Here’s a wild guess. You looked at the photos and dismissed the thought of yourself suspended in the air with nothing but reliance on your grip and someone else’s. It could even be a funny idea to put yourself up there hanging on for dear life… or, for the love of your one and only neck, why does it have to be in that position? It may not be funny at all, but acro yoga is certainly fun! Why? Because it is very inviting and it is for everyone. Exactly how fun should sound. I am no good in gymnastics or acrobatics and the like. But I am good at brushing off the dirt and getting back up.
Think about it. There is Stand Up Paddle on water which my last yoga article was all about. Now, it’s up in the air! The same yoga poses but only a matter of taking them out of your mat in a much playful activity. Yes, it’s true what they say. The magic happens outside your comfort zone. Fight your doubts and take flight!
The writer with yoga instructor Redoniel Martinez Mahinay doing the Reverse floating camel pose.
Here’s why you should do it:
1) It does not defy gravity, it works with it.
The idea is to acknowledge the presence of gravity and work it to your advantage. Embrace balance. The distribution of weight should be well thought of before and during the execution. Of course, the knowledge about yoga and familiarization of the basic poses are essential for you to assess which muscles to activate because once you’re up there, every step and alignment is very crucial. There is so little room for making mistakes and making up for it.
2) It is healing arts.
Healing arts is a spiritual restoration by changing a person’s physiology from stress to deep relaxation. Fear and anxiety, the common source of stress, can be changed to creativity and inspiration through meditative art. The state of mind is capable of transforming a negative energy to a completely positive one. It is a spiritual practice. Quiet the mind and the soul will speak.
3) Bend and breathe
So, let go of fear or it will shake you. Acro yoga is the strength of both body and mind because once the mind is focused; the body follows what it is being told to do. I heard yoga instructors tell the class to focus on the breathing, to NOT think of the past nor future but only the present moment. So try not to draw out a picture of your face on the ground. Again, the body responds to what the head says as both are deeply connected.
4) Any BODY can do it.
Who says only circus performers or gymnasts or excellent yogis can do it? Whoever is interested and determined can definitely have fun in acro yoga. Just work more on the poses. It is still yoga, after all. The only difference is that you are doing it in mid-air! True, it does seem impossible but only until it’s done. I’m no seasoned yogi. I only heard and believed that where the willingness is great, the difficulties cannot be great.
5) The only size that matters is your trust.
Yoga sets aside weight or height but it definitely demands for trust. How you managed to do the poses on the mat is because you believed that you can, yes? In acro yoga, you will just have to add the same trust to your partner and it should go both ways. You will learn that the flyer doesn’t necessarily have to be small or light and that the base doesn’t have to have herculean power. Work together and you will learn that technique is always better than strength.
