Merging acrobatics and yoga, the partner-based practice of acroyoga on display at Hawaiʻi AcroFest last weekend features dynamic poses and moves between the “base” on the ground and the “flyer” above.
Similar to traditional yoga, the activities begin with breathing and being present. But by partnering with groups of up to three people, acroyoga practitioners must trust and rely on others.
This is the third year Hawaiʻi Acrofest founder Catherine Ritter has organized a festival here. She planned to start in 2020, but Covid shelved that idea for a while. Ritter, more commonly known as “Critter,” hopes to continue bringing the islands’ premier acroyoga instructors together and supplementing the workshop with teachers from the mainland and abroad.
“I didn’t realize how much of the sport relies on balance and placement rather than sheer strength,” Abby Austin of Honolulu says after participating in the beginner class. “I was able to base and fly with people of all different sizes.”
“Even though you have similar foundational poses in acro like tabletop, plank, side plank, it feels much different to trust another person and actively find the right counterbalance forces with them,” Austin says. “One of the lessons at the Acrofest had us switching partners five or six times and even the same pose can feel really different depending on the partner.”
“There is a free acroyoga class at Magic Island on Tuesdays at 6 p.m. that I plan to check out,” Austin says. “I’ve heard there are lots of other meet-up options too. But the free class sounds like a good first step as a beginner. I’m definitely hooked and excited to keep practicing.”
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