6 poses to put you in touch with the physical and introspective sides of acrobatic asana.
Prepare for Takeoff
Though this series is safe and doable, let intuition and judgment be your guide. Who plays base and who plays flyer is generally determined by size, with the larger person taking the base position. The spotter, not pictured in our photos, can be any size. The spotter should take a stable stance, like Goddess Pose, standing next to the flyer and the base, and keeping his or her eyes on and hands near the flyer’s hips, ready to catch her if she falls. Nemer suggests settling into each pose for three breaths.
Plank on Plank
Pose 1 helps both the base and flyer build core strength and learn how to support a partner.
BASE Take Plank Pose, with your hands shoulder-width apart, arms straight and vertical, core engaged.
FLYER Facing your base’s feet, place your hands on his ankles. Press down with straight arms, lift the foot closest to your base, and place your ankle on his more distant shoulder. Point toes and press into the top of that foot. Engage your leg and core muscles. Place your second foot on your base’s near shoulder.
ALIGNMENT TIP Flyer: Stack your shoulders directly over your base’s ankles for stability.
Plank Press
2a
Poses 2a and 2b help build trust and teach the base to support the flyer’s weight.
BASELie down on your back. Set your feet parallel and hip-width, with knees bent, onto your flyer’s hips.
FLYERStand at your base’s feet, with your arms in a T, body firm and straight, and abdominals engaged.
Plank Press
2b
BASEBend your knees more, receiving your flyer’s weight slowly. Lower her a few inches, and then extend her back to standing.
FLYERKeep your feet on the ground. Relax, and trust your weight to your base.
ALIGNMENT TIPBASE: For optimal support, place the arches of your feet against your flyer’s hip points before liftoff.
Base Test
3a
Poses 3a and 3b teach the base to stay steady when the flyer lifts off.
BASEStay on your back, stacking your feet over your hips.
FLYERCross your forearms and stack them onto the base’s feet. You can make eye contact with your base to establish trust.
ALIGNMENT TIP BASE: If your legs are too long compared with your flyer’s height, bend knees as necessary.
Base Test
3b
FLYERPress your folded arms into your base’s feet and lift your legs off the ground.
BASEStraighten your legs into a 90-degree or L shape, stacking your feet over your hips for stability.
ALIGNMENT TIPBASE: If your legs are tight and you can’t straighten them, try placing a folded blanket under your pelvis. Keep your knees slightly bent, with your heels directly over your hips.
Front Plank
This pose teaches balance, laying the foundation for more-advanced poses.
Start in Plank Press (see pose 2b).
FLYERReach forward and clasp your base’s hands. Keep your arms straight, creating a straight line from your shoulders to your base’s. Press into the ground with your feet to lift off.
BASEKeep your arms straight as your flyer lifts off. Receive your flyer with bent legs, and then slowly straighten your legs, stacking feet over hips.
FLYER Once airborne, keep your core engaged. Point your toes and straighten your legs.
ALIGNMENT TIPSPOTTER: Cue the base and flyer to stack their arm bones vertically, which will help keep the pose stable.
Front Bird
Front Bird hones balance, teaching the flyer to feel comfortable letting go of the base’s hands.
BASEFrom a stable Front Plank, press your toes into your flyer’s lower belly. This helps her lift her chest.
FLYERIf you feel stable, let go of your base’s hands and reach your arms back like bird’s wings.
ALIGNMENT TIPBASE: Keep your hands up and ready in case your flyer tips forward or wants to come down.
Bow Pose
Our peak pose, Bow, allows the flyer to play with a more advanced asana midair.
FLYEROnce you feel stable in Front Bird, slowly bend your knees and grasp your feet. Keep your core engaged, legs strong, and chest lifted, breathing slowly and deeply, trusting your base to support you.
BASEPoint your toes even more to help lift the flyer’s chest.
ALIGNMENT TIPFLYER: Request “more point” or “more flex” in your base’s toes to find a stable position.
Love Yoga Journal? Get rich asana content — master classes, in-depth anatomy instruction, pose and alignment cues, and interviews with all of your favorite teachers — right here in our brand new YJ Library. Study up and enrich your practice with timeless yoga articles.
Conclusion:
A recent study showed that there are many benefits to hiring employees for a company. For one, it can increase productivity. It has also been shown that hiring employees may improve the quality of the products the company produces. There are also two next steps that can be taken after finding out about these benefits. First, it’s important to learn more about the different types of jobs available in order to best suit the company’s needs.
