I was at Ananda for a week to experience the active programme offered to those of us who want to return looking and feeling visibly taut, lithe and fit. I had the chance to meet the visiting master Jivatma Massageur and decided to do an ‘Acro yoga’ initiation for the first time.

To know more about the active programme offered all year round at Ananda Spa-here is the article I wrote for LBB.

Acro yoga is a relatively new modality that combines strength, partner work, trust and yoga into a comprehensive discipline that works out your whole body. If Instagram is anything to go by, you can look under hashtags #acroyoga or #partneryoga and find millions of pictures with partners doing yoga against idyllic landscapes, beaches, cliffs against really picturesque vistas. I was trying acro yoga for the first time so I was really nervous because I didn’t know what to expect and I certainly didn’t think I was fit enough to support another person. I learnt much later that day that acro or partner yoga is more about trust and partner work than it is about strength, agility and flexibility and that if you can learn to trust your partner you’ve won half the battle already.

Acro Yoga is a physical discipline that combines yoga with acrobatics. A typical acroyoga class includes some trust building exercises, warm ups followed by inversions and flying. The most commonly seen acro yoga poses are the back bird, front bird, star, shoulder stand and the whale.

Here are a few things I learnt during my class with Jivatma. I hope you’ll be motivated to try this. I’ve inserted a gallery below for inspiration too.

• Acroyoga is for everyone- you don’t need to be an experienced yogini or a gymnast in order to be good at acro yoga. Sure being flexible has its advantages but just about anyone can become reasonably adept at this with patience and a good teacher.
• You don’t have to be really petite to be the flyer or big and bulky to be the lifter.
• You have to get comfortable with the idea of stumbling, fumbling and eventually falling. Try and start your acro yoga practice on the beach, in the water or on a safe surface so you land softly if you fall. Remember, falling is part of the learning process and even the most advanced acro yogis have had clumsy moments.
• It is a fantastic full body workout. My body felt all kinds of sore post the workout and I discovered I had isolated some muscle groups that I hadn’t used in months.
• It looks daunting when you see it but it is a lot easier than it looks. All you need is trust, a good partner to practice with and patience ( lots of it).

About Jivatma-
Jivatma was born and raised in Auroville, an international community in South India founded on the spiritual principles of human unity. In 2007, she left for Hawaii where she graduated from the Maui School of Therapeutic Massage. Having trained in various massage techniques including Swedish massage, Deep Tissue, Sports, NMT, Lomi lomi, Shiatsu, Ashiatsu and Thai massage, however foot-based bodywork continues to be her favorite modality. Jivatma conceptualised and came up with Sarga Bodywork™. Sarga Bodywork™ utilizes bodyweight and gravity to deliver deep gliding and compression strokes with the bare feet. A piece of fabric, or Sarga, fastened to the massage table, is used for stability and support.

This approach offers an entirely new experience of massage for the receiver, and opens a new world of possibilities for practitioners. A truly transformative modality, Sarga Bodywork™ can be adapted to any body type, and is as therapeutic as it is relaxing. Here is a link to her website-
http://www.jivabodywork.com/jivatma.html

Thank you so much to Jivatma and everyone at the Ananda for giving me this opportunity to experience ‘flying’ and inculcating a sense of community and trust. Special mention to Dinesh Dhanai- the resident guide and brilliant photographer for capturing this series. here is the article I wrote for Design Pataki on my experience at Ananda.

Quick Notes-

Ananda In The Himalayas
The Palace Estate

Narendra Nagar

Distt. Tehri-Garhwal

Uttarakhand

Nearest Metro Station: Not Applicable

Contact: +911378227500

Facebook Page: https://www.facebook.com/Ananda.in.the.himalayas

Website: http://www.anandaspa.com/

Starting Price: INR 20000