mosser
January 15, 2015
1700
If your vision of yoga conjures up rows of people chanting while in the lotus position, Emily Mariolas aerial yoga class is going to throw you for a loop.
Little of this class happens on the floor. If you come to a Flex Yoga aerial yoga class in downtown Wooster, prepare to spend 45 minutes or so suspended in midair. Even the instructor agreed its not all that yoga-esque.
Its more like dance, said Mariola. Its like a dance in the air.
In fact, the aerial yoga instructor who Mariola studied with in Florida had once been with Cirque du Soleil, known for its acrobatics and aerial prowess. And it is not easy, said Mariola, who had an instructor friend come up from New Orleans to help her with the first few class sessions at her studio above Oak Grove Eatery.
In fact, creating an aerial yoga facility was a feat in and of itself. The silk pieces are suspended from the ceiling and, depending on the pose, can serve either as swings or hammocks. Each silk will support up to 2,000 pounds. The hooking device was engineered into the ceiling, Mariola said. There was a lot of engineering work and drawing to get these into the ceilings.
There are 15 silks, five in three rows. Thats the limit, Mariola said, so in the first few weeks of the class, there have been waiting lists. Currently offered three times per week, she said the discipline will be increased to five times per week in the near future. It may well be split into an aerial conditioning class, and also an aerial dance class.
I felt like it would be fun for people and would appeal to a lot of people, Mariola said. So far, she appears to be right. People have come in the doors that I have never seen in a yoga class before, she said.
There are people with dance backgrounds. One woman is a mountain climber and uses the class to further develop arm and hand strength. Students from The College of Wooster have come in.
And then there are the kids.
Unlike adults, who might be tentative at the outset, Mariola said the children who come for kids classes are fearless. There are spotters around to make sure that fearlessness doesnt result in injury, but her youngest students are often the ones most willing to try something new. And all the time Mariola said, they think theyre at a party. They dont think its hard. They think its fun.
The adults find it challenging.
While it lacks some of the mind-body connection that brings people to yoga, the aerial yoga classes teach body awareness and concentration. Being still in the silks requires an immense amount of muscle control, as well as strength. Its a full body game, Mariola said. We touch all of it.
And there are some very specific benefits, she said; the fact that the exercises are done in the air, rather than on the ground, work well for spinal decompression and can be a restorative practice for people with back injuries.
On the other hand, the aerial yoga class is not the place for pregnant women, nor for people prone to vertigo. During the class, Mariola is very watchful of participants, helping with positions that are difficult to figure out and always keeping an eye out for safety. She is careful and quick to warn people who come to the class that if you dont feel safe and in control, you need to stop.
For those up to the challenge, aerial yoga gives a boost of power and confidence like nothing else. Mariola said she is gratified each and every time she sees a student master a movement and, maybe, surprise themselves.
Its inspiring, she said, to hear someone say, I cant believe I did that.
