Frequently asked questions

Jez Farmer of St Albans-based company Hobby Republik wrote a review of what it’s like to try aerial for the first time, which is well worth a read here.

If you’re completely new to aerial (or to exercise in general), we usually recommend starting with beginner hoop or beginner trapeze.

These disciplines tend to feel more accessible for first-timers, as they offer clearer points of contact and support while you build strength, grip and aerial awareness.

You don’t need any prior aerial experience to attend our beginner classes - but some general fitness and willingness to work physically will really help you enjoy the session.2.45pm.

Newcomers can try out their first class for half price using the code FIRST-CLASS

Aerial silks is the most physically demanding of our aerial disciplines and is often the hardest place to start.

While our Sunday silks class is open to beginners, it is an open-level beginner class, meaning:

• some students will be brand new

• others may have been attending for several months

If you have no background in aerial, gymnastics, climbing or regular fitness, you may find silks frustrating as a first session and get more out of starting with hoop or trapeze instead.

If you’re unsure, please feel free to email us before booking - we’re always happy to advise.

Our beginner classes are not courses - they are open classes.

That means:

• not everyone will be attending their first ever session

• beginners progress at different speeds

• you may be sharing the class with people who have more experience than you

This is completely normal in aerial training, and instructors will offer appropriate progressions and regressions where possible.

You don’t need to be “strong” to start — aerial will help you build strength over time.

However, aerial is physically demanding, and having some existing fitness (or being prepared to work hard and feel challenged) will make your experience much more enjoyable.

Some post-class muscle soreness is normal, especially in the first few weeks.

Absolutely. If you’re unsure which class is right for you, please email us before booking and tell us:

• your fitness background (if any)

• whether you’ve done aerial, gymnastics or climbing before

• which apparatus you’re most interested in

We’d much rather help you choose the right starting point than have you book something that doesn’t suit you.

Our classes start with a warm-up that combines cardio with dynamic yoga-inspired stretching, and then we move onto practising skills and poses on the aerial silks, aerial sling, aerial hoop or static trapeze.

During the class, students are taught moves or combinations either individually or in small groups, or work by themselves on routine creation. A five to ten minute cool-down with stretches comes at the end. We keep our class sizes relatively small and ensure that everyone gets a good amount of time in the air and tuition.

We offer class packages: 4 for £64 (63 days to use), 6 for £90 (91 days to use), or 10 for £135 (147 days to use).

All adult classes are 75 minutes long.

A single class pass is £18. You can try your first class for 50% off at just £9 before committing to one of our saver packages!

More info in the class packages FAQ below.

Our children’s/teens classes (1 hour) can only be bought in half term blocks, so prices vary depending on the length of term, though each class works out to be approximately £15.30 per class.

Tryout sessions for teens and children (1 hour) are £12 and are available when we have a space in the class.

Class packages are available for adult classes only.

When you purchase a package (4, 6, or 10 classes), you’ll receive an email with a code. This code can then be used to book onto any adult class, subject to availability.

Packages are valid for:

• 4 classes: 63 days

• 6 classes: 91 days

• 10 classes: 147 days

To book a class, go to our booking page, select your class and time, and continue to checkout. Enter your code in the “package, gift or coupon code” field — your class will then be deducted from your package.

We recommend creating an account with our booking system so you can easily view and manage your bookings.

You can check your remaining classes at any time via the booking system.

Cancellations and rescheduling

You can cancel or reschedule your class up to 24 hours before the start time via your confirmation email. Your class will then be returned to your package.

Within 24 hours of the class, the booking system no longer allows you to cancel or reschedule. If you can’t attend, please let us know as soon as possible.

If we’re able to fill your space, we’ll happily return the class to your package. However, this isn’t something we can guarantee, and if we’re unable to fill the space, we won’t be able to offer a refund.

If you can no longer attend, please let us know rather than not turning up, as this helps us manage class sizes and waiting lists.

St Albans venue:

The Yoga Hall
11 Hatfield Rd
St Albans
AL1 3RR

The Yoga Hall is next to the Peacock pub and where the museum used to be. Parking around this area can be tricky - please leave time for this. Nearest public car parks are Bricket Road.

