Just in case your yoga practice is feeling a little too normal these days, check out one of these bizarre yoga hybrids!
- Aerial Yoga - This form of yoga is actually becoming more and more mainstream. It utilizes anti-gravity silks and hammocks for props and relies on the principles of aerial arts and traditional yoga poses to offer a complete work out… in the air! @levityaerialyoga
- Aqua Yoga - Rather be a fish than a bird? Aqua yoga takes weight off your joints and makes asanas feel effortless! Practicing in water is healing, as you release pain while stimulating your lymph system. No wonder people are jumping in and going with the flow! #aquayoga
- Beer Yoga- For those of you who can’t imagine passing up a pint on a Friday night to attend a yoga class, you might not have to! This type of yoga incorporates beer drinking - before, during or after class - into the practice. From Berlin to Australia, to California, believe it or not, Beer yoga is now a thing. @beeryoga
- Cannabis Yoga - Lord Shiva was known to take a toke before meditation, and now many Americans are too! As cannabis becomes legal in many states in the US, classes like Remedy Yoga in Los Angeles are encouraging people to get high before hitting the mat. #cannabisyoga
- Chocolate Yoga - Do you like it sweet? This form of yoga is a delicious fusion of cacao ceremony (only Grade A used) with Kundalini Yoga, promised to shift your practice to a whole new dimension. Check out www.chocolate.yoga
- Doga - Do you have a dog? Well, maybe it’s time you and your furry friend practice together. If you check out dogadog.com, you will see that Doga is basically breathing, doggy massage and simple yoga poses done while holding or bonding with your dog in various positions.
- Food Yoga - One usually connects yogis with green juice and quinoa, but USA based David Romanelli designed a foodie yoga class with the more gourmand types in mind! As soon as the lights go up and the last Om has been uttered, yogis are served up a fully catered meal designed to allow yogis to taste, smell and digest in a heightened state of awareness. davidromanelli.com
- Goat Yoga - Old Mc Yogi had a farm, e i, e i, o… and on that farm he had some GOATS e i, e i, o. Apparently, these friendly barn animals are bringing a new twist to yoga practice. Goat Yoga has been sweeping the US since 2016 and the idea behind it is to practice in nature, among friendly goats while receiving a bit of inner peace and unconditional goat love! Don’t believe us? Check out www.goatyoga.net
- Harmonica Yoga - Just when you thought breath work was boring, here comes Harmonica Yoga. David Harp, the inventor of this musical yoga, sees it as the perfect way to teach people about breath awareness and mindfulness, while simultaneously learning to play an instrument. www.harmonicayoga.com
- Hip-Hop-Hot Yoga - For you music junkies, this hot vinyasa flow yoga class turns it up a notch, adding funky hip-hop rhythms to help you let go and unwind after a hard day at the office. Studios all over London are dimming the lights and turning up the music for this sweaty, high energy workout. Check out One LDN, Pop Up Practice or Chi Kri Yoga for classes. www.oneldn.com/hip-hop-hot-yoga
- Horseback Yoga (aka Hoga) - Here props become a bit more challenging, because, well, you need a horse! Hoga was founded in Colorado and includes breathing exercises and yoga poses designed to help you and your horse bond and relax, along with a series of poses you can do while riding. #horsebackyoga
- Ice Yoga - Yogi and founder of Active North, Rebecca Bjork, believes ice yoga could be what practitioners are looking for. Her outside classes in the Swedish Lapland are all about nature, how your body feels in the cold while your are in movement and the sounds of silence. Swedish pastries and snowsuits are provided for on her Arctic Winter yoga retreats! #iceyoga
- Karaoke Yoga - Does your inner Chris Martin need a little attention? Karaoke Yoga might be just the thing to let him out! This highly entertaining class includes a DJ and various TV screens so students can sing along and connect with the music while practicing. #karaokeyoga
