We Tried Taking an Aerial Fitness Class

There I was, dangling upside down from the ceiling in a pose the instructor called “star,” with only a silk hammock around my waist keeping me from hitting the ground. What brought me here? Let’s back up.

On a recent Wednesday after work, 417 Digital Coordinator Elizabeth VanFosson, 417 Photographer Katy St. Clair and I made our way down to Nixa to attend a class at 417 Aerial (116 W. Sherman Way Suite 10, Nixa). I was a gymnast for most of my younger years, but I had never tried aerial fitness before—a form of exercise that combines acrobatics and fitness while suspended in the air. “We love beginners here and are an encouraging safe space where people form friendships and a love for aerial,” says Deidra Johnson, the owner of 417 Aerial. Johnson has been practicing aerial for more than 15 years and teaching for more than 12 years, so she put together a class to show us the basics. We began with intense stretching, walking up and down the gym in lines, doing various stretches to open the hip flexors, shoulders and hamstrings. After a few circuits, we moved to floor stretches.

Finally, it was time to get acquainted with the silks. Johnson introduced us to each apparatus—the Lyra, silks and hammock—making it look easy as she floated into the air. I had hoped my gymnastics background would help with the poses, but I quickly discovered I no longer have the upper body strength I did as a teenager. That was the first thing I noticed—you need pure strength to hold yourself up on the silks. I can see how you would quickly gain muscle if you started practicing aerial regularly as a form of fitness. “I encourage everyone to come try aerial,” Johnson says. “Most people think they need to wait until they get in shape, but aerial has a very sneaky way of being a fun form of fitness.”

The fitness aspect of the aerial fitness class involves partners. While one partner practices on each apparatus, the other does mini-workouts as they wait for their turn. While VanFosson began her workout, I started by spinning on the Lyra—a hula hoop-shaped apparatus dangling about two feet off the ground. I shifted from a stretched-out hollow position to spin slowly, then scrunched up into a ball to spin faster. From there, Johnson taught me how to let go of one arm into a graceful layback hollow pose.

On the silks, she first showed me how to wrap the silks around my hands in a wristwrap and lift my feet off the ground, holding myself up with my arms. Once I got that down, she demonstrated how to wrap the silk around my left foot into a footlock to create a hold, allowing me to stand up and get into the flamingo position. This pose was my favorite—I felt like I was flying through the air, despite being only about a foot off the ground. Last, I moved to the hammock, starting with it wrapped around my back in the backpack position and using my abs to hold myself up while swinging. From there, Johnson showed me how to flip upside down into the frog position, and then into the star position, with all my limbs outstretched to form a star.

After trying a few poses, I can see why people easily get hooked on aerial. Once you find the right position, you get this feeling of  “Okay, what’s next?” that makes you want to keep going. Nostalgia crept in as practicing aerial fitness reminded me of my days as a gymnast, flipping upside down through the air. I can definitely see myself trying this again, especially as a fun and creative way to get physically stronger.