THE WEIRD NEW AGE OF
YOGA From ancient practice to fat beats, yoga’s popularity has gone next level. Yoga coach, Cassie White, checks out some of its more bizarre manifestations.
Australia’s yoga industry is worth $1 billion, so you’d think we’d all be enlightened by now, right? Obviously not — it seems like there’s a new reincarnation being born every week. Here’s the low-down on some of the main stayers — and the other players.
THE MAIN STAYERS
Vinyasa Vinyasa is a series of poses placed in a specific order to create a sequence that’s performed multiple times during the class. Participants flow fairly quickly from one pose to the next, syncing their breath with each move. Linking breath to movement allows you to focus, creating a meditative experience. The term vinyasa also refers to one specific sequence of poses (Chaturanga to Upward-Facing Dog to Downward-Facing Dog), which is considered standard in all vinyasa-style classes. Hatha Traditionally, any kind of yoga poses you practised were hatha. But these days it’s generally considered to be a slower-paced class where you hold each pose for a few breaths. Hatha
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classes are gentler than vinyasa, so are good for beginners or people wanting to chill out and have a stretch. Many classes feature specific meditation and breathing elements, too.
THE OTHER PLAYERS
Ashtanga Similar to vinyasa, Ashtanga is a series of poses strung together, which students flow through without stopping, syncing breath to movement. The difference is that there are six specific series in Ashtanga, which become more difficult as you progress. Ashtanga is fast-paced and challenging, but most studios offer ‘Mysore’ classes, where students work at their own level, while being assisted by instructors.
HIP-HOP YOGA Yoga practised to the soothing sounds of The Notorious B.I.G? You’d better believe it. Loud and fun, hip-hop yoga was founded by Steve Ross — long-time yogi and a guitarist who has played with the Beach Boys, Fleetwood Mac and Men at Work. The idea behind the tunes is to attract people who might not otherwise give yoga a chance. The beats can also help people transition from their hectic lives into the meditative space of yoga more seamlessly. For some, removing their headphones and walking straight into a yoga room filled with the dull chanting of Tibetan monks might be a bit too much to handle.
Iyenga Created by yoga guru BKS Iyengar, who has been credited for making yoga popular in the West. Iyengar has a specific focus on posture, alignment and technique. Each pose is held for a long time compared with other styles, so students can perfect all aspects of it. Iyengar is a good style of yoga for people who are injured, have imbalances in their body or just feel really tight. Classes use blocks, straps, chairs, bolsters and blankets as props, which help you modify poses to suit your body. Hot yoga Hot yoga is so . . . hot right now. The original form, Bikram, is a series of the same 26 poses performed the exact same way every class in a room heated to 40°C. But these days any and every method of yoga is done in a heated room. This heat helps to warm your muscles and joints, which increases your flexibility during class, helping you to get further into the poses. So if you’re super tight, this could be the class for you. But there are risks to pushing too hard, such as tendon and ligament damage, so it’s important to be sensible and listen to your body.
> WELLNESS
AIM HIGHER
Nurturing or nighmarish? We’ll leave it up to you to decide if naked yoga is relaxing or repulsive.
DOGA (DOG YOGA) Because what’s the point of doing yoga if Buster can’t get involved? Doga is so legit that it actually has its own Wikipedia page. Fans of doggie-style yoga say it helps strengthen the bond between pet and owner. Plus, it’s well known that playing with pets is great for stress relief. Basically, doga is just regular yoga but your dog gets involved. Buster can just sit and drool on the mat, or do the poses with you. No classes in your area? Hit up YouTube for DIY doga. FYI — if you don’t own a dog, a cat will suffice. Good luck with that though. [See our cat yoga story below]. NAKED YOGA As far fitness fads go, naked yoga is having its 15 minutes. While bending over naked in front of strangers might sound like a nightmare for most, others find the experience liberating. Despite what you’re probably thinking, the intention behind naked yoga isn’t to get laid. Proponents say being sans pants in a supportive environment helps people shake body-image issues and become comfortable in the buff. Classes are popping up all over the country for men and women (albeit separately).
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WE DO CAT YOGA
Fitness First personal trainer, Susy Natal, practises cat yoga at Sydney’s Cat Café
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SALTY YOGA Don’t worry, you won’t be diving downward-dog first into piles of table salt — the room’s walls are made of pink Himalayan salt. Salt therapy (or halotherapy) itself isn’t anything new. The negative ions it contains apparently helps you to breathe better and relaxes your nervous system, which can reduce anxiety. Breathing in salty air is also said to help with asthma and allergies. Let’s be honest, there’s not a lot of, you know, science behind these claims. But why let that get in the way of a good trend? So go on, assault your senses (sorry). SUP YOGA If balance and co-ordination aren’t your thing, then you might want to stay on the sand. Stand-up paddleboarding yoga is a much more interesting way to strengthen your core than punching out 100 sit-ups at the gym. The instability of the board gets you to activate all the stabilising muscles in your abs, hips, knees and ankles, and forces you to have perfect technique. Otherwise, you’ll be deepening your yoga practise in a different kind of way. A great workout and a trip to the beach — can’t go wrong. LAUGHTER YOGA Rough day? Laugh all the way to enlightenment. Clapping, yogic breathing and other groupbased fun encourages participants to get in touch with their playful side. Word is, the human body can’t actually tell the difference between real and pretend laughter, so you still get benefits, such as reduced stress levels. Even if you have to fake it at first, fans say it doesn’t take long for your halfarsed chuckles to become full-on cackles. Laughter is contagious, after all.
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eads up cat lovers: Sydney has a café where you can hang out with your furry friends and take Cat Yoga classes. Catmosphere is just a short walk from Central station and has been set up to help rescue cats become comfortable around people again and eventually find a new loving home. You can also get your downward dog on with the curious cats — Catmosphere hosts Cat Yoga on Monday and Thursday nights. This is exactly what it sounds like — yoga with the cats in the room, which is both relaxing and often results in quite amusing interactions with the residents. While it may sound a little silly, this is the point: yoga can sometimes be taken too seriously and become just another arduous training task. The true essence of yoga is to be with yourself in stillness or in movement and to feel good. It’s important to see the fun and lightness in life, and getting a nose bump from an overly friendly feline mid-transition is a very cute way to achieve that. Cats are known for not being particularly attentive until you ignore them, and this experience plays off that wonderfully. I went in on a Thursday after a long and somewhat stressful week and walked out relaxed and very happy. The yoga helped relieve some of the physical tension but I think that the many laughs along the way was really what made this a wonderful night. While some of the cats preferred to watch from a snug spot at a distance, others ventured into the yoga space, and some even settled in on our mats, creating a rather unique yoga challenge. There was cuddle and unwinding time with the residents of the room after the class ended. Given the nature of the class (try to not step on any cats!), it’s not the most challenging yoga that you will ever do, but it will be one of the most fun. I recommend it to all animal lovers who want a fun way to relax and laugh a bit. It makes for a great catch up with a friend or just as a quick escape to unwind. To book yourself in for Cat yoga go to www.catmospherecafe. com/sydney