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What is Acroyoga?

Acroyoga

By Osman MohammedPublished about a year ago 3 min read
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Table of Contents

  1. What exactly is Acroyoga?
  2. History
  3. Acroyoga Practice Roles
  4. Acroyoga Practice Styles
  5. Poses used in Acroyoga

What exactly is Acroyoga?

Acroyoga is a physical exercise that combines yoga and acrobatics (sometimes spelled Acro-Yoga or Acro Yoga). [1] Acroyoga includes a variety of (primarily recreational) partner and group acrobatics involving at least one lift. As a result, it incorporates elements from acrobatic dance, cheerleading, and circus arts traditions.

History

Krishnamacharya, one of the founders of modern yoga as exercise, invented the L-basing technique in acroyoga in 1938, though he did not use the discipline's vocabulary.

Acroyoga is taught in many different schools. The first two schools were AcroYoga Montreal and AcroYoga Inc. Eugene Poku and Jessie Goldberg founded AcroYoga Montreal in 2003, after jokingly using the name since 1999. Jason Nemer and Jenny Sauer-Klei founded AcroYoga International in 2003 in California, USA.

This method combines yoga, acrobatics, and healing arts, with a focus on therapeutic flying and yoga at first. Nemer and Sauer-Klei were the first to formalize the practice of acroyoga in 2006. They created practice guides for the general public, trained teachers, and traveled the world to teach others about the practice. As of 2017, AcroYoga Inc. had certified approximately a thousand Acroyoga teachers. The solar acrobatic component of acroyoga is now more prominent in the practice.

Acroyoga Practice Roles

Acroyoga's three main roles are bases, flyers, and spotters.

1.The base is the person who has the most points of contact with the ground. While lying on the ground, this person's entire back torso is frequently in full contact with the ground. This allows the arms and legs to be "bone-stacked" for maximum support and stability of the Flyer. The main points of contact with the flyer are the feet (typically placed on the flyer's hips, groin, or lower abdomen) and the hands (which either form handholds or grasp the shoulders).

2. A flyer is someone who has been lifted off the ground by the Base. The Flyer can take on a variety of dynamic positions and is usually reliant on gravity to complete their tasks. A Flyer must have balance, assurance, and core strength.

3. Spotter: This individual has an unbiased view of the partners and is solely concerned with ensuring that the Flyer lands safely in the event of any slips. The spotter can advise the Base and Flyer on how to improve their form.

Acroyoga Practice Styles

The two primary acroyoga practice styles are L-basing and Standing.

1. L-basing, in which the base rests on their back while the flyer is supported by their legs (creating an L shape with the body). This style allows for a significant amount of "flying" time.

2. Standing - the base stands up, putting more of the flyer's weight on their wrists and shoulders. This method enables a brief period of "flying."

Acroyoga instruction

Learning acroyoga necessitates training in flexibility, strength, and technique.

Exercises that are repeated repeatedly to build strength include push-ups, hand walking, and handstands. The end of a session is the best time to practice flexibility with a partner. Mastering good acroyoga technique takes time and effort, and it is best learned under the supervision of an experienced instructor. Acroyoga relies heavily on bone stacking. The base partner must maintain straight arms and legs to maximize the weight load on bones rather than muscles to support the flyer. A typical acroyoga class might include the following:

  1. A circle ceremony to encourage communication and openness.
  2. Partner flow - while performing asanas, continue stretching and warming up with a partner.
  3. Warm up to gradually prepare your muscles for more strenuous exercise.
  4. Flying and aerial stunts.
  5. Inversions increase couples' mutual trust.

Poses used in Acroyoga

  1. There are several static acroyoga positions. A washing machine is a never-ending cycle of acroyoga poses.
  2. Folded Leaf is a basic therapeutic pose in which one partner is inverted and supported by the other partner's vertical legs, freeing their hands for back massage.

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