Ever tried a downward dog while belting out your favorite Beatles tune? Now's your chance: yogis bored with their asanas are shaking things up with karaoke yoga -- at least that is the wackiest new trend taking off in Los Angeles.
Los Angeles-based yoga instructor Jennifer Pastiloff devised the class at the luxury gym Equinox, and enlisting the aid of DJ Gina Mooring, created a one-hour "joy-based" yoga-singing class that has attracted a hearty following of students -- and plenty of media buzz, including a segment on the US-based television show Good Morning America.
"If you're looking for a strict, alignment-based yoga class, don't come because this isn't one of them," Pastiloff told Relaxnews. "This is about having the workout of your life, singing, dancing, feeling silly." The benefit, she says, is not only opening your body through yoga but feeling connected to the other students through the process of group singing. "People are starved for connection in the world, and this class can offer that."
The class comes complete with a television screen for song lyrics, and you can expect group renditions (no solos) of popular hits by Elton John, Journey, Michael Jackson, Adele, and the biggest tearjeaker, according to Pastiloff, "Let It Be Me" by the Beatles. "Everyone always gets emotional with that one."
Pastiloff, who also teaches private vinyasa-based yoga lessons to celebrities, launched the class last December and is soon taking karaoke yoga on the road to launch classes in Chicago and New York.
Looking for other creative approaches to yoga? Suspension yoga, or anti-gravity yoga, uses a specially designed harness to offer the low-impact benefits of inversion therapy combined with yoga's emphasis on strength and flexibility, all while performing Cirque du Soleil-inspired poses. Or for yogis who crave cardio, Yoga Spinning is a hot new trend launched in New York by Spinning teacher and yogi Noll Danial.
Watch a scene from Pastiloff's class: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZLxnQhImmLw
