Founding the Global Phenomenon of AcroYoga with Jason Neymar

My guest today is the co-founder of the global phenomenon of AcroYoga Jason Neymar (@jasonnemer). I’ve followed Jason’s work for years, having watched the rise of AcroYoga at a distance over the last 10+ years, so it was a pleasure to sit down and talk about physical practice, the healing arts, AcroYoga, and much more.

I’m in awe of the global movement Jason has built, and we dive deep into some of the things he has done – and is doing – to make AcroYoga one of the most friendly and welcoming physical communities I’ve experienced.

I was connected to Jason by his co-founder and my dear friend Jenny Sauer-Klein. If you haven’t, I highly recommend listening to that conversation, as well.

As a physical nerd and athlete, I’ve long looked forward to talking about AcroYoga and I hope you enjoy this as much as I did. Here is Jason Neymar.

Show Notes

2:30 Finding gymnastics and acro yoga
6:00 Designing AcroYoga to be accessible
10:00 Jason’s physical practice
12:00 Inclusivity and play
16:30 Discipline met with openness
19:00 Gymnastics as a gateway to movement
22:15 Pros and cons of social media and the internet
25:45 Remedies to cyber addiction
27:45 Healing arts of acro yoga
33:15 Emotional cycles in healing
36:30 Touch and gender barriers
41:00 Art and science of acro yoga
43:00 Physical disciplines Jason recommends
45:45 Find AcroYoga:
Website
Youtube
Facebook
48:30 Future of acro yoga
50:30 AcroYoga Fest: Divine Play

If you enjoyed this episode with Jason Neymar, I think you will enjoy my previous podcast episode with AcroYoga co-founder Jenny Sauer-Klein.

The Life of a Circus Artist and the Art of Hand Balancing with Cory Tabino

Much of what I know about hand balancing I learned from today’s guest – professional acrobat Cory Tabino. To celebrate I’ve re-released my book How To Do A Handstand and just this week I am giving it away for free. Visit fearlesshandstands.com for your own free copy.

Now, onwards with the Show!

I’m thrilled to share today’s guest – Cory Tabino – who is a professional circus performer and acrobat. Cory was my first hand balancing instructor and paved the way for much of my performance career since.

Cory has been a professional circus artist for more than 20 years, having done performances ranging from sideshow to Cirque du Soleil. He is full of hilarious stories about the life of an acrobat, and he shares them throughout the show.

Back alley surgeries?
Stage fright?
Training with Marines?

This episode has it all!

How to Do a Handstand List of Resources

This week continues to be a wild ride! On Monday, I published my first book, “How To Do A Handstand” which hit the #1 Fitness Ebook on Amazon! In case you missed the excitement, here’s the description and cover photo. Below, you will find a ton of additional resources, including a Slideshare I created to teach handstands, and 36 short videos which detail all of the incremental steps. You can download the book for FREE on Amazon through Friday.

Handstand Ebook Cover

Step-by-Step Guide to Mastering Handstands in 20 Days

Handstands are a common exercise that are almost never learned correctly. Balancing upside down is something most people tried as children, but which adults have long since given up on. When handstands are attempted by adults they are done so in just one way: push up against a wall and hope for the best. Handstands need not be learned through this method of repeated failure.

Why Everyone Fails

Those who do attempt to learn handstands as an adult do so through throwing themselves up and hoping that they’ll be able to manage to balance. The result is discouragement, embarrassment, and pain. No one has been taught the simple steps necessary to learn to balance, or the mental and physical impediments they will encounter along the way.

In How To Learn A Handstand Robin teaches all of the steps necessary to go from novice to expert in 20 days, and shares the 3 reasons most people never master a fearless handstand.

How To Learn A Handstand includes a day-by-day breakdown for learning how to balance a handstand in 20 days. The book includes 36 videos, 50+ images and a worksheet which details every step.

Would You Like To Know More?

You don’t have to fail repeatedly in order to eventually succeed. Follow this 20-day plan and make gradual progress to master your own fearless handstand. You will come away with the concrete knowledge of how to progress from where you are to the next level, overcome any fear you have of being upside down, and have fun! Download now, and begin to practice your own fearless handstands.

