What is acroyoga? The Instagram-approved workout which combines acrobatics and yoga

As London's first studio dedicated to acroyoga prepares to open, Rosie Fitzmaurice learns all about the meditation benefits of trying something just a little bit scary
Photo by Cecilia Cristolovean

A fly, aeroplane, kicks. Everyone has their own special name for that thing you did as a kid where someone lifts you up by your arms and legs and launches you into the air like a rocket. And lately you've probably spotted a beaming yogi doing something similar on your Instagram feed.

Acroyoga, a practice based on a combination of yoga and acrobatics, is rapidly gaining popularity thanks to social platforms like Instagram – a quick search for #acroyoga throws up over 2 million posts. And it's not hard to see why, the videos of these perfectly choreographed sequences can be pretty mesmerising. Hypnotic, even.

As London's first dedicated studio to the practice, AcroYogaDance, will open its doors in January, we went down to meet founders Eugene Vegan Butcher, a former martial arts teacher, and Pip Elysium, a trained ballerina, ahead of the launch.

Here's a look at them in action.

So how does acroyoga differ to regular yoga?

Acroyoga is a partner-based yoga practice based which evolves into a form of moving meditation.

"Before I did this I taught martial arts and I thought I'd never replace that, because it was fitness, strength, mobility, flexibility, challenging and artistic," says Eugene. "But [acroyoga] ticks all of those boxes and much more, as it's a collaboration with somebody else.

"If yoga is mentally the idea of the union of the mind, body and spirit, in a way this is a union of two peoples' mind, body and spirit," he said.

There are three roles in acroyoga: a "flyer", the "base" and a "spotter", and as people progress they typically specialise in either being in the air or on the ground, meanwhile the spotter is there to support the safe transition between positions.

It's heavily based on collaboration and connection – that's one of the reasons it's proven popular with real life couples. While moving between postures, instead of speaking, the base will lead the flyer with small gestures.

Pip and Eugene often film their practices and encourage their students to do the same. They say they see it as creating art, and that there's nothing more satisfying than nailing a flow that gains traction with their followers.

Another big aspect of acroyoga is trust. Putting your trust in the base person is part of the thrill of the practice, but also one of the harder things to get down with as a beginner.

In physical terms, acroyoga is all about nailing your alignment, and learning how to do a handstand in a straight line is a good foundation to the practice.

"You spend so much time upside down, that practising handstands helps you to get used to it and makes you less disorientated when you're in the air", says Eugene.

After talking me through the basic principles, Pip and Eugene demonstrate some poses.

They explain it's crucial to learn how to "pike" (which basically means fold) and how to "hollow" your body.

Next up, my turn...

Putting all of your bodyweight onto one person is nerve-racking at first but I gradually started to relax into it, as Eugene was a very steady base and with the knowledge that Pip was spotting us.

Once I'd acclimatised to being upside down, I found it surprisingly therapeutic and started to enjoy it.

We managed a "front bird", "back bird", "high flying whale", "star", "straddle throne" and even a handstand.

It also incorporates aspects of Thai massage and by the end of my session I felt like I'd been to the chiropractor. I could feel it working my core, too, and it felt good to be challenging myself, by doing something that felt a little bit scary.

Leaving the studio to go to work that drab Tuesday morning I definitely had more of a spring in my step than usual. Now I'm on a mission to find myself an acroyoga partner...

Eugene and Pip are already offering acroyoga courses and workshops at their London Bridge studio ahead of the official launch in January 2019, for more information on class timetables head to acroyogadance.com

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