Jim and Sherryl Gilligan love paddling their stand-up paddleboards all summer long and even enjoy playing with acrobatics on a stand-up paddleboard. They can often be seen performing tricks on Big Crooked or Little Crooked lakes in Genoa Township, just west of downtown Brighton, or near their dock on the channel between the two lakes.
“SUP” is an acronym that stands for Stand Up Paddleboarding that involves someone using a long paddle to propel a narrow board across the water.
With roots that predate surfing as we know it, SUP has been around since at least ancient Polynesian times. Stand Up Paddleboarding started gaining mainstream popularity in the 1960s as Hawaiian surf instructors found the higher vantage point a better way to keep an eye on the pupils in their surf schools.
If you have ever tried standing on a SUP, you can probably imagine the amount of balance and trust required to fly acrobatic tricks on one!
In partner acrobatics, there are three main roles; Base, Flyer and Spotter. The base is connected to the Earth, the flyer is supported by the base, and the spotter is responsible for the safety of the base, flyer AND spotter.
In land-based acrobatics, the base typically remains strong and somewhat rigid to provide the flyer with a solid platform from which to move. In SUP Acro, the base needs to be solid and fluid at the same time since the board below is constantly in motion. Bruce Lee once said, “Be water, my friend,” and it’s particularly true while practicing on the board. Keeping the flyer balanced over the center of the moving board is a tremendous core workout for the base.
Some of the keys to successful acrobatics are trust in each other and clear communication; both verbal and non-verbal. In SUP Acro, the flyer helps ensure success by moving slowly and intentionally. The more the flyer can “squeeze and trust” (hold their shape) even when a big splash seems imminent, the better chance the base can bring everything back to center and nobody gets wet.
On land, the role of spotter is very important since the spotter is in charge of catching participants in the case of a fall and delivering them safely to the ground. In SUP Acro, the water is the spotter. In the event of a fall, Jim has perfected the art of the “Elf Toss,” gently launching Sherryl clear of the board and safely into the water.
Jim and Sherryl are both certified Yoga teachers. Sherryl is also a Thai Massage Therapist and Jim is a certified AcroYoga International teacher. AcroYoga Acro blends the wisdom of yoga, the dynamic power of acrobatics, and the loving kindness of healing arts. These three lineages form the foundation of a practice that cultivates trust, playfulness, and community.
Together Jim and Sherryl teach AcroYoga PLAYshops and classes internationally, across the U.S. and all over Michigan. This year they are teaching AcroYoga Therapeutics classes at eight Wanderlust 108 festivals across the country including the one on Belle Isle in Detroit on Sunday, Oct. 7.
Back home, this dynamic duo teach Yoga, Stand Up Paddleboard basics, SUP Yoga, AcroYoga and SUP AcroYoga. Although the tricks seen here may seem unattainable to most, all of their classes are designed to nurture the raw beginner that is feeling nervous, and challenge the more advanced practitioner that is feeling adventurous.
Jim and Sherryl love teaching together! Learn more about all they offer at their rustic lakeside home studio, Yoga Nature.
Yoga Nature is a peaceful place of refuge just minutes from downtown Brighton.
Connecting Body, Mind, Spirit in Nature.
Facebook.
Jim’s AcroYoga International Profile.
See more SUP Acro photos of practitioners from around the world here.
For a look at Jim and Sherryl doing AcroYoga on the lake channel outside their home, watch the drone video below:
