Rage Yoga Is the Cursing, Heavy Metal Yoga Class Your Angry Self Needs
Here are two words not commonly used in tandem: rage yoga. Rage yoga is "a practice involving stretching, positional exercises and bad humor, with the goal of attaining good health and to become zen as f*ck. More than just a practice, Rage Yoga is an attitude," according to its website.
Every Monday and Wednesday, Lindsay Istace teaches the off-beat yoga style in the basement of Dickens Pub in Calgary, Canada, according to Self. In this new yoga class, people practice a Vinyasa flow that's accompanied by swearing, screaming, heavy metal music and beer.
Read more: 5 Reasons the Healthiest People You Know Swear By Yoga
Contortionist and fire-eater Istace founded the class after going through a bad breakup and feeling like other yoga classes had a "very deadpan, serious, overly serene approach to things," she told CBC News. Instead, she found yelling and cursing to be more cathartic, she told Self.
"My hurt feelings really began to come out on the mat and suddenly I found myself screaming and swearing a lot during my practice time," Istace told Self. "At first it seemed crazy but I found that combining the emotional release with my routines really helped!"
Her classes began in January, and have up to 12 participants per class, according to CBC News. "I find the atmosphere of the class is a lot more easygoing. If you fall over or wobble, you can just sort of laugh through it. You don't really feel like you're disturbing some sort of 'tranquility' of the class," Collen Trumble, a Rage Yoga-goer, told CBC News.
But not everyone is into Istace's twist on yoga, with some telling her "that swearing and drinking beer makes it illegitimate," according to CBC News.
Still, Istace plans on rolling out online courses and already has traveling workshops underway.