- Kink Yoga - Feeling a shade of grey? Well in Sydney Australia, they’ve taken down dog to a new level and made dominatrix yoga a thing. Participants move through various asanas and breath work before launching into their fetish of choice. The challenge is not to lose your asana while your fetish is being performed - yikes! studiokink.com
- Laughter Yoga (aka Loga) - Let’s face it, we can all use a little more laughter in our lives! If your world has gotten too serious for your liking, this yoga might be for you. According to laughteryoga.org, a laughter yoga session, originally developed by Indian doctor Madan Kataria, attempts to cultivate childlike playfulness in students while doing exercises like clapping, chanting, speaking gibberish, breathing and pantomiming. Certainly an endorphin boost! www.laughteronlineuniversity.com
- Nude Yoga (aka Noga) - As if contorting yourself on a mat in tight yoga pants was not enough, the naked yoga classes at Bold & Naked Yoga studio in New York will challenge any body image issues you might have. The classes are co-ed Vinyasa classes which are not meant to be sexual in anyway, just liberating! For you closet nudists, there’s also a Naked Yoga school online so you can rock your naked down dog in private! #nudeyoga
- Pop Up Yoga - You’ve heard of pop up restaurants and concerts, well now the same is happening with yoga classes! Pop Up Yoga in Zurich Switzerland, changes location on a regular basis. So one week you could be down dogging in an art gallery and the next you are striking a tree pose in a night club. If you are the stop, drop and do type, this could be your kind of yoga. http://www.popupyoga.ch/#intro
- Rave Yoga - Yoga raves are becoming more and more popular as people steer away from drinking and smoking and turn towards a healthier lifestyle. Yoga Rave goers indulge in some meditation and stretching before the beat picks up and it turns into a raging party, complete with fresh juices and vegetarian goodies! @black_and_light_yoga
- Snowga - If slipping and sliding all over your yoga mat in Hot Yoga is not your thing, perhaps you’d be more into chilling out in Snowga. It was developed by ski instructor Anne Anderson to help people get over their fears of skiing and boarding by breathing and calming the body and mind; it pairs yoga poses that often mimic the landscape with snow sports like skiing, snow boarding and snowshoeing. If there are no classes available near you, you can create your own by doing some of your favorite standing poses in your favorite winter wonderland. @snowga
- SUP Yoga - The acronym alone is bizarre! This hybrid yoga combines stand up paddle boarding with yoga. For water lovers, this combo is ideal as you get to paddle out and indulge in some core-engaging yoga poses while keeping yourself afloat! Watch out for Tree pose! #supyoga
- Tantrum Yoga - If you are suffering from a bit of inner rage, this could be for you. Tantrum yoga combines dance and vocal exercises with the traditional breathing and yoga asanas. You are encouraged to release your stress by screaming, stomping and doing your best Tarzan chest-pounding! www.hemalayaa.com
- Vertical Yoga or Pole Yoga - On a horse, with a dog, in water, in the air, why not yoga on a stripper pole?! Definitely a core workout with a little fun thrown in! www.yogapolestudio.com in the US or www.floatingfitness.com in London
- Voga - If you’re pining for the ‘vogueing’ of the 80s dance craze, Voga might be for you. Designed by Juliet Murrell, an artist who instructs classes in various London locations, Voga classes are upbeat and will have you striking a pose to an awesome playlist of 80’s tunes. Check out www.vogalondon.co.uk
- Weight Lifter’s Yoga - It was only a matter of time before this match was made, as every weight lifter can appreciate more flexibility and mobility. Classes for weight lifting yoga are popping up in yoga studios everywhere, as well as online, so if you are looking for new ways to enhance or improve your strength training workouts, this could be just the thing. www.gymbox.com
With all of these choices, what are you waiting for? Get out there, get creative and practice!
We would like to give our thanks to and credit the following for the images used in this article: swapaw.com; azgoatyoga.com; huffingtonpost.co.uk; @yoga_garage; University of Victoria; activeazur.com