In a traditional yoga class, it’s all about tranquility and finding your “center.” The room might be quiet or if there’s music, it’s most likely something soothing and New Age. Candles or salt lamps might glow peacefully in the corner. Not so with “Rage Yoga,” a yoga style that’s a bit more intense.
Lindsay Istace felt like an outsider at normal yoga classes. She describes the feeling as “standing in a library full of gymnasts.” While that works for a lot of people, it didn’t for Lindsay, so she founded Rage Yoga. In her practice, there’s beer, heavy metal, and swearing. The yoga itself combines traditional poses and breathing with some unique elements.
Take a deep breath…now curse.
Doesn’t all that chaos defeat the purpose of yoga? Not necessarily. The ultimate goal is the same as regular yoga: to feel centered, confident, and strong, but the journey there is different. A lot of people need to release their anger to be free of it, and swearing and yelling is a great way of doing that in a safe way, to a point. If you’re worried about people freaking out and turning into the Hulk at a Rage Yoga class, don’t be. It’s never happened.
Anger and stress are toxic. Rage Yoga provides a way to release them.
Rage yoga instructors are the real deal; they’ve finished a 200-hour training program, as well as a specific Rage Yoga certification. In-person classes can be found in Houston, Texas, and Alberta, Canada. You can also take classes online, like the Ferocious Foundations and Bendy and Badass programs. According to the website, a one-time payment of $90 (or three payments of $35) gets you access to 2 or more videos every week for six weeks, PDFs, and more. That’s a pretty good deal!