ACRO YOGA - WHAT THIS PRACTICE IS REALLY ABOUT

Ever wanted to try the dirty dancing lift?! If I could explain acroyoga in 3 words then that's one way to do it, or perhaps another 3 would be CONNECTION, TRUST, and COMMUNITY. Acro yoga is so much more than what you might see on social media... less about show and more about interpersonal skills, building inner strength and connecting with like minded souls for a bit of play.

So let me tell you about our incredible global community, the Bristol scene and what happens when you start getting intrigued by this beautiful practice.

What is acro yoga?

Acro yoga is a playful partner practice that's powerful for building trust and communication with others. It involves 3 people, a base, flyer and spotter, all roles are equally important. The base can be L-basing (lying down) or standing (standing acro), the flyer takes static poses or transitions on the bases feet / hands / other and the spotter is there for safety, communication and an extra pair of eyes.

In a class setting you'll learn foundational static postures, transitions, flows and washing machines. A washing machine is a flow that repeats itself... some of the best fun if you ask me, it's like you're your own fair ground ride and you can ride it as many times as you like!

Communication, trust and patience is key, we build up these qualities with our partner through foundational exercises which allow you to move towards more dynamic flows that may challenge your comfort zone. Like any sport, remember that what you see on social media has taken a journey to create, we all start somewhere!

Acro yoga is mainly a solar practice which consists of dynamic, active and standing tricks, but also has a lunar side, therapeutics and thai massage, under some organisations. Gratitude goes along way so take time to thank your partner for holding you up with some leg love at the end of the practice! Thai massage can be practiced lying down or in L-basing, which can really feel like you're flying (so fun :D)!

Who practices acro yoga?

As my partner found out after a year of doing yoga first...
You do not need to do yoga to do acro yoga! Acro yoga is for EVERYBODY.

I see a lot of people worried about not being flexible enough or thinking they are too heavy to be a flyer, this is simply not true. This practice will help you find mobility, flexibility and strength along the way. Most likely, you'll surprise yourself with how much weight you can hold and although naturally bases are bigger than flyers, it's very common for flyers to base their bases too and work in same size pairs. It's very empowering!

Acroyoga teaches us to work with 'bone stacking', and 'positive pressure' this helps you hold weight with your structure and saves your muscles for transitions and the big stuff! If you're not a fan of the gym then grabbing your bestie for some weighted squats is a much more appealing idea...

Acro yoga brings people from all walks of life, part of it's beauty if you ask me.

Our Local And Global Community

Acroyoga is renowned for it's incredible global community and many people come to this practice to find themselves in a group of like minded individuals who also have a thing for human climbing frames, Wooo! It just wouldn't be the same without the endless laughs and jam time... hanging out in the park doing the thing you love all day. Pretty awesome hey?

Jams are a great way to meet the community, share skills and get inspired. We encourage you to communicate well when working with new people and make sure you feel safe. It's important to voice if you don't want to do anything, you are responsibly for your own safety in a jam setting. If we organise a community jam then you may speak to a leader (ie. me!) about any concerns, but please note there will be lots of unofficial jams and meet ups too.

Our Bristol community has grown over the last 6 years, we have weekly classes and regular meets in the park for playtime, welcoming anyone who wants to come and see what we're about. We occasionally pop to the pub after class or arrange board games or bring and share evenings that naturally end up with some sort of acro based game (we can't help it!).

Classes, Workshops and Conventions

Weekly classes are the best place to learn and get a feel for the practice, you'll meet other acroyogis and have a chance to work with different people in a supported and safe space. The finer details can get super geeky, so it's a great place to work with these intricacies with the support of a teacher. Classes will give you lots of content.

If you get the acro buzz, then workshops are a great way to indulge for longer in a supported setting, learning more creative flows, techniques and progressions giving you a fuller experience of the practice and more time to get to know your class buddies off the mat.

If you love the workshops you may want to join our annual Solar Immersion, an in-depth 4 day training with amazing teachers that will refine your skills, try new content and get a taste for standing acro. The equal best part is the journey you will go on with your fellow acroyogis, with evening socials and lunch break hangouts.

If you end up wanting acro playtime every weekend, then you'll most likely love the conventions. Conventions are usually a 2 or 3 day weekend in many cities across the UK and Europe that have guest teachers and lots of workshops that run alongside eachother all day.

Convention workshops are available for all levels and include many other disciplines such as handstands, trampoline, strength and conditioning, group acro, icarian and standing acro.

Group acro and icarian is the best, you may actually fly! :D

A final note...

A little testimonial from me... acro has honestly changed my life, it may or may not be for you, but for me it was the thing that has inspired and encouraged me to keep being strong and overcoming boundaries in my training, teaching and social skills. I am working on those boundaries and overcoming fears everyday, to this day. It's incredibly empowering, it feels good to be strong physically, which inspires me to be strong mentally too, I honestly feel these two go hand in hand.

The people I have met on this path have been amazing, when I lived in Australia for a year, the community welcomed me with open arms and a piece of my heart is still there, I can't wait to go back :) Acro is global, people will come and go and you will most likely see them again somewhere totally unexpected. We learn universal tricks so you can play wherever you go, sharing your magic with the next person.

It is genuinely such a joy to welcome and support people through this practice, I feel incredibly grateful to have found something I love so much and to teach it for part of my living. I am truly grateful for the trust and support that my students give back, their receptivity to learn and how much I learn from them too.

Please reach out if you want to know anymore about this beautiful practice and I hope to see you in class or at a jam soon.

Shell <3 xxx