Lauren Kehl is a Seattle-based aerial coach, Pilates instructor, and GYROTONIC® trainer known for her technical expertise and innovative approach to coaching. She began her aerial training in 2008 and has been coaching for over 15 years, dedicating her career to refining technique and advancing coaching methodologies.As a curriculum developer and co-leader of the teacher training program at Versatile Arts, Lauren specializes in mentoring other coaches, helping them build a strong foundation in biomechanics, progressions, and student-centered teaching strategies. She has developed Movement First Aerial, her own methodology that focuses on understanding foundational movement patterns to create strength, efficiency, and artistry in the air.Lauren works with students of every level, tailoring her teaching to meet individual needs while fostering growth and confidence. Her approach blends aerial arts with Pilates and The GYROTONIC® Method, creating a holistic foundation for strength, flexibility, and injury prevention.Her work is a trusted resource for aerial instructors and students alike, providing tools to deepen technical understanding and refine their practice. Learn more about Lauren and her resources at laurenkehl.com.
Try this weird exercise!
|
Hey Reader, I shared this video of one of my favorite weird exercises a few months ago, but I thought I would share it again and talk a bit about what’s happening when you do it! When I shared this originally, I talked about how I often use it with my students that tend to hyperextend their elbows. And to be clear, I’m not saying that hyperextension is bad. It’s a thing that some bodies do, and as long as those joints that hyperextend have muscular support, it’s probably fine! It’s that whole muscular support of the joint thing that’s the issue. Hyperextension often takes us into a place where we lose muscle engagement, and end up kind of shoving the bones of the joint together to try to create stability. Not really a great long term strategy! If one is working, the others are too. And if one ISN’T working, chances are good some of the others aren’t either. This weird exercise is creating some rotation of the humerus, which is getting the teres minor more engaged. It’s also shifting the position of the humerus a bit so that the teres major can be a little more connected. And when those guys are on board, it makes it a lot easier for the long head of your triceps to work. So when you go into a position like on your hands and knees and you straighten your elbow, your triceps are working as it straightens. The result is that you may notice that you’re not hyperextending the same way you normally do! If you found this interesting and/or relevant, this is EXACTLY what my upcoming class series Experience Anatomy is going to be all about! I’m going to talk about anatomy and common patterns that I see in all of the different bodies that I work with, and then we’re going to do some exercises to experience how it feels and how it could be different. If you’ve been thinking about signing up, time is running out. We get started on April 9th, this Wednesday! Get all the details and sign up here! And if you’re tired of hearing about this, click here to opt out! Love, Lauren |
Lauren Kehl Aerial Fitness
Lauren Kehl is a Seattle-based aerial coach, Pilates instructor, and GYROTONIC® trainer known for her technical expertise and innovative approach to coaching. She began her aerial training in 2008 and has been coaching for over 15 years, dedicating her career to refining technique and advancing coaching methodologies.As a curriculum developer and co-leader of the teacher training program at Versatile Arts, Lauren specializes in mentoring other coaches, helping them build a strong foundation in biomechanics, progressions, and student-centered teaching strategies. She has developed Movement First Aerial, her own methodology that focuses on understanding foundational movement patterns to create strength, efficiency, and artistry in the air.Lauren works with students of every level, tailoring her teaching to meet individual needs while fostering growth and confidence. Her approach blends aerial arts with Pilates and The GYROTONIC® Method, creating a holistic foundation for strength, flexibility, and injury prevention.Her work is a trusted resource for aerial instructors and students alike, providing tools to deepen technical understanding and refine their practice. Learn more about Lauren and her resources at laurenkehl.com.
Hey Reader, Some amount of years ago, I decided that I wasn’t working on hard skills anymore. I don’t remember exactly when, or if there was even a conscious moment when I made the decision. It was a gradual process, built on burn out, over training, and teaching more than I could really manage. My body hurt. Training big skills didn’t feel productive, it felt like I was banging my head against the wall over and over. Like I was trying and trying but stuck running in place. And so I let it...
Hey Reader, I've got some upcoming travel plans that I'm really excited about, and I wanted to make sure to get the word out about them. This June, I'm going to be heading to the East Coast to do some teaching and I'm really excited about it! I'll be starting in Washington DC! June 19-22 is C4 weekend at Monarca In Flight, and I'm stoked to be offering a variety of workshops there. I'll also be available for private lessons. There are a bunch of other fantastic coaches coming, so if you're in...
Hey Reader, When you start learning how to sell things online, one of the things that you learn is that you need to offer solutions. What is your ideal client's problem? How can you solve it? And that’s what you sell. Seems easy enough, right? Narrator: It isn’t, in fact, that easy. I really struggle with this sort of framework because the problem-solution model is just not how I think about my work, probably to my professional detriment! I don’t really enjoy writing programs, and I’m very...