You don’t need wings to fly.
And Acro Yoga might just heal your soul.
Trust.
Connection.
Communication.
Those are the words I chose immediately, right as I started to write the description of my Acro Yoga workshop.
Simple words with such a powerful meaning.
When I started to practice yoga, I would come undone and then put myself back together again. Each class was a desperate attempt to try to rebuild a sense of self that I had lost.
Yoga was a one-on-one relationship between me and my mat. A moment of complete disconnection from the world. I tried to put my broken heart back together on my own and, because of that, I never let anybody in.
When I used to practice yoga it was just about me. Nobody was allowed in into the only space where I finally felt safe, beautiful, in control, and powerful.
We all have stories to share about the transformative effect of yoga. Stories of how it helped us to heal and grow spiritually, physically, and emotionally.
To feel.
To let go.
To understand.
When I met Brendan, I was extremely vulnerable. I found myself, once again, trapped in a life that was not for me. I was numbed by desperation – the kind of desperation that festers inside of a loveless, controlling relationship. I was equal parts ashamed and afraid. The fear paralyzed me from admitting how broken I was; the shame kept me fighting for an already lost cause.
But I was also aware, and the awareness was slowly destroying me.
Somehow, in the mist of that confusion, I allowed this man that I barely knew to hold my hands and do the one thing I never allow anybody to do: Practice with me.
Be my base.
Hold me while I was falling apart, harder than I ever did.
And there, while learning to fly together, not only did I realize that I had never trusted any body before him but also that I had never truly experienced what it means to be connected.
To be loved for all the wrong that I am.
I learned what it means to be one with somebody else.
“I will never let you fall” he used to tell me when I was too afraid to try a pose.
“You can do it”.
“You got this”.
“I got you”.
And he was right. I could do it, and he never let me fall.
He picked up all the pieces of my broken soul and patiently put them back together.
He taught me that I don’t need wings to fly.
That I am stronger than I ever thought I could be and with the help of others I can achieve anything I want.
That I never needed to be saved.
All I needed to do was to place my trust in the right person.
All I needed to do was to learn how to communicate my fears, doubts, and vulnerabilities without shame.
That is what Acro Yoga – and my partner – did for me.
Acro Yoga gave me wings, teaching me how, in a world where the meaning of communication and connection are completely twisted by social media and the overall indifference of people, we can still be real.
It redefined the meaning of touch, a sense that is almost lost in modern society.
It taught me to use the movements of my body to create a symphony with somebody else, a dance that goes way beyond the physical aspect for of two bodies supporting each other to perform a yoga pose.
Something that transcends time and space.
Connection – pure, raw and simple.
What I believe to be the key of a relationship. The ability to be there for each other, to hold each other accountable, to never fear falling and only aim to become the best we can be.
Together.
What for some can appear just as an acrobatic, purly physical practice, has become for me so much more. It has become the ability to recognize what love is really supposed to be.
Trust. Connection. Communication.
Upcoming Workshops
February 17th, 2019
2:30 PM to 4 PM at Alo Yoga Soho, 96 Spring Street, NYC (this class is part of a series, find a class twice a month at Alo Yoga Soho NYC)
March 3rd, 2019
2 PM to 4 PM at Alo Beverly Hills Studio, LA
April 14th, 2019
1:30 PM to 3 PM at Honor Yoga in Hillsborough, NJ
Synergy Hot Yoga, Fair Haven, NJ
May 4th, 2019
1:30 PM to 3 PM
The VibeWell Yoga Festival: VibeWell Honors, Mercer County Fairgrounds, NJ
May 11th, 2019
Honor Yoga Vibe Well Festival, NJ
Eleonora and Brendan will be traveling In Italy in July 2019, more details on upcoming workshop coming soon. check @eleonorazampatti to stay up to date!
Wearing Alo Yoga in all photos shot by Renee Choi, above.
From the sprawling tattoos to her flowing Italian accent, yoga instructor Eleonora Zampatti is to yoga what the moon is to the tides. One cannot move if the other is stagnant. This is exactly the purpose that Eleonora sets for her students and classes. For every pose, there is a gentle intention. For every emotion, there is an unbiased connection. She encourages her students to listen to their bodies, find their inner voices, and rewrite any stories that don’t honor their truths.
Milano native now living in NJ, USA she is an International body movement specialist, yoga teacher, author, fitness model and founder of the Ode to the Moon project a series of events who uses yoga, art and music to bring awareness on the topic of domestic violence and empower victims of abuses. To know more about her visit the website Ode to the Moon or follow her on IG at @eleonorazampatti.
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The Top Three Reasons for Joining NJYC
The greatest teachers, studios, classes and communities are in the Garden State.
You are ready to inspire and be inspired.
You believe in living a life you love, supported by a practice that makes you feel amazing
Would you be able to credit me for the last photo of them on the beach ? I shot it in Asbury
Hey John! We added the credit. I am so sorry it wasn’t in there when we originally published! Beautiful pictures. You are amazing.