5 Yoga Trends to Love or Leave

As more of the world discovers and falls in love with yoga, people begin to tailor their yoga experiences to fit in with the rest of their very varied and sometimes quite modern lifestyles; thus, yoga trends are born. Here are some of the more recent trends to develop:

Sure, maybe you’ve gone to raves or danced the night away at a club on the weekend, but have you ever tried to start your day like that? Enter Daybreaker, the yoga-fitness-dance party that’s a morning person’s dream come true. The founders wanted to create a community that would come together around mindfulness, wellness, mischief, self-expression, and camaraderie. Daybreaker events begin around 6 AM with an hour of yoga followed by an energetic, two-hour-long dance party. Being your wacky, authentic self is highly encouraged. Worried about showing up to work hungover? Don’t fret: Daybreaker parties are exclusively sober events! (You’ll still be sweaty when you get to your cubicle, though.)

Speaking of community, you may be familiar with the #StopDropAndYoga hashtag on Instagram. This trending yoga hashtag encourages IG yogis to stop what they’re doing to strike a yoga pose, often outdoors, in a public setting, or while doing something else – like making tea. While this could contribute to the widely-criticized tendency of many yogis on Instagram to do it to show off instead of being genuinely in the moment, it also serves to share with others how we each can incorporate a little bit of yoga into our daily lives. Plus, it grows the supportive “Insta-yoga” community by encouraging you to nominate other IG yogis in your tribe to contribute to this fun challenge. Seems like a win-win!

 

5 Yoga Trends to Love or Leave

 

Perhaps all of this “namaste”, inner peace stuff seriously turns you off, or you’ve had a bad week and are about to explode into a long string of expletives. Well, the next yoga trend lets you do just that. Rage Yoga was designed as a way to introduce yoga to people who aren’t comfortable with the traditionally serious environment of classic yoga classes. Taking place in the back of a Calgary pub, founder Lindsey Istace leads a class full of “like-minded weirdos” through “a kick-ass practice” that takes a lighthearted, humorous, unconventional path towards your “inner badass,” complete with a cathartic scream to release all of your pent-up anger. Oh, and you get to drink beer, too. (Feel uncomfortable screaming amongst strangers but still want to imbibe after getting your zen on? Check with local breweries and wineries in your area; many are beginning to host “yoga and wine” or “yoga and beer” sessions!)

If you want a truly unique (and somewhat excessive) yoga experience, look no further than HeliYoga, the “world’s most exclusive yoga experience.” You and up to five friends are flown out on a privately-chartered helicopter from the Las Vegas strip (of course, where else would this be?) to the heart of Nevada’s Valley of Fire State Park, where you’ll put on a pair of wireless headphones and flow through a class to an eclectic playlist of retro and/or modern tunes — sort of like a silent disco yoga session on Mars. After time for photo-ops and a champagne toast, you’re whisked right back to Sin City, about 2.5 hours from the start of your journey. Like many Vegas experiences, though, it doesn’t come cheap: this trip will cost you $3,499. (Not ready to make it rain hundred-dollar bills? Many cities play host to “silent disco” yoga classes, like this one on a San Francisco, CA beach.)

Finally, what isn’t improved by furry friends? A burgeoning trend is “doga” or “meowga”, where you can downward dog and practice cat pose with – you guessed it – lovable (and almost always adoptable!) dogs and cats! Often held in partnership with local animal shelters, these events not only serve to make the human yogis happier (because, c’mon, how can you NOT feel happy when you’re surrounded by adorable fluffballs?), but also to introduce them to potential new furry family members, or, alternately, raise money for rescue causes! For instance, KitTea Cafe in San Francisco (a popular “cat café”) hosts a “yoga with cats” evening class regularly. If dogs and cats aren’t really your favorite animals, not to worry: as the popularity of “yoga with animals” classes is on the rise, more and different classes keep popping up, like goat yoga (yes, you read that correctly).

 

5 Yoga Trends to Love or Leave

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Kimber started practicing yoga in late 2015 to help improve her fitness but discovered how much it improves her emotional wellbeing, too, and has been hooked ever since. She is a San Francisco Bay Area native in her mid-20’s who works as a food scientist professionally. She is also an indoor rock climber, lover of dogs, cats, and sloths, and enjoys cooking & baking for her loved ones when not exploring other ways to procrastinate on folding her clean laundry.