5 Benefits of Doing Acro Yoga with Your Partner

If you’ve mastered traditional yoga and want something new, try incorporating acro yoga into your routine. If you’re up for a challenge, try some of the most effective acro yoga poses. Acro yoga or acrobatics is always growing, which offers many opportunities for experimentation. If you have no experience in yoga or vinyasa, these poses are easy to achieve. Beginners should therefore lay a solid foundation before attempting to reach that level. Before moving on, let’s first understand what Acro Yoga is and why it is beneficial to include it in your exercise regimen.

What is Acro Yoga?

Acro yoga is a combination of yoga and vinyasa performed with a partner. This is a unique exercise that uses gravity and body weight to strengthen and stretch your body while controlling your breathing. An important benefit of acro yoga is that it improves your physical abilities and coordination. It’s all about interacting with your partner and building trust to support each other in different poses. Unlike solo yoga, acro yoga is about communication and collaboration. It often encourages verbal communication and forms partnerships to create a fluid flow of movement. Acro Yoga is a fun and inspiring practice that combines movement, play and connection for a unique experience.

Also Read: 5 Yoga Poses for Couples Who Can’t Keep Their Hands Off Each Other

What are the benefits of acro yoga?

Here are some potential benefits of adding acro yoga to your fitness regimen:

1. Improves balance and coordination

Acro yoga challenges practitioners to maintain balance in various positions and transitions, improving their proprioception (the sense that allows awareness of your body’s position, movement and action), balance and coordination.

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2. Increases confidence in self and others

“Building confidence and building trust in your partner are important aspects of any partnership. Acro yoga helps improve these qualities by incorporating movements such as acceleration, deceleration, stability and graceful transitions. While practicing acro yoga, partners work together as a team and move in unison just as a swan moves gracefully from one movement to another,” says yoga expert Dr Mickey Mehta.

3. Increases upper body and core strength

While flying, the base supports the flyer’s weight, while the flyer uses its arms, shoulders, and core muscles to maintain balance and control. This helps flyers build their upper body and core strength as they perform various poses and transitions.

4. Develop intelligence and presence

Acro yoga calls upon practitioners to be fully aware of their body, breath and partner. This mindfulness exercise improves awareness, focus and concentration.

5. Keeps stress away

As one partner lifts the other off the ground, the lifted partner must learn to trust any fears or stiffness in their body. They should hang loose and enjoy the feeling of being off the ground and away from gravity, feeling liberated and exhilarated. This feeling can create one’s sense of being in that space, where one is free, flowing and flying, ultimately leading to a stress-free state.

How to do Acro Yoga?

Here are some of the best acro yoga poses as explained by an expert:

1. Star pose

How to do it:

1. Lie flat on your back on the floor and you will be grounded.
2. The flyer should stand at the head of the base and hold the partner’s hand.
3. The base should lift his legs off the floor, pointing his toes up.
4. The flyer should then lean forward with his shoulders resting on the feet of the base.
5. Finally, the flyer should lift their feet and hips into the air.

2. Front Bird Pose

How to do it:

1. Lie on your back and keep your legs parallel to the floor.
2. Bend your knees and place your feet on the floor.
3. The person being lifted should stand close to your feet.
4. Lift your feet and place them on your partner’s buttocks.
5. Hold their hands by their elbows and straighten their legs to lift them in the air.
6. The lifter should maintain their balance by pointing their toes outward.
7. Once they are stable, they can raise their arms into a flying position and you can release your support.

3. Bow pose

How to do it:

1. The base should be on their back with their arms extended overhead and their knees bent at 90 degrees.
2. The flyer should take a position close to the base feet and place his ankles in his hands.
3. The flyer should lean forward and support themselves with their hands on the base legs.
4. Both partners should use their core muscles to maintain balance while the base extends their legs and raises the flyer.
5. The flyer should arch their back as they lean forward, keeping their chest up and their eyes directed back to form a “bow”.
6. The flyer should assume a curled position by holding their ankles with their hands.
7. To stabilize the flyer, the base should use its core and legs.
8. To strike a balance, talk to your spouse.

Best time to do acro yoga

Acro Yoga should be done when both partners are physically and mentally prepared and well rested. Some practitioners enjoy practicing in the evening to de-stress and relax, while others find that morning sessions are more energizing and help set a positive tone for the day.