Acroyoga: A Complete Beginners Guide
Acroyoga is gaining popularity in worlds of wellness, spirituality, and self-care as an inventive way of exercising, gaining mindfulness, and building relationships with other people. The workout combines the presence and serenity of yoga with the heart-rate and athletics of gymnastics, all while you work with a partner to explore the present moment with your bodies. It can be a spiritual experience, a sensual moment, or just another great way to get in shape.
What is Acroyoga?
We’ve talked a little bit about acroyoga before when we touched on the different partner exercises to keep you in shape. Acroyoga involves two people performing a single yoga pose together, their bodies working in tandem with gravity to create new stretches and exercises for strength. Some of these poses are static and stretch-oriented, while other poses involve motion and are muscular and explosive. You and your partner work together in athletic, emotional ways to perform dual feats of exercise and athleticism on a shared acroyoga journey. You might have a single partner that you work with, or you might get into acroyoga and experience it with a variety of partners. Acroyoga can be done at home or outside, and it can be done through online tutorials or in professionally taught classes.
Acroyoga is a combination of acrobatics and yoga, influenced by everything American Cheerleading and Thai Massage. Acroyogi’s come in all varieties of strength, size, and flexibility–and a variety of poses make it accessible for everyone, and not just ex-gymnasts partnered with ex-football linebackers. Like regular yoga, some poses are more difficult than others and shouldn’t be attempted until you’ve got a bit of training and increased strength and flexibility, but there are a number of poses that are great for beginners (I’ve got a few you can try today at the bottom of the post).