Acro Yoga, a game of trust
Two weeks ago, I practiced acro yoga for the first time.
I wanted to try something new, to challenge myself.
It all resonated with Confidence & Challenge!
Acro yoga is a combination of yoga, acrobatics and team weight-sharing techniques, involving synchronized movements that require strength, balance, flexibility, communication and confidence.
As you will understand, it’s a good exercise to put you in a state of confidence towards yourself and towards others, no matter what position you are in: flyer, base or spotter.
The “flyer” is the person who is carried in the air during the practice,
the “base” is the person who supports the flyer
and the “spotter” is the person who ensures safety by monitoring the practice and helping if necessary.
The base and the flyer work together to perform the movements, while the spotter stays alert to the movements to avoid accidents.
(on this picture, there are 3 spotters)
It doesn’t take much to continue to get to know yourself,
to discover,
to challenge,
and to trust yourself.
But you have to take the step, make the decision, really commit to yourself.
This workshop allowed me to learn more about my relationship with self-confidence and the confidence of others, to identify my fears and even to overcome some of them.
So I wanted to share this message in an article: the challenges I decide to take on are not only a very good step in discovering and learning more about myself, but also signs that show me how much I’ve grown or come a long way since the last time I challenged myself.
For me, this resonates a lot with expanding the comfort zone.
This time I noticed that I wasn’t comparing myself to others and I felt completely comfortable in my body. I was happy, I was doing my best as a beginner in this acro practice.
I want to share with you the 2 messages that guided me:
The first one: Give your best, do what you can.
The second: Free yourself from expectations, dive into the new with a smile, and see what happens…
And wow, those two messages allow the magic to happen.
They simply put you in a place of respect for yourself. They made me smile even more and I was proud to see that I had evolved internally, that I was showing more love for myself, more kindness and less pressure to “accomplish” or “succeed”.
The conclusion or learning for me is this:
The more we detach ourselves from our sometimes unconscious expectations, the more we are open and the more we can learn and enjoy what comes our way.
I advise you to try this way of approaching things or events in life, when you want to try something new for example:
- First of all, acknowledge your fears.
Yes, you are afraid, you are human. You have all the power within you to overcome fear, to transform it, to approach it with a different angle or point of view, to find your way.
Acknowledging is allowing yourself to be aware and to notice the sensations in your body as you experience this moment. - Then choose your next small step. Now that you are aware of your fears, it is up to you to decide how you will move forward. Determine the next step for you.
Either it’s not the right time to overcome your fear, and that’s entirely possible. It is a process and that’s part of it.
Or it’s time to trust, and I advise you to stay in a “positive” mindset.
Let me explain quickly:
If your state of mind repeats: “I’m going to fall, I’m bad at this anyway, This is not for me…”, you put all your energy into feeding negative thoughts and you risk not having fun, being frustrated and not enjoying your day.
On the other hand, if you decide to wear a smile, release your expectations and your mindset vibrates, “I’m giving it my best shot, the most important thing is to try to give what I can with the energy I have now.”
You’re likely to have a great time and enjoy the new activity, even feel pride in having approached the moment with optimism and confidence.
Wherever you are, you can try to recognize your feelings, fears and emotions to better choose the next step. That’s all I invite you to remember.
Step by step, I am releasing parts of myself that are still unexplored, and this is only the beginning, because challenging yourself allows you to meet yourself more and more deeply.
This is also why I like to travel and get out of my comfort zone, but that’s a topic for another time…
Thank you Julie and Ernesto for this workshop and for your kindness!
I had a great time doing something for the first time.
With Gratitude & Love,
Louise
