Have you heard of or tried aerial hoop? I hadn't! Not until I started working for Uplift Active. I am not a very active person but I do exercise and dance so the idea of learning Aerial Hoop excited me. Yesterday, I attended my very first Aerial Class in Kuala Lumpur. It is important to note that I am 5’1”, short, and on the bigger side; I absolutely do not have the traditional athletic body that you see on Instagram Photos and magazines.
Stepping in the studio for the very first time also means stepping out of my comfort zone. I got mixed emotions of excitement and fear; I wanted to learn something new but I didn’t want to make a fool of myself. Then the instructor came and had us start with a warm-up routine. Well, it might have been adrenaline or something that happened to me but when the class started, my fear went away. I was actually having fun! We had to do a few exercise routines with the yoga hammock and exercise ball to prepare our body to what awaits us- the aerial hoop!
I remember seeing everyone easily getting to the hoop, making beautiful poses and sliding the hoop from one body part to another. It was beautiful and it included a lot of upper body strength, which by the way, I do not have. Then the instructor went to me and give me basic tasks, not hopping on the Lyra but exercise that helped my grip, it continued for a few minutes and then there I was- watching the step by step process of how to climb on the Lyra, one leg at a time. I tried it once, twice and maybe four more times before I was able to get a hold of myself and anchor one leg properly. And fast forward to a few minutes after, I am on my own on the Aerial Hoop thinking to myself, can I really climb up? Can I have one of those graceful photos?
Then the instructor came to me and wanted me to climb up and sit on the Lyra. Honestly, I do not have much confidence that I can do it. I tried for the first time and I failed, did it again and still a long way to got. Now for the fun (and quite a successful) part of the story; I felt her hands assisting the stubborn body parts and with a little push, voila, I made it! I was sitting on the Lyra hoop.
Would I try Aerial Hoop again? Absolutely! Would I recommend Lyra classes to beginners like me? Absolutely! It was an unexpected but very fun experience. It really made my body hurt but it also gave me that boost of self-confidence. I love it and please, do not let your body type and level stop you from trying this type of class. It is really worth a try!
Jeranie is our social media guru and helps with research, content creation and customer service.
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