Business
BY ASIA ARMOUR
Students at Aerial Yoga can schedule lessons during a class time or book when it is convenient for them
Aerial yoga can help decompress the spine and activates the core, Haagenson said.
Aerial Yoga Houston owner Nicole Haagenson helps her students overcome their apprehension to aerial yoga movements to build con dence and trust in their bodies.
PHOTOS COURTESY AERIAL YOGA HOUSTON
Aerial Yoga Houston aims to heal, not conceal pain
Nicole Haagenson started practicing yoga at the suggestion of her therapist as a teen. The owner of Aerial Yoga Houston in Montrose said this was the rst time she visualized herself as a yoga instructor, and that the practice helped her both mentally and physically. “It gave me so much clarity,” Haagenson said. “It gave me a way to manage stress, which was huge for a teenager. I didn’t have to take any antidepressants. I now felt very much in control of my body and my feelings.” Put in perspective Haagenson said she’s seen the yoga industry grow much more diverse in terms of its o erings and the demographics of participants. These changes open the healing practice up to more communities and connect people of varying backgrounds, she said. “I learned so much about culture and how it a ects how people move their bodies [the] potential shame they carry,” Haagenson said. “[I have] to be really sensitive to that and honor that.”
Why it matters A key bene t to aerial yoga is decompression of the spine, as well as better breathing, anti-aging, core activation and stronger muscles, Haagenson said. With over two decades in the yoga industry, Haagenson said she’s learned movement and just listening to clients can have revolutionary bene ts. “We need so much more nurturing and listening, and less prescribing,” she said. What to expect The studio is set behind a home in an open-con- cept structure. It has space for eight clients to do aerial and 10 for oor exercises, Haagenson said. The concept of doing yoga while suspended in the air can come with some anxiety, Haagenson said, but she uses her instruction and the comfortable environment to encourage her students. “They feel safe to try new things that are scary because that is part of this experience too—over- coming the fear and transferring that fear to courage,” Haagenson said.
Haagenson teaches the health bene ts of yoga, which she said go beyond physical.
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1212 Bomar St., Houston www.aerialyogahouston.com
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HEIGHTS RIVER OAKS MONTROSE EDITION
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