Acroyoga teacher Marc Bauchet lifts a student at his class in Ho Chi Minh City

Yoga is synonymous with calmness. It focuses on breathing, breath control and inner contemplation. But a French yoga teacher has given me cause to reconsider all this.

Marc Bauchet teaches acroyoga, a combination of acrobatics and yoga with a little bit of Thai massage thrown in to boot.

Acrobatics represent dynamism, Thai massage represents stillness, and yoga, the spiritual connection, Bauchet explains.

I was at his class last weekend at the Yoga Meditation Center in Ho Chi Minh City.

Acroyoga involves giving and receiving, strength and sensitivity, trust and communication, the guru says.

At the start the 16 of us warmed up with some stretching in a circle. After that we split into groups of three, with two people trying the yoga postures and a third keeping an eye to ensure the flier does not fall.

I was teamed with Daphne Chua, a Singaporean yoga teacher. I took first turn on top as she lay on her back, planted her feet on the top of my thighs, and hoisted me in the air. I cupped my face with my elbows halfway between us, and she grasped them.

It was my first time at the class - most others had attended the previous three - and a scary thought crossed my mind: What if I fall on her and we both break our noses?

But the with the help of ourspotter, an English woman who seems to have been practicing yoga for years, I managed to steady myself and gradually began to enjoy moving my hands, legs, hips, and feet in tandem with Daphne.

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Yoga with a twist