Dixon yoga studio grounds participants by sending them skyward

DIXON — A yoga and barre studio in Dixon is literally elevating fitness.

Owner Krystal Freise opened Rhuomai Aerial Yoga and Barre Studio at 116 E. First St. in 2020 after teaching fitness at another studio that permanently closed. She started in a 550-square-foot space in the same building where her 2,500-square-foot studio now resides.

Freise is a master yoga instructor with Yoga Alliance RYT-200 and 500-hour certifications and thousands of teaching hours under her belt. She discovered yoga after a knee surgery took her off the running trails.

“I got to a place where I was struggling with a little depression and just not liking the way I felt anymore,” said Freise. “I went to a yoga class and finished a Vinyasa flow and felt like I ran eight miles again. It was something that I could do with an ailing body and that got me really excited.”

After that studio closed for good, Freise decided to learn yoga for herself but never planned on becoming an instructor. Now, the mother of four tries to help people gain strength and balance, both on and off the barre.

“I wanted to offer unique things to our small community that people would typically have to travel for,” said Friese. “So, we decided to add aerial yoga, bungee fitness and emotional awareness classes.”

Aerial yoga is a hybrid style that combines traditional yoga poses, pilates, and even dance, using a hammock-sling suspension system to strengthen muscles and develop flexibility.

“You can do many things with aerial yoga,” said Friese. “You can make it acrobatic, but you can also incorporate the silks into being more of a support system for the body to make it less of a challenge.”

Bungie Fitness, uses hammocks to reduce the user’s weight, making it easier for beginners and those with ailments to exercise, while allowing experienced participants to try more advanced movements.

Freise’s Aerial Restore and Massage class has participants hold poses in their hammocks for an extended period while a massage therapist assists the body in further release.

“Restorative yoga is about the nervous system,” said Freise. “If you’re the go, go, go type, you need to calm down, and this is 90 minutes of pure bliss.”

Yoga can also be intense. According to Freise, Vinyasa flow is a more active form of yoga, meaning “to move with breath,” where participants quickly move between poses as they inhale and exhale. If that sounds like too much, Hatha yoga is more beginner-friendly.

“It is more about holding and learning the pose than moving so quickly between poses,” said Freise. “That is where I send most people who have never practiced yoga.”

Freise also launched her first yoga school this year, with five teachers already completing their certifications since May.

“Two teachers are teaching a true beginner’s class called Yoga Essentials,” said Freise. “It is for people that know nothing, or even experienced people who want to take the time to really dig in.”

Rhuomai also offers private aerial events for birthday parties, bachelorette parties, and other group events, and will soon offer a prenatal class.

“It’s been an 85-hour additional training that I’ve been working on for about a year,” said Freise. “I wanted to add that when I recognized that people are traveling miles and miles to attend a prenatal class.”

All Rhuomai classes and times are posted on the studio’s website or accessed using the StudioBookings app. Prices vary depending on class type and whether you prefer to train alone or in a group. There is a 250-pound weight limit for all classes using the suspension hammocks.

For those who are still unsure about trying yoga, Freise has some final advice.

“The hardest thing you can do is walk through the door,” said Freise. “Give yourself that three seconds of ‘I can do this’ and walk through the door.”

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