Q&A: 51-Year-Old Acro Yoga Instructor on Finding the Perfect Balance

“Acroboy Troy” is living proof that anything’s possible for the young at heart.

“Acroboy Troy” (not pictured) picked up yoga to treat a bad back and neck about five years ago; today, he’s teaching acro yoga (a two-or-more-person form centred on balance and focus) to the yoga-curious. At 51 years old, he’s an outlier in a community of spry twenty- and thirtysomethings, but he’s living proof that anything’s possible for the young at heart.How did you get into acro yoga?I started yoga because I hurt my upper back. I started with Bikram’s, and then I went on a retreat where they offered partner yoga. Today I do acro yoga twice a week, for hours at a time.It must be an incredible workout.I don’t realize how much I’ve worked out until after the fact: I’m so focused and I’m having so much fun doing it. I look at the clock and think, I can’t believe time is going so fast.Is it dangerous?I have a healthy sense of fear. you’re not using an apparatus; you’re working with someone who’s moving with you. I practise basing; that means I’m on the bottom. Effective communication and accurate self-assessment are both paramount.You must have an incredible connection with your partner.When I approach acro yoga, it’s actually a little chemical. Some people get the wrong impression; it can look secual. But when you’re practising, that should be the furthest thing from your mind.Ready to try it yourself? Troy teaches in Richmond regularly.

Check back for more from VanMag’s 25 Ways to Live Forever package (our March 2017 cover story!) to learn about the myriad ways—blood transfusions, juice cleanses, IV drips—Vancouverites chase the dream of eternal youth.