Jason Magness & Chelsey Gribbon having fun with acroyoga
Are one of those super-serious, straight-laced, keep-it-on-the-mat-please yoga-types?
Well it’s time to get vibe’d, it’s time to get off the mat, it’s time to take your yoga to whatever it is you’re doing… whether that’s slacklining, climbing, adventure racing, paddling, or just battling the hordes at the local supermarket. True!
Yoga’s meant for far more than just a sticky mat. Jason Magness and Chelsey Gribbon know this, and they’ve been taking their yoga all over the world, into all kinds of different worlds, for a few years now. Just check out the Press & Media page of their website to get an idea of the myriad of places that they’ve popped up.
And now they’re going to be popping up in New Zealand, appropriately in one of the most beautiful and adventurous places we have – Te Anau.
The Yoga Lunchbox was lucky enough to interview mainly Chelsey, with a few answers thrown in from Jason, and find out more about their yoga journey. See the end of the interview for details on the workshop – and start making plans to get to Te Anau for April 2011. it’s going be awesome! Big thanks to Te Anau Yoga for making it happen!
1. What style of yoga do you practice and where do you teach?
Jason and I both practice traditional Astanga Vinyasa, Slackline Yoga, AcroYoga and our new offering is called VIBE – Vinyasa inspired by our experience (climbing, adventure racing, paddling). We are very much into practicing off of our mats- whether that is on top of a mountain, on a one inch piece of webbing suspended a couple feet above the ground or on someone else’s feet.
2. How did you come to yoga?
C: I came to yoga at the age of 17, growing up in Anchorage, AK when the winters are long and dark, yoga was energizing and healing at the same time. It eased my anxiety of having to be inside more than I liked!
J: In retrospect, I have been doing yoga since I started exploring the many facets of rock climbing.
3. When did the yoga bug really get you?
C: The yoga bug really hit me when I realized that yoga went way beyond the physical postures. It is a way of being, living and communicating in this world. This phenomenan hit me after I finally got a pose I had been working on for what seemed like forever. When I had finally achieved what I thought was the full goal of the pose, I realized that the journey to get to that point was what taught me the most.
4. How has yoga transformed your life?
Yoga is still transforming my life, however so far it has made me more aware of my mind, my body, this earth and my day to day relationships with people. Slackline Yoga especially has helped me focus and be in the moment more and Acro Yoga has helped my communication become more honest and open.
5. What is your home practice like?
At the moment our personal practice is very physical, heated and fun. It is based off of traditional Astanga, but I like to throw in some fun creative sequencing to the mix depending on where and what I am doing that day or week. This week Jason and I are getting ready to teach a 2 day Advanced Acro Yoga Immersion so our practiice is quite strong with lots of inversions, arm balances and vinyasas.
6. When people ask you, “What is Yoga?”, what do you say?
Yoga means to join, unite or yoke. I look at it as a way to connect you with your truest and highest self. It is the practice of reaching your full potential- and then beyond it. It is a fulfilling journey with plenty of speed bumps and pot holes, and best of all- it has no end. If it is a person who is kind of skeptical of yoga, l I will ease them into yoga by explaining simply that it is a practice that connects your body to your breath, and most likely after a class or two, they will feel something else going on and come back to ask more questions. At that point I would answer their questions as best I can.
7. What can people expect from one of your classes?
People can expect to have fun, to push themselves past their foreseen limits, and to possibly have some major breakthroughs- both emotionally and physically.
Some of our classes come with a warning:
You may want to quit your job after taking this workshop/retreat/class
8. What do you love most about teaching yoga?
I love the look on peoples faces after before, during and after their session with us. I love sharing our passions with people and most of all I love learning from our students. I really try hard to keep a humble, beginners mind when I teach, live and practice- that way what ever comes my way I can learn from it and then share it with others.
9. What do you wish everybody knew about yoga?
I wish that everyone knew that you didn’t need a 3 by 7 sticky mat to practice yoga. You can practice anywhere you wish for any amount of time- you can practice while you are standing in line at the grocery store, waiting in traffic, in a parking lot, on top of a mountain… there are so many places you can practice, and the best part is it is contagious!
10. What role do you see yoga playing in our world?
After two years of being apart of and teaching at many different yoga festivals and conferences where there are many different forms of yoga, art and dance being portrayed, we see yoga playing a huge role in bringing many communities and schools of thought from all over the world together.
11. Anything else you’d like to say?
It’s all about the journey- enjoy it.
12. And finally, how do people find you?
People can find Jason and I both at Yoga Slackers, and you can email us at yogaslackers@gmail.com
Workshop Details:
Programme April 1-3 2011
Transformative Yoga Practices - A full weekend with Jason and Chelsey. Take your yoga practice off the mat and into some very interesting places. Grounded in an asana practice called V.I.B.E (Vinyasa inspired by experience) practitioners will gain the confidence and strength through flowing asana sequences, and then begin to explore the realms of AcroYoga, Slackline Yoga, Therapeutic flying, and more advanced inversions and backbends. The practices will create a deep level of trust and connection between participants, as we all explore our personal potential in both physical and emotional realms.
Monday April 4th
Extension and Belief – Jedi Training – This is the business. As we move beyond the fundamentals of any practice, the force of the individuals will comes more and more into play. This full day workshop will set the bar high, asking students to tap into “the force” (in yoga we call it prana). In order to expand what is possible in the physical practice, we must first learn to realize that possibility in our mind. We’ll work with this principle on the slackline, partner balance, acroyoga, handstands, advanced vinyasa, and long duration asana.
Intended to be a serious extension of the weekend’s work, or for those with a strong personal practice. PreReqs: Attendance of the weekend, OR basic acroyoga experience, headstand, handstand at wall, no serious injuries.
About Kara-Leah Grant
