AcroYoga is fun, connection, and play!
But it’s also learning to communicate, using your body in unknown ways, meeting your boundaries.
It is knowing what you’re capable of, and what'd be too big of a challenge.
If we don’t learn to take care of ourselves while practicing AcroYoga, there’s a chance we might hurt ourselves or overstep our boundaries.
So self care is a very important skill to learn, and it will make your experience so much better!
Here are a few ways that you can take better care of yourself:
Asking for safety
When you’re flying, you first need to feel safe before you can have fun and fly.
In situations when your body seems to simply refuse to do a certain movement, most often the issue is that the brain has decided:“This situation is unsafe, we will now shut down”.
If something feels too scary, give yourself permission to ask for all the safety you need.
Either ask for a (second) spotter, or scale down the trick to a manageable level.
If this makes you feel embarrassed, remember that it's actually a great sign of self care.
So kudos to you, you’re becoming a better AcroYogi!
Giving an honest “no”
Sometimes, you’re being asked to do something that you don’t feel comfortable with.
It might be that your flyer is actually too heavy for you.
Maybe you don’t fully trust your base (yet).
Perhaps there’s another reason that you just don’t feel it.
In those moments, it’s good to recognize that saying no can be uncomfortable, but in the end this honesty will serve you, and the other, the most.
Also realize that you’re practicing a very important life skill: the art of giving an honest “no”.
Any "yes" that arises out of this space of integrity will be much, much stronger.
Knowing when to take a break
The playful aspect of AcroYoga is what makes it amazing, it makes you forget about time, and pulls you into the moment.
It also makes you forget that you still need to use your body tomorrow... ;)
And that you might need to eat or drink something in between your enthusiasms.
The art of knowing when to take a break comes with experience of course, and it’s closely linked to the previous skill. This is about knowing when your body says:”Can we chill now for a moment?”
The importance of recovery
If you train, train, play, play, play, and then STOP and go about your business, you will feel it the day after.
Stiffness, soreness, tiredness and a greater risk of hurting yourself can be the result of not recovering properly.
Taking time to stretch after AcroYoga is not a luxury, and there’s a reason that we end our classes with Thai Massage.
This is when we give our body the time and space to settle down, and give ourselves a moment to feel how we’re doing and what we need.
Even just a 5-minute stretch after a training session will have your body feel much better the next day.
How do you take care of yourself?
How good are you at the things I described today? Do you recognize the areas where you'd like to learn?
And how do you practice self-care?
Allow me to learn from you by sharing your thoughts in the comments below.
Thanks! Hugs,
Roald
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