Why I Returned to Aerial Yoga: A Personal Reconnection

Aerial yoga wasn’t something I sought out. It found me. Now, in April 2025, I’m back in the silks after a long break, and I’m ready to share why this return feels so right. This is the start of a series about my journey. It’s messy, real, and full of rediscovery. Let’s dive in.

The Spark That Started It All

It was 2021, and I was knee-deep in my in-home horticulture service, helping people plan urban gardens. One day, a client’s home stopped me in my tracks. It wasn’t because of their plants, but because of a silk dangling from the ceiling. I’d never seen anything like it up close. My curiosity took root, and soon I was down a rabbit hole of aerial yoga videos, captivated by the fluidity, the strength, the way it looked like floating art. At the time, my then-boyfriend (now husband) and I lived in a house with 20-foot ceilings. It was practically begging for a silk setup. I turned to him with a grin and asked, “Can I spend $300 to hang one in our living room?” He said yes, and that’s how it began. Those first swings were clumsy but exhilarating. I felt like I’d unlocked a new part of myself.

When Life Pulled Me Away

The joy didn’t last as long as I’d hoped. An unexpected move uprooted us, and our next home’s 12-foot ceilings felt like a downgrade for my aerial dreams. I tried to make it work. I hung the silk and tested poses, but fear crept in. What if I fell? What if I got too close to the ground and hurt myself? My confidence faltered, and the silks got packed away. Life kept moving. We got married in 2024 and settled into a new home with space for my setup, but between wedding planning and general chaos, I didn’t touch them. They sat there as a quiet reminder of something I’d loved and lost. That is, until 2025 rolled around.

The Pull to Return

Why now? It’s simple. I’m in a good place. Mentally, I’m steady. Physically, I’m ready. Life has settled enough to let me take this on again. It started with a whisper, a memory of how free I’d felt in 2021, suspended in the air. I missed that. I missed the way aerial yoga made me feel strong and soft, gritty and graceful. This wasn’t just a hobby coming back. It was me reclaiming something.

The First Swing Back

That first session in 2025 was humbling. My fingers ached from gripping the silk, and there are spots on my feet, tender from friction, that still need time to toughen up. I weigh more now than I did in 2021, so I braced myself for struggle. But then I lifted into a pose, and my strength surprised me. Years of yoga have made me more flexible, too. My body stretched in ways it couldn’t back then. It wasn’t all smooth sailing, though. I’ve got a new fear of injury nagging at me, a caution I didn’t carry before. Maybe it’s because I’m older, or maybe it’s because I know what’s at stake. Either way, I’m learning to move with it, not against it.

How It’s Different This Time

This chapter of aerial yoga feels distinct from 2021. Back then, it was all new, wild and uncharted. Now, it’s a return, layered with experience and a touch of wariness. I’ve built a routine around it. I spend 30 minutes, five days a week, in a pocket of time carved out between marriage, work, and life. It’s my way of showing up for myself. What’s keeping me here is the challenge. I love the grit it demands and the flexibility it coaxes out of me. And honestly? I think aerial is sexy. There’s something about expressing myself in the silks, blending the peace of yoga with the raw power of holding my own weight. It’s a dance of strength and flow, and I’m hooked.

Ripples Beyond the Silks

This return isn’t just about what happens in the air. It’s shifting me on the ground, too. I’m more intentional with my days and more tuned into my body. My energy’s steadier, and I catch myself standing taller and breathing deeper. It’s funny how 30 minutes a day can ripple out like that. The silks have become a mirror, reflecting back the parts of me I’d let fade. Every time I conquer a pose, or even stumble through one, I feel that quiet pride of knowing I didn’t let this go for good.

A Little Nudge for You

If there’s something you’ve loved and set aside, I hope my story nudges you toward it. Breaks aren’t forever. If it matters to you, whether it’s aerial yoga, a garden, or something uniquely yours, it’ll find a way to work out. This series is my journey back to the silks, and I’m excited to share the ups, downs, and everything in between. Maybe you’ll find your own way back to what lights you up. For me, it’s the silks. And I’m not letting go this time.