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Thursday, 10 March 2011 18:19

Heal your relationships : Be an Acrobat

Jack and Chelsea Jack and Chelsea by Rachel Dragonfly

The world is full of partnerships. Much of our lives is about finding the right partners to enjoy and explore life. I've always felt, often, that the most beautiful moments, the sunsets on the pier, the blankets of stars on moonless nights, graduations, birthdays, are so amazing because we share the experience with others. Partnerships can also be the one of the most stressful aspects of our lives when they are not well. Our partners in life are not only our lovers, they are our bosses, our parents, our teachers, our friends. When we aren't getting along with someone we have to spend time with, it can really bring us down and make lose our center. I've experienced this too many times to count, but in the last five years, have worked hard to keep my relationships, my partnerships, healthy and happy.

Any kind of partner-relationship can be extremely rewarding or extremely frustrating. This is most obvious in a physical partner practice, like acrobatics. All the elements are needed: clear communication, trust, openness, willingness to give a little and receive a little, and dedication towards making it work. The difference is that all of these elements are experiences in the matter of moments, or in a five minute routine, or throughout the whole relationship if you have a regular practice partner.

Some people think that you have to have a specific body time or specific set of skills to practice acrobatics. "My core isn't strong enough," or "I don't have the upper body strength." This could not be farther from the truth. There are so many simple exercises, which are so rewarding, and the greatest reward is sharing the accomplishment with another human beings, being able to say we did it! And that is what is amazing, is that there are moments where two partners come into perfect (or almost perfect) harmony, and BOOM... magic happens.

What is that magic moment? Trust, connection, openness... all the things that make for happy, healthy, human beings. Any time we can have these experiences with each other, we are learning to em-body these states. So that moment of trust in an acrobatic practice can directly affect our other relationships. Learning how to keep steady while someone figures out how to stand on our shoulders helps us learn how to keep steady when our boyfriend or girlfriend is having a hard day.

The metaphors are all around us. The learning experiences are in every day actions. If we have to challenge ourselves, especially in the realm of working with other people, we get better at it. Why not take on the challenge doing something incredibly fun, like acrobatics?

 

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