What if beginners looking like a lizard on a stick isn’t inevitable?

In aerial, we often expect too much and too little from beginners at the same time. We give them complex skills that demand strength, coordination, memory, and courage, without teaching real body awareness, then attribute their chaotic, disorganized movement to being new.

But what happens when we reduce the complexity enough for students to actually pay attention to how they’re moving, and teach them how to organize - not just survive the skill?

In this episode, we’re challenging the assumption that grace is something you earn once you become advanced. We’ll talk about why body awareness and technical detail is a missing layer in so much aerial instruction, and why struggle and messy movement absolutely belong in training without needing to define the entire beginner experience.

Grace isn’t an advanced skill. With appropriately scaled tasks and detailed instruction, every aerialist can experience intentional, beautiful movement from the beginning.

⚡ Want to put this into practice?

Cleaner Lines: 7 Days to More Intentional Aerial Movement breaks down the fundamentals of body awareness and engagement details behind cleaner, more organized movement without needing an apparatus.

It’s for aerialists who want to better understand and organize their own bodies and aerial teachers who want practical tools and language to help their students feel and look graceful from DAY 1, and develop body awareness instead of simply telling them to “point their toes."

Join the 7 Days to Cleaner Lines Challenge waitlist to get it for $27 - goes up to $97 on Sept 2

Submit an idea or guest pitch
www.embodiedaerial.com/podcast

BLOOM Aerial Teacher Training
www.embodiedaerial.com/aerial-teacher-training

Aerial Silks Online Tutorial Library: www.embodiedaerial.com/aerial-silks-online
Strength Programs - www.embodiedaerial.com/strength
Cello Intro & Outro Music by Shaun Diaz

Starting aerial can be exciting, intimidating, confusing, and a little hard to know what’s normal when you’re brand new.

In this episode, we can't cover everything, but we'll get started with what every beginner aerialist should know before (and during) their first classes: green and red flags to look for in a studio, what to expect when you’re starting from zero, what good instruction can look like, how to navigate the challenges of class, how to participate in a way that makes the space safer for everyone, and how to advocate for yourself without feeling like a “difficult” student.

We’ll talk about safe equipment, boundaries, pain & fear, consent and hands-on spotting, asking for modifications, communicating with your instructor, and why you absolutely do not need to be strong, flexible, graceful, or “in shape” before you begin.

Rigging Safety Information from Momentum Aerial: https://www.momentumaerial.org/blog/2020/3/29/rigging-at-home-series-2-rated-gear-and-its-applications

Safety in Aerial Arts Facebook Group (ask questions here) https://www.facebook.com/groups/622174321133562

Get online support with strength & skills:
www.embodiedaerial.com/strength

Submit an idea or guest pitch
www.embodiedaerial.com/podcast

BLOOM Aerial Teacher Training
www.embodiedaerial.com/aerial-teacher-training

Aerial Silks Online Tutorial Library: www.embodiedaerial.com/aerial-silks-online
Strength Programs - www.embodiedaerial.com/strength
Cello Intro & Outro Music by Shaun Diaz

“Uncoachable” is a big label to put on a student and it's been making the rounds on social media. But it's time to retire the concept altogether - not because you should work with every student, but because there's a much deeper conversation hidden between the lines.

In this episode, we’re unpacking the idea of the “coachable” student, the assumptions we make about students who challenge us, and how labels can shape the way we teach and create less diverse spaces. We’ll talk teacher-student fit, psychological safety, confirmation bias, and why the students who are hardest for us to reach might expose some of the most important gaps in our teaching.

Not every student is the right fit for every teacher. But “this student is difficult for me to teach” and “this student is uncoachable” are two very different conclusions.

ANNOUNCEMENT!
The wait list for the "7 Days to Cleaner Aerial Lines Challenge" is open now. Add your name to get this program for $27 instead of $97.

Submit an idea or guest pitch
www.embodiedaerial.com/podcast

BLOOM Aerial Teacher Training
www.embodiedaerial.com/aerial-teacher-training

Aerial Silks Online Tutorial Library: www.embodiedaerial.com/aerial-silks-online
Strength Programs - www.embodiedaerial.com/strength
Cello Intro & Outro Music by Shaun Diaz

In this episode, I break down the common barriers to entering an aerial class and the unusual demands students face once they get there (yep, why you can't find your leg or remember your first name when upside down), and why teaching to the nervous system reduces risk and supports better learning outcomes.

