FAQ

How do I sign up for a class?

Unlike traditional group fitness, aerial class sizes are limited. All class spots should be reserved and paid for online prior to coming to the studio. In order to keep your costs lower, Tough Lotus only accepts payment through the website and the studio does not staff a receptionist or accept cash/checks. We caution against drop ins for two reasons. 1) If there are no other students signed up for class (minimum of 3 for Iron Lotus), it may be cancelled and/or there may not be an instructor at the studio. 2) If a class happens to be “full”, Tough Lotus is unable to accommodate.

How do I sign up for a class if I have a Groupon?

**Groupon codes will be active in our system the day after purchase from Groupon.**

1) If you have a Groupon, please ensure you read all FAQs prior to your first visit (www.toughlotus.com/faq). You MUST enroll online, please do NOT drop by the studio, as space is limited and hammocks must be reserved.

2) After reading FAQs, you will visit www.toughlotus.com/signupforclases and look at the Intro to Aerial classes on the schedule at the bottom of the page. Once you have found a class time that fits, you will click on “book a pre-purchased deal”. In the deal drop down box, select “Groupon customers redeeming for the first time” and enter your GROUPON NUMBER (located on the upper right corner of your voucher, looks something like 345-dx). You will then set up a new customer account and set a password. You may then select the appropriate date/time. The account must be established in the person’s name who has purchased the Groupon (email and password). You will receive an email with your specific first class enrollment confirmation. NOTE: IF YOU NEED TO CANCEL A BOOKING, IT IS ALLOWED WITH 48 HOURS NOTICE. THERE WILL BE A LINK AT THE BOTTOM OF YOUR CLASS CONFIRMATION TO CANCEL ONLINE. You will also receive a reminder email 2 hours prior to class.

3) Second time Groupon customers will visit www.toughlotus.com/signupforclasses and click on “book a pre-purchased deal” and either “Groupon customers redeeming remaining 3 pack” or “Groupon customers redeeming remaining 6 pack”. Enter the same GROUPON NUMBER you used the first time, once again, to activate your remaining classes. 3 Pack customers will have 2 classes remaining in the package and 6 pack customers will have 5 classes remaining. Once you enter your groupon number for this package, you will first see a confirmation screen and receive a confirmation email of “purchase”–which confirms you have activated your package. You will then select the appropriate class. There will be a cost showing of $16, but at the bottom the radio button (which allows you use your package) should be selected. It will not charge you, but simply move to the confirmation screen. You’re done!

4) Subsequent enrollments for Groupon- After the first two enrollments, you will only need to log in with your username/password after you selected the appropriate class day/time from the calendar. Your remaining unused bookings will be available in your account. There is no need to enter your GROUPON NUMBER again.

Do you have packages available?

YES! We have three packages available. 5 classes for $70 and 10 for $124, which reduces the class price to $14/$12.40 respectively. Packages can be found on the ‘sign up for classes‘ page.

How do I enroll if I have a package purchased on toughlotus.com?

Simply visit ‘sign up for classes‘ tab. and choose the class you want to attend, check out as an existing customer and your classes will be in your account for use at checkout. Packages can be used for Tough Lotus, Balanced Lotus or the Tough Lotus Challenge. If you would like to use your package credits to enroll in The Challenge, please email info@toughlotus.com.

My email and password credentials do not work, can you help?

Booking Bug is the booking system we use at Tough Lotus, if you have issues with your user name and password, they can be reset visiting www.bookingbug/com and clicking “forgot password” at the log in screen.

What if I signed up for a class and can’t make it?

All cancellations/reschedules must be made 48 hours in advance, no exceptions. If it’s outside of 48 hours, there is a link at the bottom of your booking confirmation email which allows you to amend/chancel your class. We have this policy because class size is limited and your reservation prevents Tough Lotus from selling it to someone else. Vacant spots with less than 48 hours notice are almost impossible to fill. If you can not commit to a particular class more than 48 hours ahead, we suggest you do not schedule until you are absolutely positive you can attend. We certainly appreciate your understanding.

General Aerial Fitness Q&A

What the heck is aerial fitness?

Aerial fitness is a fun and integrative approach to maximum fitness in minimal amounts of time. It’s difficult to explain and easy to do. It’s where aerial yoga, the circus, gymnastics and suspension training collide. We think it’s the most fun you will have working that body of yours!

What do you call that swing “thing”?

An aerial gym is made from recycled parachute material and is extremely strong. Adding multi-level straps change the amount of support and the dynamics of many traditional exercises. The aerial gym is primarily used for stability, flexibility, balance and strength.

We also use aerial hammocks at the studio, which are made from aerial silk tricot fabric and stretches out to encompass and support your entire suspended body, similar to being wrapped in a cocoon and floating. This hammock is used for stability, flexibility, balance and spinal decompression which leads to tons of relaxation.

Ok, tell me more…why would I do this again?

There is a long list of why aerial fitness appeals people of all walks of life. Here is just a just a small list of what benefits you can expect:

Develop upper and lower body strength without even trying to.

Stretch a little deeper without experiencing any strain because the fabric supports your body weight.
Work more of the body at one time because weight is distributed throughout multiple working points.
Create a strong core by expanding the possibilities in a 3-D space across all planes of motion.
Improve balance through the use of aerial swings that can move anywhere in space.
Improve stabilization which is necessary in every sport not to mention functional movement!
We especially like how empowering it can be when you can lift your own body weight into new poses and fly like a bird.

Oh! This looks hard, so you need to be some kind of superstar with a gymnastic or yoga background to do this stuff, right?

Nope! Although it all may seem awkward your first time, we guarantee moves are easier than they look and become even easier the more you do them. Stability, balance, flexibility, strength and relaxation and strength benefit everyone!

