AcroYoga – Urban Sport of the Week

November 8, 2018

Every week we send a member of the USC team to try out a new sport so you know what we have on offer. This week we tried out AcroYoga…

What is AcroYoga?

AcroYoga combines the freedom and spirit of acrobatics with the composure and attentiveness of yoga, including elements of body tension, alignment, balance and coordination.

What can you expect?

Sabine Winkler’s AcroYoga class is held in a comfortable room in Boulderhall E4. The room is lined with wood and flooded with light. You can use the changing rooms and showers and then take your things up to the classroom where you’ll find your yoga mat already laid out for you.

How was the workout?

We started the AcroYoga class with meditation and conscious breathing exercises. All 15 participants sat in a circle cross-legged with our knees touching. Sabine led us through the meditation which grounded us and sharpened our concentration. Because the class involves a lot of teamwork this also gave us a sense of togetherness and synergy.

We moved on to some yoga flow postures and then we partnered up. “It’s all about getting involved with the exercises and trusting your partner – then letting go in a controlled way,” Sabine said.

She made the first posture look so simple that my partner and I tried to imitate it right away. I quickly realized that it wasn’t just about controlling my body but developing an energy with my partner.

We then got together in groups of three to form a “Spotter”, a “Flyer” and a “Base”. The spotter is there if something goes wrong. I began as a flyer. My AcroYoga partner was my base in this constellation and she lay on her back on the mat. I positioned myself so that her feet were at the height of my hips and slowly let my body weight sink to her feet and angled legs.

Intuitively I tried to control and balance my body. The experienced spotter gave me tips so I didn’t lose my balance. When we reached the final position, I suddenly felt weightless – it felt like I was flying! “Hence the name Flyer,” I thought to myself.

For the next posture we switched roles. The time flew by and soon it was time for the final exercise: The Thai Massage.

We got together again in pairs and, on Sabine’s instruction, massaged each other. Here the focus was on exchanging energy.

By the end of the class it felt like I was in a dream – I felt so relaxed and far away from the real world. We thanked Sabine and each other for the beautiful AcroYoga class and the scene that felt so strange at the beginning suddenly felt very familiar.

How did I feel afterwards?

Very light, happy and wonderfully grounded. Over the next few days I felt like I’d awoken muscles I didn’t even know I had!

The benefits of AcroYoga

Although power and strength is needed, the real art is in concentration and balance. You learn to let go of control and place confidence in somebody else.

You learn how to control your own body as well as harnessing the energy of your partner to make the balance work. Your inner child will be awakened and you’ll feel like you’ve travelled back to a time when you just did things without overthinking it.