Restart
I'm excited to announce that Whirlybird Aerial Fitness is reopening! I've partnered with Vim Fit and YWCA Central Carolinas to be offering aerial arts at the YWCA facilities on Park Road. It's been quite the journey to get here but, somehow, the destination seems written in the stars.
In the summer and fall of 2019, I wasn't happy with my current aerial existence. It was that deep-rooted feeling that I wasn't where I belonged and was full of self-doubt. Maybe I wasn't good enough, strong enough, or even meant to be an aerialist anymore. I started exploring other options to keep my body moving. As part of this exploration, I joined the fitness center at the YWCA down the street. At the end of a yoga class, the instructor had us blindly pick from a set of cards. I drew the card in the picture. It spoke directly to my soul and seemed to affirm the choices and direction I had brewing in the back of my mind. Yes, somewhere, there was someone who wanted (maybe even needed) what I had to offer; our paths just hadn't crossed yet (or had they?).
Feeling energized and taking a deep breath, I jumped in the deep end, plowing forward with the crazy idea tickling the back of my brain. I completed my personal training certification and started planning the creation of something new. I would create a space to share my love of aerial with women who maybe thought they were too old, too out of shape, the wrong shape, or too broken to be an aerialist. I was going to start spring/summer 2020. . . Ha, we know how that went!
Stubborn me got started anyway and created Whirlybird Aerial Fitness. Now, if only I had the right spot to plant this seed. Through the help of others, I was able to start teaching, but various parts of the spaces I occupied always didn't feel quite right. Through lots of missteps and a few rejections, I kept remember that card, someone wanted what I had to offer. On a whim and prayer, I went back to the beginning and contacted the YWCA about my idea. Not only did they like it, but they thought I could be a good fit. My timing, as it turned out, had been perfect.
So now I feel the circle is complete. From being lonely and full of self-doubt, staring at a random card with the exact words I needed to see, to having my own aerial space set up and ready to share with others just a few steps away from that yoga class. The journey was full of unexpected turns, but patience and persistence paid off. I feel, for the first time in years, like I'm where I need to be.