So what happens in one of these classes?

All aerial fitness classes will have the same general pose types: Grounded, Flying, Floating and Inverted.

If a movement is grounded, then there is going to be some body part that the fabric has suspended. A move is labeled flying when your feet are off the ground and you are in the air! Low-flying poses are the poses where your torso is between the ground and the loop, even though you are still one hundred percent off the ground. Anytime the fabric is completely spread out, we call it floating. Inverted moves, as the name implies, refer to the moves where you get to hang upside-down. Inversion trumps flying, meaning that if a move is flying and its inverted (which most inversions are anyway), it gets the title inverted, and nothing else.

How many different class types does Tough Lotus offer?

Tough Lotus offers three different classes multiple times a week, please check our calendar schedule for availability.

Intro to Aerial Fitness: A class specifically for first timers! For just $12, come and find out how and why you should incorporate hammocks into your workouts! This hour-long class focuses on not only the “how” and the “why”, but will also allow you to try the most common aerial poses, at a nice slow pace. Come and discover why aerial work will become the next best thing in cross training!

Balanced Lotus Comprised of 30 minutes of flexibility, stability, balance and strength training followed by 30 minutes of spinal decompression and floating relaxation. You will be inverted in this class as it’s a part of the benefit! A true balanced class that will not only challenge your body, but also leave you blissful and ready to take on any challenge.

Tough Lotus We strongly recommend taking an Intro and a Balanced class prior to Tough Lotus. Tough Lotus classes are more challenging and comprised of 50 minutes of flexibility, stability, balance and strength training followed by 10 minutes of spinal decompression and relaxation. If you have not tried aerial fitness before, you may want to start with Balanced Lotus. Tough Lotus classes are larger in size and faster moving than Balanced. The definition of “tough” in this class is all up to you, we aren’t going to police your effort….but you will know when it’s “tough”.

Playful Lotus This 1.5 hour class will focus on individual silk hammock “tricks” that bring out your sense of adventure. Develop coordination, strength, flexibility, stability and confidence using silk hammocks to support and resist your body weight!

Tough Lotus Challenge This is a 4 week course which starts the first Tuesday of the month. We strongly recommend taking an Intro and a Balanced class prior to the Tough Lotus Challenge. This is a progressive class that will involve even more strength training than a typical TL class. A Tough Lotus Challenge “score” is generated at the end of the course, based on improvement week 1 to week 4. The winning participant is granted a free spot in the next challenge (valued at $56). Course must be paid in full and no make up classes will be granted. Please make sure you can commit to a weekly workout!

Tough Lotus Flow All levels welcome in this progressive 4 week course, focusing on choreographing movements on double rigged silk hammocks to music. It’s a little Cirque, a little dance, a little workout and a whole lot of fun!

How high off the ground is the swing?

The swings are adjusted depending on your own height and the objective of the exercise being performed. Sometimes the swing hangs low, sometimes high. You will never be more than 4 feet off the ground.

How much hanging upside down do you do and why would I do that?

It will really depend on YOU. Inversions are done in every class because we believe inversions are key to overall health at Tough Lotus. Whether you hold an inversion for mere seconds or for minutes, both have benefits. Here are just a few:

Improved mobility and reduced backpain- Inversion stretching allows compressed discs along the spine to regain fluid and return to their original position.
Improved Circulation- inverted positions increases the flow of blood and oxygen to the brain and the soft tissue of the neck

Enhanced Flexibility- strengthening and lengthening of muscles may help to improve overall posture. Speaking of lengthening, you can actually get taller from decompressing that spine…really!

Stress Reduction Relief from stress from inversion therapy by decreasing muscle tension. Short periods of inversion may decrease EMG measurements of muscle tension in the superficial lumbar region, while total spinal length was increased. unlike static inversions, decrease both systolic and diastolic systemic blood pressure and pulse rate.

If that isn’t enough to convince you that inversion is beneficial, the bliss you will feel should. Activation of the pituitary gland creates those happy hormones!

Is there a weight limit?

Yes, the weight limit for aerial yoga is 250 lbs.

Are there people that shouldn’t hang upside down?

Yes! And have we mention, that you must sign a waiver prior to class? If you currently have one of the following conditions, you should not invert or at the least check with your doctor and participate at your own risk. It also may cause discomfort to use fabric if you experience one of these conditions. That does not mean you cannot take aerial fitness classes, however, inversion is a very important part of aerial fitness; as such, we spend an awful lot of time with our heads lower than our hearts! We want all of our clients to have good experiences, so we want to be up front that this is not for everyone.

Glaucoma
Hypertension
Uncompensated congestive heart failure
Carotid artery stenosis
Hiatal hernia or spinal instability
Persons receiving anticoagulants or aspirin therapy
Those with a family history of cerebrovascular accidents
High or low blood pressure
History of stroke or heart conditions of any kind
Pregnancy beyond the first trimester
Excess weight
Epilepsy
Eye problems
Inner ear problems
Other conditions – If you have questions, check with your doctor to make sure it’s okay for you!

How old do you have to be?

Balanced and Tough Lotus classes are for those participants 12 and older.

Ok, I am convinced already, but what do I wear?

Believe us, nobody is going to be checking out your clothing choices. However, we suggest clothes you feel comfortable stretching and being upside down in. Tight or tucked is safe. You don’t want your shirt falling over your head…it’s hard to breathe. You won’t wear shoes, but you may wear socks—it’s up to you.

What else do I need to bring?

Please bring a yoga mat (or yoga socks) and a water bottle.

What if I have a group of friends that want to do a class together?

For private groups or parties, please email info@toughlotus.com