Thai Yoga and Acro Yoga

I have been assisting in weekly class given by Sandy Kalik called "Power and Play."  It. Is. Awesome.    Not only is Sandy one of my favorite teachers, but it's been such a wonderful introduction into AcroYoga.

We do about 30-40 minutes of flow (which is a power vinyasa flow because the studio where this class is given is a power yoga studio) geared toward whatever inversions we are working on that day. Then we spend 15-20 minutes practicing and playing with inversions like handstand, forearm stand, headstand, and sometimes arm balances.  Then we use the remaining time to work with partners and play with some simple acrobatic yoga poses.

I love this class because I've always harbored a secret desire to be a circus performer (seriously...), but ALSO because it allows me to practice an aspect of yoga that I'm really terrible at--- opening yourself up to support others and be supported.

My favorite part of this class is watching the community build from week to week.  We all started out without any knowledge of AcroYoga.  We were all strangers; we didn't know each others names.  And it is so easy to maintain your sense of individuality and isolation in a yoga class.  You come, you practice, you leave.  check it off your list.

But in this class, when you have your feet on someone else's bottom, it's very hard to stay alone.  Little by little we learned each other's names and stories.  Every week we'd have new people, and the regulars would welcome them and learn their names and stories.  The simple exercise of allowing myself to give my weight over to another person, letting my feet come off the ground, taught me the importance of giving and accepting help.

Alone we could not have the same kind of experience that we could have as a group.

I was introduced to this concept when I first learned about Thai Partner Yoga at Bodhi Yoga.  It was eye opening to see how hands-on adjustment, when both the giver and the receiver are in a yoga pose,  can benefit both people at once.  That's definitely the next training I'd like to attend!