Sometimes to get inspired with what you're doing or where you want to go, you need to listen and learn from someone who's already there, and already done it.
Today I'm sharing a collection of tips that I learnt from one of the best Acroyoga teachers in Bali (Sheryl Sharaswhaty), and you can also hear directly from her about her journey in my interview episode with Sheryl.
The first-ever acro classes I taught were with Astri and we ran some small classes with only a handful of students., most of which we knew from our jams and community.
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These were some amazing, super personal and fun classes and I learnt so much from them and from Astri.
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But today I want to tell you about the first time I taught a big acro class full of students I had never met.
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I think the first time I actually taught a big acro class was when I was a co-teacher with Sheryl for one of her regular beginner classes.
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Sheryl is a wonderfully experienced, confident and skilled teacher, and she handles beginner classes beautifully with the right amount of encouragement, difficulty and clear teachings.
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In all honesty the first class I taught with her I didn't actually say much, and I would just share the tips of the base when we were doing the demonstrations.
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I was a bit overwhelmed and in awe of her teaching and didn't feel like I wanted to interject at all.
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I had taught big classes of yoga before, but there was something different about a large acro class.
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The amount of energy of 30 excited students who all have almost no experience in acro is very different to the calm ready energy of a yoga class.
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Anyway, the class went well and everyone had an amazing time and the energy was really high and super fun!
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I obviously loved the experience, and since then I now thrive in teaching big acro classes and trying to control the chaotic energy is a fun challenge.
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But the one really useful piece of advice I got from Sheryl after that class was to be confident and that there should be equal voices as teachers!
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And this is what I want to talk about a bit today...
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It was really empowering to get that encouragement from Sheryl, and interestingly the equal voices are something I have had to work on a lot in my teaching partnerships.
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In the beginning, I was often contributing less than my co-teachers, but now sometimes more recently, I have been overconfident and I have so much desire to share I have not always left enough space for the other teacher to have an equal voice.
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So this is something I am mindful of and I wanted to share with you all.
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One key thing is just being self-aware and taking notice of how much space you and your co-teacher each have to talk and share.
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The second key thing is talking and communicating with your co-teacher about this too.
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I've had a few very open conversations with teaching partners about how I want to have an equal voice and ways that we can manage that during a class.
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For example, if there is a cue or signal we can give to each other if one of us is talking too much etc.
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Or if during our class prep we go through and divide up the content and who will deal with each bit.
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One more thing is that equal voices don't just apply to teaching partners, it applies in acro training partners or just when playing casually with someone too.
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So it's worth being aware of and working on at whatever level of acro you are at.
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As you see here, and as I've mentioned a few times for many solutions when it comes to acro related issues, communication is always at the heart of the resolution.
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At least in my experience anyway.
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So my challenge to you is...
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Next time you are doing acro or teaching, try and be open and aware and notice how equal the voices are in your partnership or practice.
Sheryl
Acroyoga changed my relationship with other human beings, the way I talk to people, the way I communicate, the way I share how I feel, is totally changed a lot.
Caspian
Hey guys, Acroyoga is profound, an amazing practise that can have these wonderful benefits on your life.
Today, I'm interviewing my friend and Acroyoga teacher Sheryl. She's a teacher here in Bali. And you're going to find out all about her story in this interview episode. Hello, Sheryl.
Sheryl
Hi, Caspian I'm nervous.
Caspian
Okay, I need to be. First I want to ask you how long you've been doing Acro? And how did you start?
Sheryl
I'm doing across since 2012. I start at the same time as start yoga, the studio that I went to they have many varient of yoga.
So I start Iyengar yoga at the same time I start also with Acroyoga. But in that studio, we call it flying yoga.
Caspian
Oh, really? Flying yoga? Yeah. Okay. What do you think the biggest difference between yoga and Acroyoga is in terms of what the practice teachers and gives to the students?
Sheryl
I think Yoga is a super personal practice.
You go dive, to explore your inner world that you want. You don't want to share with someone else.
Yeah, this is like you're really like going there. And then you just take that. I don't know how long your practice, one to three hours just for yourself. You know, sometimes we forget about taking that mean time.