And at:

Margaret Wix Primary School

High Oaks

St Albans

AL3 6EL

As you enter the main school gate, you will see several parking spaces on your left. Beyond these, as you look towards the left of the second green gate, you will find the entrance to the sports hall.

Close-fitting clothes are best to protect your skin and avoid snagging on the equipment. We recommend leggings that cover the backs of your knees to protect them and a top that won't ride up when you're upside down. If you want to do a lot of aerial and circus skills, it may be best to buy a leotard/unitard. Wear crop-tops at your peril - many aerial moves involve pressure along the back or waist.

All dangly/spiky jewellery, including watches, should be removed. Rings should also be removed (unless it’s physically impossible to do so and if they are flat with no protruding edges/gems). Please note that if you have any inappropriate jewellery that cannot be removed, you won’t be able to take part.

Please see our children’s and teens classes page here for more info on that - but in short, our regular term-time classes aren’t available to book online as we give rebooking priority to existing students.

Our Harpenden Saturday 9am, 10am, 11am and Wednesday 5.45pm, and St Albans Tuesday 4.15pm kids classes all currently have waiting lists.

Please email us directly at [email protected] to be added to the waiting list for a trial session.

In most cases, we advise against setting up aerial equipment at home - especially in the case of children who have had no or few aerial classes.

This is because:

1a) Safety: it’s easy to pick up bad habits if you’re teaching yourself from YouTube/TikTok etc, and children who do this often see and want to attempt moves that they’re simply not ready for. For example - many aerial silks and hammock drops may look super fun, but carry with them a risk of whiplash or similar if correct body tension is not maintained throughout. Not all posts on social medias will include/or show clear instruction or wraps, rendering a drop unsafe. Live in person instruction is definitely key to remaining safe in the air.

The reality is that aerial arts is a high risk activity and people can and have been seriously injured (or worse!) practicing aerial.

1b) Safety (equipment): There are increasingly more and more options online. Any aerial apparatus should be bought from a reputable company that specialises in aerial - avoid Amazon, Temu and AliExpress! Aerial fabric and aerial equipment needs to have been rated for aerial use - for example, the aerial safety factor for aerial yoga is a is a minimum of 5:1 for aerial yoga (so the equipment should be approx 3,000lbs) and minimum of 8:1 for aerial silks (10:1 is ideal), which equates to 5,000lbs.

2) Supervision: children who practice aerial at home absolutely must be supervised at all times. Even experienced/professional aerialists should never attempt new or unfamiliar tricks if there isn’t someone else in the space.

Many aerial moves (on aerial silks in particular) carry the risk of tangling and getting stuck - and if you don’t have the knowledge or strength to free yourself and you’re by yourself, you’re in big trouble.

3) Rigging is a skill in itself - you must know your carabiners from your choke-holds from your daisy chains and have awareness of dynamic loads.

Some aerial companies (Firetoys, XPole) sell aerial rigs. This is more advisable than:

a) Rigging from a beam in your house unless a structural engineer has checked the exact load bearing capacity of a roof - and if not, it’s likely that your house insurance will be invalidated, or

b) Rigging from trees - this should be an absolute no-go. Only trained arborists can tell the health of branches/trees - what looks like a healthy branch could be dead inside and liable to snap.

Most aerial injuries and fatalities as a result of tree rigging comes not from the aerialist falling, but from the branch falling on top of them, as people will pick what appears to them to be the biggest/sturdiest branch.

Cirque du Soleil feels so strongly about this that they do not hire aerialists who have any evidence of tree rigging on their social media.

4) Practicing in unsafe conditions not only is dangerous for you as an individual, but it actually harms the entire field of aerial arts.  More accidents leads to higher liability risk associated with aerial arts and increasingly higher costs for insuring aerial arts.  High risk and high cost prevents people from offering classes and performances. There are plenty of ways to cross train to increase aerial strength and flexibility, such as calisthenics, yoga or climbing.