ACRO YOGA IMPROVISATIONNayef (base position): I have not historically
been an emotional person. I was born in Amer-
ica, but I am full-blooded Lebanese. Culturally,
Middle Eastern men are taught to be emotion-
ally disconnected. It’s, “Hey, calm down; you’re a
man.” I was uncomfortable showing I am happy, I
am angry, or I am sad.
I also didn’t like being touched. I don’t know
why, but a gesture like holding hands in pub-
lic was massively uncomfortable. Yoga got me
past that initial barrier of it’s OK to feel things;
then acro yoga, a blend of acrobatics and yoga,
broke me through the touch barrier. Acro yoga
isn’t sexual, but it’s extremely intimate, whether
you’re posing with men or women. It requires
you to trust your partners. When I started doing
it, all of a sudden I was OK with hugging in public.
Bassam (flying position): I came to the United
States two years ago. I am from Iraq, but my fam-
ily left in 2006 because of the obvious reason,
the invasion. It had become unsafe to live there.
My dad said, “I’d rather spend money to have you
guys live elsewhere, safe, than spend it as ransom
after you get kidnapped and tortured.” Now most
of my family lives in Serbia.
In acro yoga, you’re not always working with
the same partners; you mix it up. I am mov-
ing from one pose to another on an unstable
surface—another person. Fear sometimes kicks
in. You’re in a very vulnerable place, especially
if you are trying a new pose. This forces you to
form really strong relationships. You learn to
trust lots of different people.
That’s the power of the practice: it builds a
community. When I came to the U.S., I knew
absolutely no one. But after I took one acro yoga
workshop, I had friends here. Now I consider
them family. If I am traveling, two or three acro
yogis will invite me to their houses. It is so great,
so crazy. Everyone cares for everyone.