Thinking About Becoming an AcroYoga Teacher?

It’s not a surprise that many of us who develop a passion for AcroYoga eventually want to pass on their knowledge and bring AcroYoga to their local communities, and we think it’s a beautiful thing! We often get asked how we became teachers, how long we’ve been teaching, where to do the teacher’s training, and so on. So here’s a little insight into our own journeys and our (admittedly biased) recommendations for teacher trainings.

Loli

«My journey started in Australia in early 2016 when I first watched people at some beach do AcroYoga. I was still quite shy back then, convinced that anything sporty wasn’t for me, and that I would never be able to do what they were doing. Fast forward three years later, I was knee-deep in the AcroYoga bubble, had been training for 4, sometimes 6 hours a day, spending all my free time at the park and trying everything. My learning curve was very steep, but my practice really levelled up when I did my teacher training in Spain. I had been teaching classes in Switzerland already, one of the few who was teaching same-size (back then you wouldn’t see many girls base – I’m excited to see this is changing rapidly now!). The TT was part advanced training, part focusing on cleaning up the basics, and learning how to cue students as well as handling group dynamics, different environments, and more. Additionally, this teacher training really focused on appropriate warm-ups and prehab to ensure healthy bodies and injury-free practice. With this foundation, I was able to confidently and especially safely guide hundreds of students in different parts of the world through their practice and it is still one of my most favourite things to do.»

Gabe

«My journey with AcroYoga began roughly 15 years ago, back when I’d spend hours in the park, picking up friends—and sometimes complete strangers—to practice bird and throne for what felt like an eternity. Those were simpler times, just a lot of trial and error, no big ambitions about becoming a teacher. I was just exploring, figuring things out as I went. As luck would have it though, I was able to organize bigger and bigger jams in Graz, until one day my friends demanded that I teach them new tricks and poses. And so it happened! I had become a teacher without even trying. I never actually ended up doing a formal teacher training for myself. Instead, my path took its own shape as I travelled around the world teaching AcroYoga workshops. In 2016, I found myself as one of the core members of the Partner Acrobatics team, and I ended up learning a lot from my co-teachers there as well. I’m obviously quite biased, but I can really recommend the Partner Acrobatics teacher training as they focus on sustainable and safe practice, and continually adapt and improve their curriculum to meet the needs of future AcroYoga teachers.»

Lars

«I did my AcroYoga teacher training back in 2019 with AcroYoga International after a series of Yoga teacher trainings all around the world. As a yoga teacher at heart, I naturally bring mindfulness and alignment into my teaching, and although I had already been practising AcroYoga quite a bit and teaching workshops in different places, the teacher training I did with AY International added a solid foundation in terms of how to approach complex tricks and communicate them in a way that’s accessible to learners. I was also able to expand my understanding of progressions and regressions as well as dive into the creative and explorative side of AcroYoga that’s often a bit forgotten nowadays. I have since continued integrating these aspects into my own teaching—even in my yoga classes.»

How to choose your teacher training

As you can see from our journeys, there is no «one best path». As of today, there is no official alliance governing this sport or setting any standards. However, we still firmly believe that a good teacher training doesn’t just teach you a series of tricks and how to teach them. First and foremost, safety should always be a top priority. This can be done by teaching proper body alignment, joint stacking, spotting techniques, and safe exits to prevent injuries. Furthermore, it is essential that it teaches you how to create a safe, both physically and emotionally. It should teach you how to communicate, how to give feedback, how to cue (there are many different types of cues for different learning styles), to sharpen your understanding for group dynamics and how to handle challenging situations. It should also teach you how to take care of your own body so you can train sustainably and share this knowledge with your community; what to focus on and how to prevent common injuries. Of course, the training should include how to modify and break down complex poses and offer accessible progressions.We’ll give extra points if the teacher training teaches you how to present yourself, how to speak and how to get the attention of the group without brutally disrupting the class atmosphere. Last but not least, we also believe that any serious teacher training will refrain from giving certificates to individuals who do not meet the necessary requirements. After all, AcroYoga is a team sport that requires expert guidance in order for all members to be safe and successful. Most importantly, it should be a training (and teacher team) that aligns with your own values and how you want to show up as a teacher. A good way to do this is to attend workshops, retreats, and classes to observe how they teach. We hope you found this helpful and we’re more than happy to answer your questions about this.

About Mountain Moves

Mountain Moves offers residential AcroYoga retreats in Switzerland. The focus is on community, quality teaching, and providing an inclusive and nurturing environment for learning and growth. We welcome participants of all levels, from complete beginner to more seasoned AcroYoga practitioners.