Teaching people acroyoga is easy; helping them believe they can do it is the only hard part! I’ve heard many preconceived notions over the years as to why one can’t do acroyoga. Anyone can do this! I address the majority of the concerns people have had:
“I’m not flexible enough.”
You don’t have to be that flexible. You don’t have to be able to touch your toes. As a base we can put something underneath your sacrum (just below the lower back) so that your legs can better support someone. As a flier you don’t have to be flexible at all!! The base will move you around to whatever capacity your body can move, and it will feel incredible!
“I’m not strong enough.”
You don’t have to be strong. You don’t have to be able to bench press or squat any vast amount of weight. Can you stand on your own two feet?? Great, you can base someone too!! It works by bone stacking, if the bones are straight than the muscles don’t have to work very hard. When you stand up straight you’re supporting 100+ pounds on your legs (more with a backpack on!). This is similar to being a base, with the legs straight up in the air you can hold a lot of weight without being that strong. I’ve seen 115 pound women flying 200+ pound men using this simple principle.
“I weigh too much.”
No you don’t. The last paragraph speaks to this. Especially if the base is experienced and has a good sense of balance, I’ve based 335 pounds before. There’s a video of little tiny thin Jenny basing someone easily 250 if not more. No matter your weight you can still fly!!
“I haven’t done yoga before or not for very long”
Yoga is not a prerequisite for acroyoga. Yes it helps; yoga helps develop body awareness, calm breath, and deepen connection. But these things can develop with acroyoga as well. All it really takes to do this is an open mind and a willingness to try.
I find it fascinating how amazingly good people can be (myself included!) at convincing themselves that they can’t do something. It is a beautiful discovery to move past these silly preconceived self-limitations and find out one can do anything. I believe it is an amazing step in our collective human spirit to stop limiting ourselves with false beliefs and open to infinite possibility!!