 

Slideshare presentation on several of the most important topics covered in the book.

The “How To Do A Handstand” YouTube Playlist.

How To Do A Handstand Available Free On Amazon, Including Bonus Give-Away

The day is here! My e-book is live and FREE on Amazon. Find it at http://www.fearlesshandstands.com. To celebrate the release of my first book I am offering something special, in addition.

Handstand Ebook Cover

The Rules

Everyone who downloads “How To Do A Handstand” TODAY (Monday, September 22, 2014) and sends proof that they have done so, will get 15 minutes FREE in-person or video coaching with me in the next month.

Simply download the ebook, take an image of the confirmation page, and attach that image in an email to handstands@robinpzander.com.

Small Request

It would mean the world to me if you would leave a short review of the book on Amazon! Go to http://www.fearlesshandstands.com, click “reviews,” and then “write a review.”

36 Steps To Mastering A Fearless Handstand [Video]

Taking small steps towards the ultimate goal is the fastest way to progress in any new skill. Unfortunately, handstands are almost never taught according to this dictum. Especially with a physical feat as unusual as standing or walking on your hands, every student and most teachers want the outcome, the end result of balancing upside down, very quickly. It is human nature to see a goal and attempt to accomplish that outcome now. But in the case of handstands, this impedes our progress.

Consider how infants learn to walk. They take innumerable incremental steps, while maintaining a sweet curiosity that keeps them from becoming overwhelmed. We’ll explore the value of curiosity later (it is an important skill), but for now know that if you fail repeatedly and then get frustrated, this actually keeps you from quickly achieving your ultimate goal. Instead we’re going to look at all of the incremental steps that make up learning handstands, just like an infant learns to scoot, crawl, and cruise before walking freely on her own. Have patience, and follow the steps. I promise that if you do, you’ll learn your fearless handstands very quickly!

As part of my new book “How To Do A Handstand: Learn To Balance a Fearless Handstand in 20 Days or Less” I have created 36 short videos, which teach all of the incremental steps necessary to learn handstands.

You can watch the complete Handstand playlist here:

Some of my favorite videos include, how to make a game of moving around on all fours. Everyone takes handstands seriously, instead of ‘playing’ and enjoying being upside down. Kids learn by having fun. We can, too:

Handstands are often practiced up against a wall. There are (at least) two different ways of using a wall to practice – facing away from the wall…

And facing towards the wall, which is more representative of how it feels to do a handstand without the wall for support.

Facing towards the wall in a handstand is more complicated maneuver. It is possible to carthwheel into this variety of handstand…

Or, perhaps easier, is to walk the body up the wall.

Posture is also essential to learning a safe and fearless handstand. Fortunately, handstand posture is very similar to standing posture, and includes 2 primary elements.

The pelvis, and what I call the “bottom-back” maneuver:

And the fingers, which is how to make subtle adjustments in handstands:

If you like these incremental steps to learning handstands, check out my new book at http://www.fearlesshandstands.com

“How To Do A Handstand” E-Book Comes Out On September 22, 2014

Most people believe themselves incapable of doing handstands, and even those who can balance invariably learned in the worst possible way. Traditionally, students are taught to throw themselves against a wall and hope that they don’t fall over. The result is that almost everyone gives up in frustration, and those who don’t get injured.

Handstands need not be learned through iterated failure. It was for this reason that I’ve written “How To Do A Handstand: Learn To Balance A Fearless Handstand in 20 Days or Less.”

Handstand Ebook Cover

I didn’t grow up in the circus, and took my first gymnastics class at 18. I began learning handstands, just like everyone else, through trial-by-failure. But, eventually, I realized that repeated failure isn’t the most effective technique for learning, and broke handstands down into their components parts. I realized how much fear of being upside down was holding me back, and took steps to alleviate that, as well. I’ve created a simple process for learning handstands without the usual struggles and pain.

“How To Do A Handstand” comes out on Amazon on Monday, September 22, 2014 and I couldn’t be more excited! The book includes more than 50 instructional images and videos. I’ll be linking to several related resources and guides over the coming weeks. And, best of all, the book will be FREE for the first five days of release. Stay tuned…