Last night the Acro Yoga crew got together again and jammed at Kiwanis Park. We had some new people out which was super awesome. As usual, everyone was utterly amazing. Below are a few pictures from the get together. If you want to join us in the future, email me at david -at- yogahobos.com and request to be added to the mailing list.
I just came across this YouTube video from the 2008 Acro Yoga teacher training I attended in Lesvos, Greece. I’m not sure who put it up, but thought I’d share it here. Towards the end you can see a 6 person plank on plank that I based. If I remember right, we did pull off a 7 person 
Just a quick update to say that the two weeks of training are over and I’m now a certified Acro Yoga teacher! Woot! It was a physically and emotionally demanding two weeks, but the experience was incredible and I am extremely pleased. I can’t begin to articulate how much I’ve learned and how my overall yoga practice has improved. Sharing my newfound knowledge is something I definitely look forward to doing.
I haven’t had a chance to go through and check, resize, and upload pictures I like from the training, but I hope to do that soon. As of right now, I’m sitting in a hotel lobby in Thessaloniki, Greece. I’m here with my girlfriend, Rebekah and we’re leaving in a few minutes to catch a plane to Rome, Italy. Thereafter we’re going to be traveling through Europe for as long as we desire. One night soon I’ll go through my pictures and begin to upload them. Much love to you all!
Acro Yoga teacher training is in full swing. After 16.5 hours of travel, I arrived in Athens, Greece on June 8th. I headed to my hotel and before long was asleep. Around 3pm that day, a large earthquake hit Greece (6.5 or so) which I slept through because I was so tired. The 9th, 10th, and 11th I did a little sight seeing around Greece. Below are a couple of pictures of me at the Acropolis which is right smack in the middle of Greece. As you can see in the second picture, they are doing a lot of renovating.
I then boarded a plane early on the 12th and headed to the island of Lesvos. I love this island. The people, the energy, and the beauty are phenomenal. Below is a picture looking out over Lesvos from the balcony of the room I’m staying in. Tough life, huh?
I must admit, however, that I haven’t seen all that much of the island because Jenny and Jason (the founders of Acro Yoga who are leading the training) are keeping us VERY busy. The following is our daily schedule:
6:40 – 7:00 am – Meditation
7:00 – 7:10 am – Chanting
7:10 – 7:30 – Self Practice and Handstands
7:30 – 8:15 – Acro Yoga Asana Sequence
8:15 – 8:25 – Savasana
8:25 – 8:40 – Inversion Max Outs and Stretching
8:40 – 8:50 – Pranayama
8:50 – 9:00 – Chanting and Meditation
9:00 – 10:00 – Breakfast
10:00 – 1:00 – Acro Flying and Thai Massage
1:00 – 3:30 – Lunch and Siesta
3:30 – 6:00 – Partner Flow, Inversions, Acrobatics
6:00 – 7:30 – Dinner
7:30 – 9:30 – Evening Satsang
The Acro Yoga asana sequence is one of the more demanding asana sequences I’ve ever done. They’re certainly preparing our bodies to be strong enough to perform high level acrobatics. I’ll write a blog post detailing it sometime in the future.
While I am having an incredibly fun time, I must say, my body is quite exhausted by the end of the day. I’ve been stealing ten to 30 minute naps here and there during our dining breaks to keep my body reasonably well rested. Otherwise, I feel like the level of recuperation that it needs wouldn’t quite be there. It’s nice to have finally learned to listen to and provide my body with what it needs.
All of the Acro Yoga students (and of course the teachers) are absolutely incredible people. They’re loving, compassionate, playful folks who it is an honor to practice with. I have no doubt that I am forming lifelong friendships during this training. That’s one of the things I love most about Acro Yoga. It builds community and personal bonds faster than anything I’ve ever been a part of. And spending so many hours a day playing with the same people for two weeks allows one to really connect with others on a deep level. I’m so grateful for this experience and look forward to bringing it to others in the future. The pictures below are a couple I snapped while other Acro Yogis were training.
I’ll probably write one or two more blog posts while I’m here, but no promises. Time is certainly at a premium and I have to listen to the needs of my body first. Much love to all of you.
On June 6th, a group of yogis and myself came together at Kiwanis Park in Tempe, Arizona for some Acro Yoga. To say that it was fun would be an understatement. The entire set of pictures in full resolution can be seen here. Below are some pictures I thought I’d share on this blog. I’ll miss my Acro Yogi friends while I’m in Europe, but I look forward to sharing what I learn with them once I get back. Without further ado, some of the pictures from Acro Yoga in the Park.
I haven’t posted this until now for a couple reasons but the time is right. I got accepted into Acro Yoga teacher training that will be June 12th through 26th on an island in Greece! Woot! I’m leaving June 7th so that I can ensure I don’t have any jet lag when the training starts and because I want to explore Athens (where I’m flying into) for a few days. After the training, I’m going to travel around Europe for awhile; this summer is certainly going to be adventure filled!
I’ve learned that there will be 25 students in this teacher training from seven different countries. The island we’ll be training on is named Lesvos and is seven miles from Turkey. And the location we’ll be staying at can be seen here. To say that I’m excited is an understatement.
I realize that some people may not know what Acro Yoga is. The official website of Acro Yoga is AcroYoga.org where they state:
AcroYoga blends the spiritual wisdom of yoga, the loving kindness of Thai massage, and the dynamic power of Acrobatics. These three ancient lineages form the foundation of a unique new practice that cultivates trust, connection and playfulness. Our highest aim is to bring individuals into a state of union with themselves, with each other, and with the divine. From this place of mutual support the true self can be realized, honored and shared for the benefit of all.
You can see some recent pictures of Acro Yoga in action in this post.
In the early evening last night, a group of yogis from Inner Vision Yoga in Chandler, Arizona and myself went to Pecos Park for a little Acro Yoga fun. Other than myself, none of the yogis had done much Acro Yoga in the past, but my god, did they do absolutely amazing! Brian, Julie, Stacy, Lori, and myself grabbed the Acro Yoga manual and dove right in.
If you would like to see all the full size pictures from the evening, go here. Otherwise, the images below are a select few showcasing just how much fun Acro Yoga is.
Stacy, Brian, and Julie started things off with a little triple plank pose action. Each is showing some amazing strength and concentration.
Brian, Lori, and Stacy enjoy a bonding moment. This was the first time I’ve been a part of a group that was able to pull off this pose. I was quite excited.
Lori and I enjoy High Flying Whale.
Julie flies Brian with no trouble at all. Brian is a big, strong guy which goes to show just how strong Julie is and what wonderful technique she utilizes as a base.
Brian and Stacy work towards High Flying Whale with their fliers.
Stacy flying Lori with Brian doing an excellent job of spotting.
The following two pictures show Brian basing and Julie flying high.
Julie and I ready for her to dismount by rolling backwards off my hands. I love this pose
Me with Brian in Super Yogi. His back was a little tweaked so I utilized flying therapeutics to stretch him out.
Lori flying high on my hands.
Stacy pulling off a nice shoulder stand while I based.
Brian and Julie also performing shoulder stand. Isn’t Acro Yoga beautiful?
Julie in throne as Brian bases.
Lori in throne as I base. I love the technique of getting into straddle throne.
Lori, who doesn’t weigh much more than 100 pounds basing me. I weigh about 190 pounds. It just goes to show that proper bone stacking technique can allow you to perform amazing and super fun feats.
We had so much fun. Everyone did incredibly well and were a pleasure to play with. I hope everyone can get together soon so we can play more.