I mentioned before that I was going to write about an acroyoga move and go into detail on it.
So here is that blog...
And yes as the title suggests almost everyone I see does this wrong!
It is a simple shoulder stand pose from bird.
I see maybe 90% or more of people that do this move, execute it in a much more challenging way than is necessary.
Of course this doesn't mean it's actually wrong.
There's many ways to perform acro moves, and there's not always one clear correct way to go about it.
But in this case and in my experience it is a lot easier, smoother and more fluid when you perform the shoulder stand this way that I'm going to explain..
The key here is using your spine!
We want to roll through the spine rounding the back as you enter in to the pose.
That means as the base lowers and their hands connect to the flyers shoulders.
At this moment instead of lifting the legs, and arching the spine (sticking your booty out) to try and tip your whole body into the pose...
You can simply roll and round your spine, keeping the legs low and bringing your hips over your shoulders instead
This also creates rounding in your shoulder/upper back which makes it easier and more comfortable for the base.
If this is a bit too conceptual for you to understand, get your phone out now and record yourself entering a shoulder stand from bird.
And just watch your spine, from the hips to the shoulders.
See if you are arching and sticking your butt out to try and get in to the pose.
Or if you are rounding and hollowing, sucking your stomach and ribs in to find the more smooth way of entering.
A couple of added important flyer tips are of course to keep your shoulders and arms soft to allow a good connection.
Keep your gaze down towards the bases belly so that you don't roll too far over.
Plus, as always in acro, point and engage your toes (mostly to make it prettier)
I would also add if you're someone who is keen or getting more advanced in acro...
Shoulder stands are an absolute staple.
We use a tonne of shoulder stand variants in washing machines, like needles, free shoulder stands, reverse shoulder stand, mono shoulder stands and helicopters etc.
If you aren't getting your entry to shoulder stand smooth and controlled yet, you really should as it will help in many of these other moves!
We have a couple of tutorials for shoulder stands on our youtube channel you can check out for extra tips too of course:
Cheers,
Cas
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