Shoreline Acro Movement Club (SAM-C) is one of the newest clubs at SCC, having officially been formed only this year. Acroyoga is mainly influenced by a combination of acrobatics, yoga and dance. The term was first coined by acroyoga montreal in 1999 for the partner-style fusion.

“I would say acroyoga itself is a style of movement,” said Audrey Djunaedi, the founder of SAM-C.

While traditional yoga principles normally focus on just the individual, acroyoga is meant to create a connection with others through communication, trust and collaboration.

“Acroyoga was a way to extend my meditative practices to include others,” faculty member Eric Basham said. Basham has been practicing yoga for five years and acroyoga for a year and a half.

The reason why acroyoga involves more connection than classic yoga is because multiple people are required. One person is the base and is positioned at the bottom to support the flier. The flier is the person on top of the base who is usually held by a combination of the base’s feet and hands. Spotters are necessary to help provide safety while the flier is in the air.

“There is always a lot of laughing during acroyoga. Since acroyoga is a partner practice, it is awesome to always have people around who want to practice,” Basham said.

SAM-C has been meeting on and off throughout the year but became an official club this spring quarter. They also collaborate with Yoga Club for after-class meditation.

“Acro was important to my mental health in graduate school,” Djunaedi said. “I wanted to provide a similar outlet for fun, creative expression and movement on campus at Shoreline.”

Through the combination of different movements, breath and collaboration, acroyoga provides a different kind of exercise.

“It provides stress relief, connection and an appreciation of diversity on campus through a celebration of collaborative movement,” Djunaedi said.

Before one starts acroyoga, Djunaedi encourages learning acro safety because like with any sport, injuries can occur.

“Just like with yoga, there are modifications available in the poses if you find them challenging,” said Basham in regards to people who have never practiced before. “The best training for acroyoga is acroyoga.”

SAM-C meets at 1 p.m. on Fridays in Room 3002.

-Sidney Shea