10 Steps for a safe, smooth and joyful return to silks and all aerial arts.
New Year, New Aerial Practice and should I be setting goals?
Returning to aerial practice after a summer break, or after time away for other reasons has ups and downs. Perhaps time off has been for home isolation, an injury, or pregnancy and parenthood. Reaching the moment when we’re putting our hands on the apparatus there’s joyful elation, often quickly followed by despair, (this used to be easy?!). It’s all part of the aerial journey and I’d like to share some ideas for a rewarding, smooth and safe return to your aerial practice. If you’re the proactive type; check out our list of ideas for at home preparation for your return to aerials here
1. Don’t Panic.
If this is your first “return to practice” let me warn you it can be jarring at first. But honestly; you will bounce back with increasing ease. A few weeks in, you will be feeling much more proficient. However I encourage you to seize this opportunity to revitalize your aerial practice with a gentle breathe, and some careful consideration for your whole self with the following ideas:
2. Honor your warm up:
Don’t short-change yourself: upon return more than ever is when we need to do an extra thorough warm up, especially for our grip strength. Pretty please don’t be fooled into “conserving your strength for the air”. Getting a sweat up and mobilizing your joints on the ground will help you achieve in the air and offer protection against injury.
3. Manage expectations
When we take time away from aerials, it will be different when we come back. This is a fact of aerial practice, and can be seen as an opportunity to refresh our practice and consider our goals. Even a short two weeks off can majorly change how we feel in the air. Longer time periods and bodily changes will affect aerial capabilities including our strength, flexibility, muscle memory patterns of movement and conscious memory of how to execute moves. Take a mindful approach to discover what how our new practice will be, instead of trying to continue where we left off, as if no time has passed and no changes have occurred within ourselves.
4. Meet your apparatus with a fresh lens and curiosity.
Can we move slower? Can we move with more intention? Can we carefully acknowledgement which parts of our body are feeling delight to carry us again and which parts might be working overtime in tension or strain. Have we reached a limit or is there a more efficient way to spread the work to different muscles. We don’t need to do things exactly the same as before. Take an opportunity to connect with how you move.
5. Lean into your bodily sensations
Listen to what your body has to say! Feel where you have ease; this can be a joyful felt sense in the body. Notice where the struggle is, be kind to yourself and take note of areas of your practice which may benefit from foundation work; ask your teacher for more on this. Acknowledge that maybe it’s more difficult to lift your knees than before; push yourself the right amount. Some gentle perseverance will help you recondition but overdoing it could put you out of action while you recover for a few days. Over-exertion can also increase risk of injury.
6. Practice aerials in a way that honours your whole self (physical, mental, emotional, social and spiritual).
Return to aerials is a perfect time to consider what our practice gives us. Physical exercise, a mental challenge or mental escape within physical exertion, an experience of bravery or even mastery, connection with others and a deeper connection to ourselves are all potential benefits of your practice. Please consider what is important to you and let that influence the actions you choose to take during your aerial practice.
7. Goal Setting - Ideally please AFTER your first few sessions back when you have a sense of your starting point, you may like to set goals.
Goals can be a wonderful method to bring consistency to our practice which will contribute to achievement of desired outcomes. SMART goals can be helpful with goal setting:
Specific (simple, sensible, significant).
Measurable (meaningful, motivating).
Achievable (attainable).
Relevant (reasonable, realistic and resourced).
Time bound (set a timeframe and reassess at regular intervals)
Example of a SMART goal:
“To consistently and comfortably perform a foot lock in the air within 8 weeks”
Use your goal to set specific actions for practice. These should be smaller, more easily achievable actions which build towards your goal.
For example:
Climb and hang from hands for 3 secs (increase this time over weeks) do this 3x
Practice the foot lock technique using two feet while sitting down. Do this 3x
Once the first steps have been achieved increase time, number of repetitions and set the next steps. Your teacher can help with this.
Later steps can include style goals by adding concepts such as “elegantly or whimsically…”
This strategy will help to keep you working is your “learning edge” a place that is challenging enough that you will be gaining skill but is easy enough that you are learning with consistent repetition. If the activity is unrealistically difficult then efforts put in will have diminishing returns or in some cases can be actively unhelpful.
8. Push yourself the right amount, with the right activity at the right time
If strength work is aligned with your goals; save this for near end of the session and choose the activity that will give you the most return for your efforts. Usually this will be with repetition of one movement in sets like an invert. Your teacher can help you find a level of difficulty to work at which will be most useful to you.
9. Thank your whole self for turning up
You deserve to feel some appreciation for taking the time to arrive at your practice, you beautiful person. From one aerialist to another, I acknowledge that aerial training requires a lot of time and energy and I hope your return to aerials is joyful and rewarding.
10. Do the practical self care
Do your cool down stretch, drink some water, eat some protein and get ready for the next aerial session! And if you’re posting to social media don’t forget to tag us @Aracnation
Wishing you a safe, smooth and joyful return to aerials:
See you at the studio soon!
Rebecca Bilyard
is an aerial arts performer and teacher with over 10 years of experience. She is a member and the Lead teacher of the Aracnation Collective.