Blog

Acro Yoga for the Beginner

Have you been curious about the new fad that has been overtaking Austin?

Acro yoga is a partner-focused yoga that lets you fly high, spin, and pop in the sky. It takes the balance, flexibility, and strength of an individual yoga practice and builds into it the dynamic movement of acrobatics. This partner practice involves two people, a base and flyer (and at times a spotter) who work together to create beautiful shapes and patterns through movement.

Where can you learn Acro Yoga?

There are many ways you can learn acro yoga. Below are a few great options to chose from based off what type learning environment works best for you.

Classroom: Learn the basics and structure

If you’re new to acrobatics or yoga, a great way to learn is to take a beginner class or workshop. There are various classes around Austin and in most major cities.. In fact, there is an upcoming beginner acro yoga workshop this fall at Yoga Yoga Westgate. Click here or read below for the full details.

“Jams”: Jump in and play, learning from people you meet!

Jams are a great place to see acro yoga in action. Watch seasoned practitioners fly through the sky and see how the basics are done as other newbies learn.  Many jams are outdoors. On Sundays, Zilker Park and Barton Springs are known locations for hosting “acro-jams.” An acro jam is a group of acro yogis that get together and “play,” create shapes with free-form movement, on athletic mats. This form of learning is unstructured: individuals come and go as they please, working with multiple partners to learn and hone skills. This is a great option if you that like to jump in feet-first and try something new. When you show up to a jam: introduce yourself, say you are new and want to learn.It’s more than likely you will get to play with the person you talk to, or they will direct you to someone you can work with.

Trainings: If you love a good intensive

This option is great for you want to hone your techniques, work with the same group for an extended period of time, and grow with a new community where you all progress together. In a training, you will learn dynamic movements, challenge your skills with new balances, transitions, and continuous movement, washing machines. There are multiple acro yoga trainings around the world. A great resource for trainings in your area is Acro Yoga International. Here you can type in a city and find upcoming trainings, festivals, and workshops around the United States and globe.

What’s coming up and how to get started?

Acro Yoga for the Beginner Workshop at Yoga Yoga Westgate

Join Angie & Ryan for a special introduction to Acro Yoga!

In this class, you will learn body awareness, cultivate trust, build strength, and use therapeutic stretches to open and restore the body. This beginner class will teach you how to fly safely, protect yourself in a fall, and the fundamentals of acro yoga. Expect group games, partner calibrations, flight school, and spotting training, and lots of fun. All levels welcome!

Come fly with us!

Saturday, October 23, 2017

2-4:30pm Yoga Yoga Westgate

Austin, Tx

Listen to Your Body First

Adaptive yoga is the act of listening to your body’s needs and creating a personal practice to support your current structure. We are all different. Our bodies are different and our needs are all different. Therefore, our yoga practice should be different and reflect the uniqueness of our body and lifestyle.

As an adaptive yoga teacher, I work with all shapes, sizes, ages, and injuries. We find movements that are sustainable, engaging, and stable. Basically, we adjust the postures to support the structure of the body. An example of this is trikonasana or triangle pose, traditionally this posture was taught the way B.K.S. Iyengar had done it in Light on Yoga. The practitioner was told to stand with their feet staggered wide apart, front heel of the foot in line with the back arch, hips internally rotated forward, arms apart, and a hinge at the hips, stacking the shoulders over the front shin, with the gaze up at the top hand, and hands reaching north and south. The analogy, “Imagine your body between two panes of glass stacked in the center,”  was used repeatedly to explain the alignment of the posture. The thinking behind the cue was to keep the practitioner engaged and maintain structure in the posture.

For the average person, these cues do not work. They don’t feel good or support a healthy structure in the body. The hips are not made to stack evenly on top of each other when the torso is at an angle to the side. The insertion of the femur bones in the pelvis are require a slight external rotation of the bottom hip and internal rotation of the top hip so the ball can stabilize in the socket. The low back gets pinched if the hips are directly stacked and the compression of the bottom torso increases stress in the spine. A simple rotation of the top hip forward makes more room for the femur bone to rotate in the hip socket and for the spine to maintain its natural lumbar curve. How much rotation of the hips will depend on the size and gender of the person relating to their pelvis. The anatomy and mobility of the person will also affect how the posture is aligned. Other factors include maternity, spinal curve, body mass, and injury. All of these nuances are important to consider when instructing and developing a personal practice.

Adaptive yoga takes into account the person as a whole. It is a creative expression through movement, breath, and stillness. Unlike most traditional practices, the only rule is to listen to your body first and make adjustments that support your structure.