Science tells us that a body in motion stays in motion. Even before Newton proved his third law, people have practiced yoga and tai chi to harness their power and maintain their vitality for thousands of years. These intentional movements link the body and the mind focusing and controlling movements that occur automatically throughout our daily motion. This connection and intentionality are at the core of our practices here at Float and perhaps nowhere more so than in the AcuaYogi Method®.
Debbie, Director and Founder of Float, developed the AcuaYogi Method® through years of experience and by modifying modalities and practices to meet individual needs. AcuaYogi is now our signature exercise program, which combines elements of yoga, swimming, aqua aerobics, and water polo. The combination of these elements produces a holistic exercise approach that will improve your balance, strength, flexibility, and focus. The method can be practiced by 3-year-olds and 90-something-year-olds alike and is perfectly tailored to meet treatment needs or personal goals. For younger participants, our instructors teach aquatic safety and swimming skills while incorporating AcuaYogi Method® techniques and movements to ensure healthy muscle development and alignment. Adult participants can expect our instructors to deliver dynamic and invigorating sessions, working with your breath and gently challenging your body.
By controlling the breath and the body, AcuaYogi improves your body alignment and the two-way communication between your brain and your body. Yogis learn to better interpret the feedback from their bodies and better use the mind to calm and relax it. In fact, an extended practice can develop new neural pathways, helping to dispel previous limitations, reinterpret pain signals, and cultivate a sense of satisfaction and wellbeing within your body.
With our AcuaYogi classes, you can get an amazing workout, without breaking a sweat. Our pools are temperature-controlled and encourage your muscles to relax without overheating. Training your body in water means the use of hydrostatic pressure (see our March blog post to know more!), which allows greater mobility and alleviates the pressure and impact that can aggravate injuries and prevent strength conditioning and healing. Our aquatic environment minimizes the risk of injuries, heals past injuries, and can work towards preventing future ones. As Viviana Collazo, a member of our 9am AcuaYogi group class puts it, “Floating in water and moving the body in it takes away all the rigidity and pain that my conditions produce. I have been in Float for several years practicing AcuaYogi and I have stopped using narcotics for my fibromyalgia pain!”.
Just because you aren’t sweating doesn’t mean you aren’t working. Hydrostatic pressure makes your submerged lungs work harder, encouraging your breathing muscles to strengthen and you’re your lungs to expand. Exercising in water can increase your cardiopulmonary capacity by up to 60%, helping your body to use oxygen to nourish and rebuild tissue more efficiently.
Join our group! Research shows that we are more likely to meet our exercise goals if we have friends exercising with us and holding our attendance accountable. Our community support will have you eager for the next class. Our group classes become a fun social environment and our compassionate instructors encourage spiritual wellness as well as your mental and physical progress. Not there yet? No worries! We offer a customized Aquatic Personal Training program that can help you gain independence and achieve your therapeutic goals. We will love to get you ready to join group classes and continue your holistic wellbeing and development journey.
If you still have doubts, don’t sweat it! Come visit Float at 1768 Glasgow Avenue in San Juan and see how our AcuaYogi groups can help you to get, and stay, in motion.