aerial yoga

I really love when parallels or connections are drawn from one thing to another. This is one of the reasons I was drawn to yoga in the first place.

At an aerial yoga session, the instructor roped me in right from the start. Instead of starting off the class by asking us to dedicate our practice to someone in need, she threw out the consideration of want vs. need. She started with the approaching holidays but quickly expanded to life in general. Do we find the wants of others competing with our own wants or needs? Do we find our own wants obscuring the things we actually need?

They were great questions — and they spoke right to me – even if I didn’t have clear answers for many of them. As we began to work, she often threw out thoughts for consideration which tied into the movements of our bodies. What causes us to contract – perhaps to the point where we restrict ourselves? Can we relax and open up a little?

The class quickly moved from a level of gentle stirring, to deep stretching of the mind and body. Then came the bolder movements and thoughts which required more trust and letting go.

The pose pictured here was towards the beginning of class, when my mind was still clear. By the end of class, my head swirled dizzily with a mix of wants and needs. I retreated to solid ground and let the room stop spinning. Then, I climbed back up into my sling, let it envelope me in cocoon-like fashion, and enjoyed savasana.