Ryder McClain practices balancing on a bar at Abstract In Motion.

While hiking, Eric Corrales isn’t soaking up the beauty of the surrounding area. Instead, he’s scouting for fallen trees to practice his balance and rocks that look “jumpable.”

For Corrales, 29, the world is a playground.

It’s a mindset he adopted as a regular practitioner of parkour and the owner and operator of Abstract in Motion, Central Oregon’s first parkour gym.

Simply stated, parkour is the art of using fundamental movements to overcome obstacles swiftly and efficiently, but also playfully.

“Every obstacle, everything that we see can be played on,” Corrales said. It’s simply a matter of opening up one’s mind, he said.

Parkour fundamentals

Corrales has been practicing the art of parkour for almost 16 years. He launched a parkour team in 2010 with the goal of building a group of athletes who were leaders in the Central Oregon community. Five years later, he founded Abstract In Motion.

The gym hosts classes for students and adults, in addition to open gym hours during which anyone may use the facility.

On a recent Tuesday afternoon, Kyler Kramer, co-manager at Abstract In Motion, modeled a precision jump to a roomful of homeschooled children. A precision jump is a fundamental parkour movement that involves jumping from one obstacle to another and landing firmly on two feet.

Kramer demonstrated the jump incorrectly before asking the class to name the technical reasons the jump was flawed. As students answered the question, he repeated the correct answers.

“My feet were apart. What else?” Kramer prompted. “I didn’t bend my knees. I’m not on my toes,” he said.

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From student to teacher

Kramer, 20, began as one of Corrales’ students at the age of 12. Now he leads parkour classes almost daily and is preparing for the West Coast Parkour Championships.

Parkour has become a full-time job for Kramer, as well as a method of self-expression.

“I learned a lot from Eric (Corrales) and then I got to the point where we were kind of pushing each other to learn more and get better and there was kind of this competitiveness,” he said.

Kramer said he has a body type that is lean and lanky, which is better suited for swinging and strides, while Corrales is stocky and strong, making him better equipped for rolls and big jumps. As an instructor, Kramer impresses upon his students that parkour is available to all body types because it involves a variety of movement.

“I think it’s really important to teach the younger generation that it’s OK if you can’t get this jump because you might be able to do something that this other kid can’t do,” Kramer said.

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Learning to play again

Corrales, who is also training for an upcoming competition with the USA Parkour Cup, said he hopes to grow the adult community at the parkour gym. He holds “Adult Parkour” on Tuesday and Thursday evenings from 7-8 p.m. for a group that typically involves six attendees ranging in age from 18 to 63.

The eldest member of the group, Steve Crozier, has been practicing the discipline for the last five years along with his wife.

The adult classes aren’t about training to become professional athletes, but building confidence and refining skills, Corrales said. He instructs adults on balancing, falling and moving the body in unconventional ways so that participants are having fun and getting fit at the same time.

“As you get older, falling becomes a legitimate hazard,” Corrales said.

He stretched his arms out to the side, indicating the best way to dissipate weight into the shoulder during a fall, rather than allowing the wrists to absorb all of the impact, which could potentially lead to injury.

Corrales added that losing the ability to imagine in adulthood makes the world seem a little bit more gray. He hopes to open up adult’s minds through parkour, encouraging them to learn how to play again.

“It’s one of the most important things — playing,” he said.

If You Go

What: Abstract In Motion

When: Open hours are subject to change, but are typically from noon-2:30 p.m. and 4-8 p.m. Tuesday and Thursday, 3:30-5:30 p.m. Wednesday and Friday, and 9:30-10:30 a.m. Saturday. Adult Parkour is 7-8 p.m. Tuesdays and Thursdays.

Where: 63830 Clausen Road No. 102, Bend

Cost: $15 drop-in open gym, $30 drop-in class. All memberships, punch cards and and drop in rates are listed online.

Contact: abstract-in-motion.com, 541-505-3318

Due to recent construction, Google maps may show inaccurate directions to Abstract In Motion from Bend.

From Bend, head north on Highway 97. Turn left on Cooley Road, right on N Hunnell Road and right on Loco Road. Take a left on Clausen Road and head to the end of the cul-de-sac and turn right. Continue to the end of the road and turn left.