A serious back injury led to Yang Jia Min finding her niche in AcroYoga, and the founding of her yoga studio
PHOTO: SPORTPLUS.SG
It was during her competitive foray in ballroom dancing that Yang Jia Min suffered from spondylolisthesis, a spinal condition that causes lower back pain.
From constantly dancing in an arched position over time, the 29-year-old bubble tea addict fractured her L4 and L5.
Non-surgical treatment is said to be able to relieve the symptoms of spondylolisthesis and that was when Jia Min turned to yoga.
“I actually started yoga after I was diagnosed with this back injury in 2014. I signed up for a 200-hour yoga teacher training (YTT) and after half a year of dedicated practice, I was healed and no longer in pain, and even went back to dance,” she said.
PHOTO: SPORTPLUS.SG
Right after she completed her YTT, Jia Min started teaching private yoga classes, especially those with back pain and scoliosis to help them like how the practice helped her.
“Through yoga, I started building on my physical ability like my strength and my flexibility, and then my practice shifted from yoga to acrobatic yoga,” she explained.
After teaching yoga and AcroYoga for a few years, Jia Min started her own studio in 2019 – Jyan Yoga Studio – to build on her passion of helping people heal through yoga.
PHOTO: SPORTPLUS.SG
AcroYoga is a combination of yoga and acrobatics, a partner yoga practice that requires trust, strength and connection. Whether you’re the base (the one lifting your partner off the ground) or the flyer (the one being lifted), both positions seem challenging and even intimidating.
Jia Min’s biggest tip for people who would like to try acro yoga for the first time is to get rid of the fear in your head.
PHOTO: SPORTPLUS.SG
“That’s what everybody thinks, right? Like it’s very tough and I won’t be able to lift someone up and stuff like that. But actually the first thing that you have to get rid of is the fear in your head,” she added.
For her size, Jia Min has based someone as heavy as 156kg before. It’s about the technique and not just about the strength!
PHOTO: SPORTPLUS.SG
Also, our Studio Plus hosts Cheryl Tay and John Yeong headed down to Jyan Yoga Studio to try acro yoga – stay tuned for that episode to find out how we did.
AcroYoga is a type of yoga that combines traditional Hatha or Vinyasa Flow yoga with acrobatics. It may also include elements of healing arts. It originated in the late 1990s and has quickly become popular, with AcroYoga schools now all over the world.
Jyan Yoga Studio is located at 64A Prinsep Street, Singapore 188667. To find out more about the studio you may visit their official website here.