Picture a caterpillar burrowed in a chrysalis, completely covered, waiting to be reborn as a butterfly. This is what each participant looks like at the end of Be Yoga & Wellness' aerial yoga class.

 

Their bodies are covered head to toe in silk fabric as they hang in a peaceful meditation from the ceiling. If someone were to walk by, they would probably think the group looked like a bunch of dangling burritos.

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Now, rewind to one hour earlier—the scene is a little different. People begin to enter the studio with hesitant looks on their faces. Three women are already standing next to the hanging red and blue silks. They start a quiet conversation about it being their first time trying aerial yoga. 

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As more and more people begin to enter, it becomes evident that this class isn't just for the stereotypical yogi. While the majority of the participants are women aged 25 to 50, there are a couple of standout characters: one being a middle-school aged girl with her mother; the other, a tall, older man. 

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David Billings, 52, walks in, goes straight to a silk, adjusts it to his height, and then hops right on into the fabric. It's clear he's done this before.

 

"I've been doing this for about six months, but before I started I didn't know what to expect. I was very worried about falling," he says.

 

But since the writer has become a regular participant, his perception has changed. Despite having joint issues, the Burlington man finds that aerial yoga gives him a great sense of release. 

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"I find it to be very stress-relieving. Very relaxing," says Billings. "I can do inversions here quite comfortably and can get a relaxing benefit from it."

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The instructor, Molly Kubes, 25, says there are many participants who enjoy the class because of the relaxing feeling of weightlessness, but also its ability to decompress the spine. "You just feel like you're floating, so I feel like it's really good for letting go and surrendering."

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But aerial yoga isn't just about stress-relief; it's also a great workout as well. Kubes believes that because it's such a fun and unique activity, people don't realize they're working out as much.

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"You can get into a plank with your feet in the fabric and then like lots of core stability and lots of stuff in there," says Kubes. "You also have to be even more present than you would be normally because you're in the fabric. So you kind of have to be aware of your safety and your surroundings and more body aware."

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The 25-year-old Burlington resident is soft-spoken but exceptionally talented at making her instructions clear to everyone in the room. She describes each movement slowly so that no matter the skill level, participants are comfortable trying the, sometimes frightening, moves.

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"Everybody comes. Everybody from all ages—and she's like 66 or something and she really loves it," she says.

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Despite opening the class by warning that some may feel the need to throw up from being upside down, there was no projectile vomiting in tonight's class. 

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Stretching progressed into inversions and hanging poses, and ended with a relaxing meditation that could make anyone feel zen.

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With dim lighting, earthy music, and a low "Ommmm," everyone emerges from their cocoon looking ready for a good night's sleep.

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