I share the story of a student who barely convinced herself to try aerial, and explore how a teacher’s ability to recognize and respond to what students are managing can directly influence safety, learning, and their experience in the classroom.

I also introduce my High-Load Teaching Framework and Beyond Technique Professional Development workshop for aerial studios.

PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT: Beyond Technique: The hidden curriculum of high-load learning for aerial and movement educators

High-Load Teaching Framework

Submit an idea or guest pitch
www.embodiedaerial.com/podcast

BLOOM Aerial Teacher Training
www.embodiedaerial.com/aerial-teacher-training

Aerial Silks Online Tutorial Library: www.embodiedaerial.com/aerial-silks-online
Strength Programs - www.embodiedaerial.com/strength
Cello Intro & Outro Music by Shaun Diaz

In this episode, I'm sharing the story of my aerial teaching journey from day 1 to where I am today, including the joy and grief that happened in between.

We'll talk about letting go of something you still love, surviving the seasons that feel like brutal endings, and why what looks like an off-ramp may be something else altogether.

Whether you're an aerial teacher, studio owner, artist, or simply standing at a crossroads in your own life, I hope this conversation brings a light to your journey and what matters most for you.

Submit an idea or guest pitch
www.embodiedaerial.com/podcast

BLOOM Aerial Teacher Training
www.embodiedaerial.com/aerial-teacher-training

Aerial Silks Online Tutorial Library: www.embodiedaerial.com/aerial-silks-online
Strength Programs - www.embodiedaerial.com/strength
Cello Intro & Outro Music by Shaun Diaz

In this episode we explore how deeply understanding skills makes you stand out as an instructor, and how generic aerial instruction is actually an equity problem.

Because describing movement you can see isn't teaching - it's narration.

The free hidden gaps training: https://sara.wakefulascent.com/masterclass-914687-7387

Submit an idea or guest pitch
www.embodiedaerial.com/podcast

BLOOM Aerial Teacher Training
www.embodiedaerial.com/aerial-teacher-training

Aerial Silks Online Tutorial Library: www.embodiedaerial.com/aerial-silks-online
Strength Programs - www.embodiedaerial.com/strength
Cello Intro & Outro Music by Shaun Diaz

Today we consider a question from listener Rachel Lamb (@rlamb_leg) who observed that many studios have a trick-focused curriculum with significant gaps in the foundations.

We explore how this is a common pattern, when nonlinear pedagogy can workand when it introduces risk and limitations for students.

We talk about what it means to really devote ourselves to the craft of teaching and rising to the challenge of becoming an expert, not just guessing our way through.

For students who want more foundational work:
www.wakefulascent.com/aerial-silks-online
Www.wakefulascent.com/strength (technique-focused strength)

Free Hidden Gaps Training for instructors and instructors-to-be:
www.wakefulascent.com/aerial-teacher-training

Submit an idea or guest pitch
www.embodiedaerial.com/podcast

BLOOM Aerial Teacher Training
www.embodiedaerial.com/aerial-teacher-training

Aerial Silks Online Tutorial Library: www.embodiedaerial.com/aerial-silks-online
Strength Programs - www.embodiedaerial.com/strength
Cello Intro & Outro Music by Shaun Diaz

In the final episode of our 3-part series devoted to beginners, we explore the emotional landscapes of new students and experienced instructors.

We consider how respecting the art form develops appreciation for the significance of the teaching role itself, fostering self-respect, and how caring for the art form helps us better care for our students as well.

We take you back to your first ever class, and explore how it informs your ever-evolving journey.

If you know teaching is more than a list of tricks, a job, a hobby, and you want the education and mentorship that can take you to the next level of your craft, check out the free training on the hidden gaps of aerial instruction and how we can close those gaps with the BLOOM Aerial teacher training - linked below.

Thanks for listening ;)
DM on instagram @sarakaiser.aerial or email info@wakefulascent.com to continue the conversation.

Submit an idea or guest pitch
www.embodiedaerial.com/podcast

BLOOM Aerial Teacher Training
www.embodiedaerial.com/aerial-teacher-training

Aerial Silks Online Tutorial Library: www.embodiedaerial.com/aerial-silks-online
Strength Programs - www.embodiedaerial.com/strength
Cello Intro & Outro Music by Shaun Diaz