As I noted in my last post, in order to exercise consistently, you need to find a workout you actually enjoy. While I love the elliptical and weightlifting, I decided to use my extra time over winter break to try an exciting new workout: aerial yoga!
As you can see from the picture, aerial yoga involves combining a circus apparatus called fabric or silks with traditional yoga moves and breathing. I’ve previously mentioned my lack of enthusiasm for yoga, but aerial yoga is quickly becoming my new favorite hobby!
When I was younger, I attended a sleep-away camp that included circus arts in its daily activities alongside arts and crafts and sports. I spent hours each summer learning how to unicycle, juggle and swing on the trapeze. Learning those skills was an incredibly fun and unique opportunity, and it definitely played a roll in shaping me. Since my camp days, however, I’ve struggled with ways to stay involved in circus activities. I’ve been to the Trapeze School New York a few times, but it is too expensive to do often.
And that’s where aerial yoga comes in. I signed up thanks to a Groupon, but the classes are inexpensive enough that I’ll try to keep it up once a week after school restarts. It’s great to be doing something circus-related again, while also getting an awesome workout; pulling yourself up and around the fabric is great for the core and upper body. And for the first time ever after a yoga class, I find myself feeling that peaceful state everyone’s always raving about. How could you not relax after doing the shavasna inside a giant hammock? Or maybe it’s all the blood rushing to my head during the inversions?
Either way, aerial yoga is a thrilling workout, and I’m excited to learn more about it, especially since I’m interested in combining my circus skills with physical therapy.