Top 5 Types of Alternative Yoga You’ll Want To Stretch Into Now
The number of yoga studios seems to rival Starbucks outlets today. With the yoga industry’s growth, new styles have emerged.
Cities across America host creative alternative yoga types. There’s beer yoga, paddle board yoga, and even goat yoga (imagine doing a downward dog amidst baby goats!). While unconventional, these practices cater to those seeking unique ways to enjoy yoga benefits. Numerous alternative yoga classes and retreats exist. We’ve compiled some of the trendiest ones.
5.) ‘Blind’ Yoga
NamasteJenay
Los Angeles-based yoga teacher and wellness influencer, NamasteJenay, offers “blind yoga” in her classes. This unique concept involves closing the eyes during sequences to encourage introspection.
Jenay believes that our lives focus excessively on outward actions. She suggests that blind yoga helps people slow down and tune inwards. Even closing the eyes for a few breaths can concentrate energy remarkably.
She asserts, “You’re giving your eyes, brain, and brain stimulation a well-deserved rest while remaining fully aware of the pose.”
After 500 hours of yoga instruction and exploring multiple forms, Jenay finds blind yoga most rewarding. Closing eyes enhances body awareness and amplifies sensations in the body and mind with every slight movement.
4.) Cannabis Yoga
Yoga, known for relaxing the mind and body, gets a new twist with teachers like Yogi D promoting cannabis yoga. With increasing legalization, marijuana businesses are emerging, especially in legal states. Colorado’s 420 Yoga Retreats incorporates marijuana into classes to deepen relaxation and induce laughter.
This retreat suits free spirits seeking an open-minded practice. 420 Yoga provides a “soul-altering” experience against the Rocky Mountains’ backdrop. Upon arrival, yogis receive a 420 goodie bag with joints and ganja medicinals. The retreat offers restorative, flow, partner yoga, and an energetic “elevated laughter yoga.” Cannabis yoga retreats offer a fun, alternative yoga experience.
3.) Aqua Yoga
Aqua yoga, or pool-based yoga, marries traditional yoga techniques with water physics. It’s an innovative way to practice yoga, focusing on mind-body flow. Christa Fairbrother, an aqua yoga instructor, offers these classes for stress relief, pain reduction, and variety in yoga practice.
Like aqua exercises, aqua yoga leverages water’s buoyancy to minimize joint stress and pain. It adapts traditional postures, breath work, and meditations to help practitioners “find their bliss.”
2.) Yoga and Wine
Yoga Unwined
Wine and yoga, why not? The trend of mixing yoga with drinking is gaining popularity. You’ll find numerous classes and retreats combining beer, wine, and yoga. Yoga Unwined offers a unique blend of wine tasting and yoga. It teaches wine facts during and between poses, not just after class.
Morgan Perry, the founder, conceived this fun, alternative yoga class. It marries her passions: yoga, wine, and education. “During a three-breath warrior 2, I’ll share a quick fact. Then we flow through a vinyasa, and I give another fact in downward dog.”
After the vinyasa session, a wine tasting awaits post-savasana. Yoga Unwined merges two fantastic concepts for a relaxing, educational experience that leaves you feeling more than just relaxed.
1.) Trap Yoga
Trap music and yoga might seem like strange bedfellows, but Trap Yoga is changing that notion. This new form of alternative yoga challenges the traditional quiet ambiance associated with yoga.
The credit for this innovation goes to Brandon Copeland from Washington D.C. He started the first trap yoga classes inspired by his online videos showcasing traditional yoga poses set to trap music. Trap Yoga aims to promote wellness by fusing non-traditional and traditional yoga practices, catering to trap music fans seeking a unique path to mindfulness.
It merges techniques from Ashtanga yoga, a more physically demanding, fast-paced yoga, with elements of trap music. Trap Yoga is designed for all practitioners – from novices to seasoned yogis looking for a fresh perspective. It’s for those curious about what happens when the silence of traditional yoga is replaced with energetic beats.
