Love Is in the Air: Finding Strength, Surrender, and New Beginnings at 45
When I first climbed up the aerial silks back in 2008 all those years ago, I had no idea what I was doing. My arms were weak, and I felt completely out of my depth. But something about being around aerial - suspended, weightless, yet supported - spoke to me in a language I didn’t yet understand.
I wasn’t chasing perfection. I was searching for connection - to myself, to movement, to meaning.
And that’s what Aerial Pilates became for me: a meeting point between discipline and surrender, between control and release, between strength and softness.
Now, ten years since I founded Air Control Pilates®, and more than two decades into teaching movement, I’m reminded every day that it’s never too late - to learn, to fall in love, or to start again.
A Journey from Foundations to Flight
When I first began my Pilates training over 22 years ago, I couldn’t have imagined where it would lead. I fell in love with the precision and structure of Pilates - the quiet focus, the deep understanding of anatomy, the way breath and movement could bring such clarity.
Later, as a dancer and performer, I discovered aerial arts. It terrified me and thrilled me in equal measure. The hammock became my teacher - showing me how fear and freedom often live side by side.
It took me years to bring the two worlds together. I wasn’t in a rush. I needed time to observe, to experiment, to fail, and to learn. I wanted to honour the integrity of Pilates while allowing the creativity of aerial to breathe.
And so, Air Control Pilates® was born - a blend of grounded precision and soaring possibility.
The Heart Behind the Hammock
For me, Aerial Pilates isn’t about tricks or spectacle - it’s about truth.
The hammock is a mirror. It shows you who you are in that moment: where you hold tension, where you resist, where you trust, and where you let go. It’s both humbling and empowering.
I’ve watched people get into the hammock and when they start to move, to breathe, to believe - something changes. They rise a little taller. They find space where there was once strain. They soften and strengthen all at once.
That’s why I call what I teach “Air Control.” It’s not about control over the air - it’s about control within it. The kind that comes from awareness, presence, and confidence.
A Decade of Growth and Gratitude
When I launched my first teacher training in 2015, I didn’t have a grand plan. What began as a handful of curious instructors in Scotland has grown into a worldwide network of teachers across more than 15 countries.
Every training reminds me that movement is about more than muscle. It’s about belonging - to yourself and to a supportive community that lifts you up, quite literally.
I’ve seen people step into this work unsure and leave transformed - more confident, more connected, more capable than they ever believed.
Love, Air, and New Beginnings
And speaking of transformation - life recently surprised me again.
At 45, after years of living in Scotland I found myself in Australia… and I found love. I wasn’t looking for it. I was focused on work, growth, and the next chapter for Air Control Pilates. But sometimes, when you finally stop trying to control every detail - love has room to find you.
Falling in love again at this stage of life feels like stepping into the hammock for the first time: uncertain, thrilling, vulnerable, and full of possibility.
It’s a daily reminder that we’re never finished growing. Never too old to try something new. Never too late to rewrite the story.
It’s Never Too Late to Take Flight
If there’s one message, I’d share with anyone - teacher, student, or dreamer - it’s this: you’re allowed to begin again.
Whether it’s in movement, career, or love, the principles are the same.
Start small. Breathe. Trust your foundations. Then soar.
When I see someone in my classes finally float effortlessly into an inversion, and feel free, it’s not just the strength that moves me - it’s the courage.
The courage to try again, to soften, to believe.
Movement teaches us that control and surrender are not opposites - they are partners. And when they meet, something beautiful happens.
Looking Ahead
As I continue to grow Air Control Pilates globally - with trainings expanding across Australia, the UK, and beyond - I carry this philosophy with me: movement is a mirror for life.
It’s about finding balance between discipline and freedom, stability and creativity, earth and air. And like love, it’s about showing up - open-hearted, a little scared, but ready to take flight. Because when you do, you discover that everything you were searching for - strength, trust, joy, connection - was waiting within you all along.
Debbie Robbins is the founder of Air Control Pilates®. She is an international presenter, professional aerialist, and Pilates educator with more than 22 years of experience in movement, performance, and embodied teaching. Running in-person and online Aerial Pilates teacher training program
To learn more or connect, visit www.aircontrolpilates.com or follow @aircontrolpilates on Instagram.
NICKY LAL is the founder of Fuerza Pilates in Los Angeles and a comprehensively certified Pilates instructor through Balanced Body. After transitioning from a career in graphic design, she gained experience at multiple LA studios before opening her own space in Studio City, where she specialises in training professional athletes, including NBA and NFL players. Nicky is passionate about making Pilates accessible to everyBody, and her work can be found on Instagram @Pilateswithnickylal and PILATESFUERZA.COM