Acro Yoga Fusion Throwdown, Day 3
Morning review, B-girl afternoon. I thoroughly enjoyed the morning review. The past two days have literally flown by, with so much to remember through each flow sequence, let alone a whole day of advanced learning and techniques that can only be felt through experience and not specifically a workbook of moves. It’s been quite the blessing to have such high caliber of instructors, teachers, trainers, acro yogis (both base and flyers). To learn from the best has been phenomenal but also a frustrating and sometimes emotional experience for me. I am the least experienced flyer here and the advanced level of the manoeuvres we have been doing has challenged me beyond any expectations of what I came into this throwdown with. My ego took quite the brutal turn today and that’s where the emotional aspect came into play. I felt quite unworthy and inadequate with what I’ve brought to the table. The beauty and grace and skill of the people we’ve met is phenomenal. I feel somewhat out of my element, but have always been encouraged through this process by Jessie and Jill, two sensational instructors. Collin and slaDE have also been encouraging , and it’s been great to fly with other people as my base. I’ve even grown more comfortable in my skills as a base. Something I wasn’t certain I’d ever see … I suppose you can say that my tool-belt per se has expanded considerably! And the friendship base of our craft has grown exponentially. Today I really learned the importance of providing a safe effective spot vs a reluctant uncertain spot. The role of the spotter is imperative to the safety of the base / flyer partnership, especially with such advanced asanas as we’ve been trying. And regardless of the skill level of the duo, a spotter has been used 98% of the time here. I certainly find safety and comfort in that backup.
The afternoon brought its own set of challenges. I discovered that B-girling wasn’t really my thing (break-dancing). I was quite klutzy and clumsy in my dance efforts, and felt the need to step back from the less than joyful break dancing strength routines. My shoulders have certainly proven to be a painful challenge from the beginning of this intensive 4-day workshop. slaDE fell naturally into the rhythm and moves of this genre, and I enjoyed photographing the others in the throes of their bliss. It was truly lovely to watch, but finding the desire and need for my own space, I managed to steal away for a walk amidst the Place des Arts, photographing the people immersed in the ‘Just For Laughs’ festival. A fitness contest called ‘The Ego Games’ was especially amusing to film. Some great photos from a Sunday afternoon follow.
10% in your life is what happened to you and 90% is how you react to it.
~ Lou Holtz
From there, our group shifted to the home of Jessie and Eugene for an evening potluck extravaganza. A delectable yummy assortment of food and people. But as I find happens when good times are had, the time flies by, and with a 45 minute + commute back to our host’s place, I was wanting to find time for a cold shower to reduce my core temperature, and make my way off to bed before midnight. 6am comes awfully early and quick with less than my desired 7 hours of restful sleep.