And Acroyoga for me is complimentary of your self practice, like a practice of self like yoga is the practice of self. Yeah.
And Acroyoga is a complimentary of that. Because from being in understanding your inner world, now you want to share this with someone.
And when you share it, you bring the value of yoga of Ahimsa, like non hurting, you know, and then you share this this practice together.
Caspian
What do you love about Acro?
Sheryl
That community actually and working together? Because at one point when I moved to Bali.
I don't have any friends, Right! So this is one of the tools that I use to meet other people.
And I used to be super shy, I am until now.
You know, it's hard for me to open to other people.
And I feel awkward, you guys, the practice that opened me up. So I can just like, talk to other people.
And I'm sharing how I feel to other people. So yeah, this is so good.
Caspian
Okay, great. So how would you a bit more specifically say that it's changed your relationship with people with friendships and the way you communicate with others as well?
Sheryl
Well, of course, it's changed Acroyoga change my relationship with other human beings.
But I'm still a shy person. Like I'm I, it's hard for me to right away open to people. You know, If I go to the gym also like that.
I just like specifically talk to specific people that I already know, the way I talk to people, the way I communicate, the way I share how I feel, is totally change a lot.
Caspian
Amazing. That's, that's really cool to hear a super I feel also a similar way about Acro. So what would be one thing you would advise to beginners who maybe have tried this practice or they see it and they want to try it? What would be your one piece of advice for them to kind of unlock that benefit that Acro gives?
Sheryl
Sometimes when people start doing Acro, like the students that come to my class, they like it, but they don't have a partner. So it's hard for them.
But I feel this is the thing that you don't have to be worried about, you know, like you, you build friendship from doing Acroyoga my first partner, actually, someone's husband.
So it's nothing to do with, oh, I need to go with my partner like in life, you know, like, like a love partner, you can just go and try.
And if you like it, like just like, build the new relationship, friendship with other people there, and then you can continue practicing, you know, so what I see sometimes people come to Acro, they love it. And then they don't have a partner they stop, you know.
Or other types of people, they go to Acroyoga they don't like it, they stop. For this type of people, I encourage them to try again and again, until you fall in love with Aroyoga. Because it's really changed your, your your life, you know. like in a way, it changed your life.
Caspian
Yeah. 100% agree it's transformed. Have you ever done with a romantic partner? Or have you found a romantic partner?
Sheryl
No. You know, when I did my teachers, training my teachers, our partner in life, and how they talk about love and doing the business together and all this.
It's something that like, in my mind, I was like, Ah!!! this is amazing, you know, when you have someone that you love having a stain interests, hobby, and then you make business together.
But on the other hand, I said like, it's gonna be super boring. You know what I mean? Because then your life is with only this one person. All the time, you don't have anything else to share, you know like, I was like, and I don't think so.
Like I mean, it's good to see people around me my friends, they have partner they can always practice together.
But for me, I don't want to be stuck in something with someone and then cannot grow you know, it's better for me to have another relationship and grow and then come home and then sharing this you know, with someone else that I dearly love and then I don't you know, like, if you are in relationship love relationship, you will you you want to have a lot of things with this person, right? But for me, I don't want to mix pleasure and business or you know, like this, I want to have two separate worlds.
Caspian
What is your favourite aspect of Acro Yoga is there any kind of part of it you enjoy more than others?
Sheryl
I enjoy more flying L- Basing. And then also Base L-base thing like a basic,
Caspian
basic,
Sheryl
Basic L-Basing when I'm basing, but when I fly L-basing anything
Caspian
For someone, so I meet a few people who get very hooked on Acro, they get obsessed, much like myself.
What would be the one piece of advice you would give to someone who's kind of still a beginner but they they know that there's something they really want to work on improve and do a lot what would be the best, you know, you can give one or two this advice is for them to improve?
Sheryl
They want to ride away grow to become an adult, you know, when they like they have to do stuff like that. And I feel that it's very important to take your time. And it's cool to fly with skilled base that they know what they're doing. But also take it slow to know yourself. And it's very important to embody everything, embodiment
Caspian
Amazing,, if you like Sheryl and you love to click things and get dings notifications and clings and stuff, like gigling all over the place then hit subscribe that like you get all these magical
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