AcroYoga combines yoga, acrobatics, and Thai massage, building trust and connection between partners while enhancing physical strength and flexibility. Originating on the West Coast of the United States, AcroYoga is now practiced worldwide through classes and retreats.
AcroYoga is a partner movement discipline that combines yoga, acrobatics, and Thai massage. In addition to being an intense workout, AcroYoga incorporates the benefits of these three ancient disciplines. Practitioners claim that regular sessions enhance feelings of trust and a deep connection with the people they work with, and that AcroYoga also builds stronger, more flexible bodies and a sense of joy. The AcroYoga practice is centered on the West Coast of the United States, where it originated, but it is slowly spreading, and you may be able to find a class in your area with a little searching.
The concept for AcroYoga arose in 2004, when Jason Nemer and Jenny Sauer-Klein began combining the confidence and strength-building movements of acrobatics with the practice of yoga. When the two met Carolyn Cohen, a Thai massage practitioner, AcroYoga was born. The group is based in San Francisco, but they travel the world offering certification classes and workshops.
A typical AcroYoga session begins with an opening circle, in which participants connect by moving and breathing together. The group then moves through a series of Asanas or yoga poses to warm up, before moving on to partner work. People can bring their own practice partners, or they can meet people at the AcroYoga session. Partner routines incorporate stretches that require two people, building a connection and trust before moving on to the next stage of the session, the inversions.
Investments are exactly what they sound like; poses in which a participant is upside down. In some cases both partners are reversed, and in all cases the participants support each other through these challenging poses. The investments are meant to give a sense of fun and also to encourage people to look at the world in a new way. After building confidence with inversions, the session moves on to partner acrobatics, including flying, in which one partner remains on the ground as a base to support the other in an aerial position. Finally, the session ends with a Thai massage, which aims to stimulate energy balance while honoring the association that was created during the session.
This style of partner yoga can be very demanding, but classes are offered at all levels of difficulty. As a general rule, people are asked to have some familiarity and confidence with the top positions, although this is not required. AcroYoga classes and retreats are held in all corners of the world, from Hawaii to Greece, for people interested in experiencing this discipline for themselves.
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