Who else loves aerial as much as we do? People always ask how we got into it, and today we’re showing you. Hi! We’re Jordan and Clayton, owners of Aerial Fit Online and veteran aerialists passionate about empowering students and instructors!
Here’s a brief conversation about how we got started, and how we got to where we are!
Clayton Woodson: “I was a competitive swimmer in high school through college. I actually wrecked my shoulders swimming and then was able to heal them with yoga, which Jordan got me into. I’ve always been creative and love diving into projects where I can make things with my hands.
We started practicing partner yoga and that led to Acroyoga. We were practicing that before it was popular and we really enjoyed the new element it added to our yoga practice. Then we heard about an aerial yoga class and had to try it!”
“The thing I loved about acroyoga, the feeling of flying, was difficult to teach in the acroyoga context. I wanted it to be more accessible, and the yoga hammock made it so! I was so excited to teach aerial yoga that i dove right into an intensive teacher training and did a lot of practicing on my friends (thank you everyone) before I opened up aerial yoga classes to the public.
In the process of playing on the hammock, of course I got curious about what else was possible and so Clayton and I dove into learning the basics of aerial at the same time.”
“There were no aerial teachers locally when we started, and very few regionally either. We started before instagram, and at a time when you could go through all the YouTube videos of aerialists in just a few sittings. So our process was to take a weekend roadtrip to someplace that had teachers, and set up as many classes as we could.
Some of those teachers were kind enough to help us get set up on our own, so that we could safely practice what they taught us. As a result we spent a lot of time refining the basics, and learning to explore within those constraints to find different variations, modifications, and such to keep us inspired.
When possible we went to week-long aerial trainings, and anytime we traveled anywhere we sought out aerial instruction. To this day we still absolutely love being students and we’re always thrilled to join a class whenever we can.”
“From those modest beginnings we eventually opened up our dedicated aerial studio and decided to make it our life! We spent so many years developing our teaching methods, and always wanted to put the information online.
When our studio closed temporarily during Covid, we dove into developing the AerialFitOnline resource and now that it’s taken off, with members from around the world, we are excited to once again travel and get a chance to meet some of our members in person and see the amazing studios that everyone is creating around the world.
It is amazing how far aerial has come in just a few short decades, and we are always thrilled and excited to make it our life.”
That’s a bit about us! You can join AerialFitOnline to see our full project of hundreds of videos, or try out the free membership for free content every month!
Want to see more of us? You can find us on Instagram for tons of new content, or you can schedule an appointment during our office hours for a one-on-one chat!
One Response
Jordan and Clayton’s story is a testament to the power of passion and perseverance in carving out a unique path in the aerial arts. Their commitment to learning and sharing their knowledge has undoubtedly enriched the aerial community, inspiring others to pursue their own journeys in this captivating discipline.