"It's about helping out people when it's their first time," Brenner said. "Because when you see it, it's very intimidating, and for everyone to feel so supportive and so confident, it makes you feel like you can do it."

New York has the second largest AcroYoga community in the world, topped only by the activity's birthplace, San Francisco. Om Factory is the only New York location with a regular AcroYoga schedule, offering three classes a week. But Adi Carter, who was recently certified as an AcroYoga instructor, plans to start a class in Brooklyn.

Jason Nemer and Sauer-Klein created AcroYoga in 2004. They have certified 70 AcroYoga instructors worldwide, but plan to cap certification at 108 after the 2008 teacher training. In order to become a certified AcroYoga instructor, applicants must already be certified to teach yoga, and must have expertise in massage or acrobatics in order to qualify for the 16-day teacher training.

"We really think of AcroYoga teachers as a family," said Sauer-Klein, 29. "We really want to cultivate individual relationships."

While some traditional yoga instructors are interested in AcroYoga, some question whether this acrobatic-styled activity is authentically yoga.

“It sounds like something you would do at Equinox or at the sports complex on the West Side Piers,” said Patricia Perez, 38, owner of Shiva Yoga Shala on the Lower East Side.

Sauer-Klein doesn't believe AcroYoga is a substitute for a solo personal practice, but rather an opportunity for deeper self reflection and a way to relate to other people.

Erik Cummings, 35, who teaches Bikram yoga — yoga practiced in a room heated to over 100 degrees — said he would try AcroYoga. “I do other types of yoga and it’s good to mix it up and see what other people think and try different styles,” he said. “If it makes people happy, who cares?”

And on Friday night, AcroYogis trickle out of Om Factory headed for another flying and Thai massage session in an apartment uptown.