Partnering Yoga: A Flight Class with Lea

Partnering Yoga : Flight!

Review of a Sunday Workshop

Some of you may have wondered what goes on in our partner yoga/flight class on Sundays. The first thing to know is you don’t need a partner to join in the fun or have experience with this kind of yoga. A willingness to have fun and work with others however is a prerequisite.

The teacher, Lea Kraemer, has a modern dance background and danced for Peter Pucci in the early 90's who comes from the Pilobolus tradition. And, she says, “for any modern dance companies that utilized my ability to lift and be lifted in almost any situation!” This week we looked at ways of moving each other and how to take another person’s weight, for example one person would stand in Tadasana while another person stood behind them shifting their ribs from side to side eventually helping their trunk move in a full circular rotation. We also worked on Marichyasana III aiding each other into deeper twists.

This class always involves the element of flight. Last Sunday we explored in partners and using each others’ weight rocking back into Plough pose and coming into a Squat then rocking backwards again and then coming into a flight position and fast as possible. In the flight position, the base is the floor with legs at a 90 degree angle supporting their partners’ weight by the hips. As one student observed partner yoga can stretch out the body and especially the spine in a way regular yoga never could. In addition we learned how to properly assist each other in Child’s pose and Downward Dog.

We hope to see you there some weekend.

—Marie Carter