For this Palm Desert business, aerial yoga is a family affair

It started with an accident. Then a circus class.

In 2007, Rubi Rymenmy was suffering from neck pain from a car crash. The pain wasn't bad enough, however, to keep her from what she loves: exploring different kinds of fitness.

Rymenmy particularly had experience with yoga and martial arts classes, and after the accident, she decided to open her own yoga studio. Her neck pain persisted for the next couple years, but she was persistent.

When she discovered circus classes, something clicked.

“I love to challenge myself,” Rymenmy said. “Because of my personality, I want to be doing different things to learn and grow.”

These classes are inspired by circus aerialists, the performers who display their physical and artistic abilities on something suspending them in the air, often a hoop or long vibrant-colored fabric.

After Rymenmy took one week’s worth of classes, she noticed a surprising change in her physicality.

“What I noticed was that oh my god ... my pain on my neck is gone,” she said.

The creation of restorative aerial yoga

This gave her an idea. Rymenmy decided to create a class that combined aerial flying and yoga.

She took more aerial classes and sought medical guidance from a doctor to make sure what she was doing was safe. Once she was cleared to continue, Rymenmy began to share her discovery of the physical benefits of aerial flying.

Athletes who have injuries may want to continue doing something physical with their bodies while they recover, she said, so she created a restorative aerial yoga program. But she also wanted to make a program that could help people who have a more mundane lifestyle as well.

Rymenmy said neck and shoulder pain is quite common among both athletes and non-athletes, and stretching the body during restorative yoga helps relieve pain by decompressing the spine.

"It is like going to the chiropractor where they crack your back,” she said. “Do it every day or three times a week, it's like a maintenance for your body to keep it in good health.”

Becoming a family business

When Rymenmy introduced aerial flying and aerial yoga to her family, they were quickly on board. She opened her first studio in 2012 with her sister, Yolanda Reyes, in Torrance, and named it Art Flying Yoga.

Their brother, Manuel Reyes, also started his own studio in December 2014, and after a few months, they decided to merge the two businesses.

The family ran their new business, Art Flying Aerial, until March 2020 when the Lomita studio was forced to close during the pandemic.

But that didn't stop them.

The family also owns the pop-up museum CheatDayLand that opened in October in Palm Desert, and through the process of that venture, Manuel Reyes fell in love with the location. So much so, that he bought a house in the valley and opened the family's new studio, Art Flying Aerial, in March in Palm Desert.

The two sisters now teach at the desert studio, and hope to put down roots again in Los Angeles County with a studio in Gardena — the first of what will hopefully become a franchise.

The aerial art classes offered are for all skill levels and are split up between child and adult age groups. People can also take gentle yoga and flying yoga classes that prioritize stretching and relaxation. It gives those who are intimidated by the aerial art classes other options to try.“We want everybody to feel welcomed, whether it's challenging or fascinating, or a completely new experience,” Yolanda Reyes said.

In the eyes of a student

Lidia Cortes takes multiple classes at Art Aerial Flying throughout the week. She is a financial advisor from Palm Springs with a background in high school theater and modeling.

“I took one class and I just kind of fell in love with it,” Cortes said.

She found the studio through Yolanda Reyes, who she met through a mutual friend. She has an appreciation for the performing arts and loved the challenge, physicality and performative aspect of it.

“For the first couple of classes I never felt nervous,” Cortes said. “It's always just very welcoming, even still to this day.”

Cortes said the family aspect of the business creates a genuine sense of camaraderie and a wholesome atmosphere throughout the studio. She noticed that students naturally help one another out and encouragement comes from both instructors and peers.

“Everyone's always happy and cheerful — willing to extend an extra hand,” she said. “I think they've done an amazing job in creating a warm community and extending that from their own personal family onto everyone else.”

If you go

What: Art Flying Aerial

When: The studio's hours are currently 7:30 a.m. to 8 p.m. Monday through Friday, and 6:30 a.m. to 4 p.m. Saturday

Where: 77-750 Country Club Drive Unit D, Palm Desert

More info: https://artflyingaerial.com

This article originally appeared on Palm Springs Desert Sun: Arts Flying Aerial in Palm Desert is a family affair