Are you looking to beef up your yoga routine? Maybe something that infuses a bit of acrobatics into the program? If so, then you should consider trying out a relatively new yoga exercise called AcroYoga.
It was during Porchfest when I first came across a faction of the growing Buffalo AcroYoga community (see here), though at the time I must admit that I had no idea what was actually taking place. It was only after Ben Madoff (lead image) reached out to me to point me in a couple of informative directions that it all began to make some sense. “Acroyoga! We’re a group that’s been practicing partner acrobatics and partner yoga – it’s called Acroyoga,” Ben informed me. “We’ve been building a community in Buffalo for a while, and we wanted to see if we could build our community even more. We’re teaching a class in December at East Meets West Yoga (learn more).”
I suppose that it was only a matter of time before some yogis took the art of yoga to the acrobatic level. For those who are looking for more of an interactive spin, with a partner, then AcroYoga might be right up your alley. You can follow many of the AcroYoga activities on Facebook (see here), as the group explores new directions with outgoing people in Buffalo. From building human sculptures to testing the limits of strength, endurance and balance, AcroYoga is a recreation that is a breed of its own (with a couple of different foundations fused together of course). Part zen meditation, part aerial dance, and a whole lot of fun, AcroYoga explores the relationship between human bodies in a whole new way.
You may have seen some of the group’s practicing at Delaware Park and Bidwell Parkway this summer… does the Super Chill Acro Jam ring a bell? If you’re new to AcroYoga, or even the derivatives, then you can see just what all of this entails by watching the YouTube video below that features people partaking in Yogabatics, which is the stepping stone to AcroYoga…
Have you been looking for an AcroCommunity here in Buffalo? Well, you’ve just found it. learn the folded leaf and spinal twist, in this intimate and intricate looking dance that incorporates poses and transitions, until you reach the point where you can attempt the candlestick inversion with a partner. Ultimately you can look forward to practicing eye candy mounts, and even ‘couch’. If this all sounds foreign, then join the club and get to know people in Buffalo who are taking yoga to an entirely different level. Come on future flyers, get ready to graduate to star pose before you know it, with a little help from your fellow AcroYoga friends in Buffalo.
Photos: Glenn Murray