Yoga - with a silky twist: Aerial Yoga

By Allissa Thibault

Have you ever been in a yoga class and thought, “I could totally do an excellent Dancer’s pose right now, if only I was assisted by slings”? No? Me either, turns out it’s much easier though.

I went along to Miss Fit Pole Dancing this week to have a go at Aerial Yoga - think Pink performing in the silks high above the stage during her shows and being all sexy. It was almost like that, but much closer to the ground.

Straight away the instructor, Sarah, made me feel right at home, she was extremely welcoming and answered all my questions - even the other girls in the class introduced themselves and assured me it would be great fun. I’d never done one of these classes before and everyone was so patient in explaining to me the basics.

We started off with some easy stretching exercises so my ab muscles got a little taste of what they were in for, but they didn’t know just how busy they were going to be.

Slowly but surely the exercises got a little harder and required a little more balance and focus. I’m not a huge yoga person to start with, but the novelty of being slightly suspended by the slings made me forget I was actually there for a workout. I felt like I was a kid on a swing and a weightless ballerina all at the same time. Just to be clear, I was neither.

I couldn’t believe how quickly the hour flew by. It was hard, but good hard. You can feel your muscles working but it’s relaxing at the same time. Once the exercises had finished we had the chance to ‘try out’ some poses. I took this as an opportunity to lie in the silks like a hammock and hang upside down. And my goodness it was fun.

I can see how after a few sessions one would develop incredible core strength, balance and flexibility. It takes great skill to take an activity that could feel a little like you’re playing in a jungle gym and make it look graceful. So if you’re looking for a way to shake up your usual yoga routine, or you’re just after something a little different, I would definitely recommend trying out an Aerial Yoga class. Or a Pole Dancing class, they do that too. That’s next on my list.

You can find Miss Fit at www.missfit.com.au they have two studios at Artarmon and Castle Hill.

DISCLAIMER: Alissa was a guest of MissFit - she reports on her honest experience

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