Moving forward together: spotting intensive for an effective and safe AcroYoga practice

spotter: person(s) responsible for ensuring that movements are carried out as safely as possible.

Have you ever needed or used the help of Spotters doing AcroYoga?
Have you ever had a bad fall or accident (even using Spotter)?
Do you like to spot?

These are just some of the questions we will ask ourselves in this workshop.

We often say that the role of the Spotter is the most important in AcroYoga, and EVERYONE, without exception, has needed the help of Spotters at some point in our AcroYoga learning journey.

However, very often it is the least (and worst) explained role in the classes, it is the role that almost nobody wants to do in Jams and it is also usually excluded from the conversations of the base-flyer pairing. Perhaps as a consequence of these three factors, we often perform the role in an ineffective way.

But the careful (safe) practice of AcroYoga goes far beyond having a good Spotter. Care begins with the base and flyer people, knowing how to assess risks appropriately, training intelligently, with appropriate progressions, honestly accepting each ones real abilities.

This workshop is not intended to teach you to take care of each and every one of the possible postures or transitions that exist in AcroYoga. But it does give you a sufficiently broad and solid foundation, so that you know how to deduce how to take care of any posture or transition that you learn, as well as to practice AcroYoga safely and consciously, both with and without a caregiver.

Content of the workshop

It will be a mixture of theory and practice, with many games and trying to generate situations that are as realistic as possible.

The workshop is divided into three focuses or perspectives, from each of the roles: flyer (learn to fall well, or how to turn falls into exits with style), base person (you are the first spotter, learn the most important things you can de to save the flyer without injuring yourself) and the spotter (more than a Spotter, be part of the team and become a coach).

We will delve into the general principles of spotting, as well as the basic techniques and the different types of spotting. We will work from awareness and honesty, delving into self-assessment, learning to assess our own abilities, needs and current state, as well as to assess the risks of the posture, transition or trick to be done.

We will also practice how to work WITHOUT a spotter: how to train intelligently, creating your own progressions and calibrations.

We will also work on emotional aspects (how to manage fear, frustration or past trauma), ethical aspects (consent, etiquette in Jams), and effective communication.

In addition, we will have open spaces to discuss the best ways to take care of or give feedback on any of the topics exposed, as well as the opportunity to share our own experiences, doubts, etc.

Practical information about the workshop

Date: 25th of November 2023

Duration: 7 hours (10:00-13:00 and 15:00-19:00) + Sunday Jam (16:00-20:00)

Pice: 80€ (includes full workshop + Sunday Jam + manual + post-workshop advisory session*)
Reduced price: 60€ (includes full workshop + Sunday Jam + manual)

• Balea students
• AcroZen students (from the past 6 months)
• certified AcroYoga teachers or people who are currently teaching AcroYoga classes

Place: BALEA – AkroYoga ta Mugimendua, C. Heraclio Fournier 39, Vitoria-Gasteiz

Who is it for: Any AcroYoga practitioner with at least 3 months of experience, especially intermediate level practitioners, and especially those who teach AcroYoga, both formally and informally.

More information: acroyoga@amalur-zen.com / 661950447 (Sandra)

*post-workshop advisory: if you have any doubts after the workshop, or need help with something specific or personal, I offer you a 20-minute advice (by phone / zoom / face-to-face in Vitoria) (40 minutes if you are two, if you are 3, 1 hour, etc) to work on it.