Photo essay: AcroYoga takes over Baton Rouge

December 30, 2015

Photos by Brianna Paciorka • Text by Amanda Capritto

Exercise trends come and go, but one in particular has taken Baton Rouge by storm. Nearly every weekend, Capital City residents gather at the LSU and City Park lakes, the Mississippi River levee or other grassy areas to combine acrobatics and yoga into a practice called AcroYoga.

The innovative exercise approach blends fitness, relaxation and community into one practice by using Thai massage techniques and engaging muscles for balance and body weight strength.

Joshua “J Rob” Roberts and Lee Guilbeau are two of Baton Rouge’s leading AcroYoga instructors. Roberts runs GymFit, a gymnastics and body weight conditioning program, and Guilbeau is a certified health and fitness instructor at Purusa Yoga. We followed both while they instructed students last month.

Instructor Joshua "J Rob" Roberts holds up Lee Ellen Hutchinson in an acro yoga pose as the sun sets during an acro yoga class held at the LSU lakes on Sunday, Nov. 29, 2015. — Instructor Joshua “J Rob” Roberts holds up Lee Ellen Hutchinson in an pose at the LSU lakes in November.

Joshua "J Rob" Roberts, right, works with acro yoga students by the LSU lakes on Sunday, Nov. 29, 2015. — Joshua “J Rob” Roberts, right, works with students by the LSU lakes.

Instructor Lee Guilbeau, center, works with students during an acro yoga class held at Purusa Yoga on Friday, Dec. 4, 2015. — Instructor Lee Guilbeau, center, works with students during a class at Purusa Yoga in December.

From bottom, instructor Lee Guilbeau, Tyler Durrett and Patty Prats perform an acro yoga pose during an acro yoga class held at Purusa Yoga on Friday, Dec. 4, 2015. — From bottom, instructor Lee Guilbeau, Tyler Durrett and Patty Prats perform a pose during a class at Purusa Yoga.

Alan Rada laughs as he holds up a fellow student during an acro yoga class held at Purusa Yoga on Friday, Dec. 4, 2015. — Alan Rada laughs as he holds up a fellow student at Purusa Yoga.

Instructor Joshua "J Rob" Roberts holds up Lee Ellen Hutchinson, middle, and Stephanie Lee, top, at the LSU lakes. — Instructor Joshua “J Rob” Roberts holds up Lee Ellen Hutchinson, middle, and Stephanie Lee, top, at the LSU lakes.