For many, yoga is a solo practice, a time for focus, reflection and personal growth. At the OM Yoga Festival in Estevan, participants had the chance to experience a different side of yoga: acro yoga.
Jay Day and Grace Boyd, founders of Acro Yoga Regina, brought the practice to the festival. “Acro yoga is all about partnership,” said Jay. “It’s about connecting with others, building trust and having fun while doing it.”
Unlike traditional yoga, acro yoga relies on collaboration and communication. Participants work together to balance, lift and support each other through a variety of poses. “There is no beginning and end,” said Boyd. “The goal is not to master a pose but to discover where you and your partner match and work together.”
Acro Yoga Regina offers everything from beginner-friendly classes to advanced sessions, as well as free “jams” where anyone can join, regardless of skill level. The focus is on community, trust and consent, making it an accessible way for people to try something new while meeting others.
At the Estevan festival, Jay and Grace showcased two types of acro yoga. One, called counterbalance, involves using each other’s body weight to hold poses. The other, L-basing, is more traditional acro yoga, with one person lying on the ground to support a “flyer” above them. “No matter the style, it is still about relying on your partner and collaborating,” said Day.
The practice is not just about yoga poses. Acro yoga incorporates elements of partner acrobatics, including lifts, handstands and flips, although moves are adapted to be safe and accessible for everyone. “If you can imagine it, it can be done,” said Boyd. “We bring high-level acrobatics down to a level anyone can try.”
For those interested in trying acro yoga in Regina, the group’s Facebook page posts updates about classes, workshops and jams. “You do not need a partner to show up,” said Boyd. “We work in groups of three for spotting, so everyone is supported.”
Day added, “It is a welcoming community. People show up, meet others and are caught and supported from the very first pose. You get to explore, play and be silly, all while building trust and connection.”
Acro yoga may not be the typical yoga practice, but the Estevan festival showed it is a fun, collaborative way to stretch both the body and community ties.