A good yoga class can do wonders for your mental and physical health—it can help calm, restore, and re-energize you. But if you’re looking to spice up your regular mat routine on this International Day of Yoga–or any other day–rest assured, there are unique classes for almost every interest and personality. These days, the options run the gamut from aerial yoga to SUP yoga (stand-up paddleboard) to goat yoga–yes, goats. Whether you want to get your om on with furry creatures or a glass of beer, here are eight weird yoga classes to try.
1. Goat Yoga
Goat yoga usually takes your practice outdoors where these friendly four-legged animals will likely cuddle up on your mat, jump on your back, and do everything to distract you from holding Warrior II for an extended period of time. Lemos Farm in Half Moon Bay, California offers 45 minutes of yoga followed by time to feed and brush the goats. Part animal-assisted therapy, part zen session, you’re guaranteed to leave with a smile on your face.
2. Cat Yoga
Not to be outdone by their farmyard friends, cats also make fun yoga companions–especially if you don’t mind someone giving you occasional side-eye and generally being unimpressed by your flexibility. KitTea in San Francisco does an hour of slow, restorative yoga, and you have time to drink tea and hang with the cats (some of which are adoptable). We hear the cats are especially fond of the first half of the Cat-Cow Pose.
3. Beer Yoga
Namaste and happy hour: With beer yoga, you will be downward dogging in a brewery’s cool taproom and rewarded with a pint of beer afterward. Circle Brewing in Austin, Texas calls their Sunday Hatha sessions Pints & Poses, where you’ll get a chance to detox, retox, and repeat.
4. Aerial Yoga
You’ll feel almost weightless in an aerial yoga class, which uses a soft hammock hung from the ceiling to help strengthen your muscles and flexibility and deepen your traditional yoga poses. The Unnata Method (various locations), for example, is a form of Hatha that also helps increase awareness of your body and reset alignment. You’ll be surprised at the poses you can get into with the help of some (very strong) fabric—so go on and try that headstand that’s been eluding you.
5. Trap Yoga
Some people listen to calm music when they workout and others get motivated by loud tunes. Trap Yoga leverages the latter, with the goal of drowning out your everyday stresses with bumping beats and straightforward positivity. Trap Yoga Bae in Oakland, California teaches Vinyasa-style yoga with a live DJ, welcomes twerking mid-class, and encourages students with her “ratchet affirmations” (example: “May your day be brighter than Gucci’s teeth”).
6. Stand Up Paddleboard (SUP) Yoga
For a double dose of calm, combine yoga with the peaceful sounds of lapping water in SUP yoga. Using a paddleboard that’s floating but anchored, students challenge their balance by posing and moving on an unstable surface. At YOGAqua in Marina del Rey in California, students first paddle around the harbor and then do an hour of Vinyasa yoga, focusing on breathwork and flow. SUP yoga bonus: You don’t worry if you can’t stay upright the whole time–falling in won’t hurt (it might even cool you off!).
7. Naked Yoga
Prepare to bare it all in naked yoga, which is exactly what it sounds like: doing your sun salutations and savasana in the buff. Classes, like the ones from Bold & Naked in New York (private sessions are also available), focus on body positivity and provide judgment-free spaces for your session. You may be surprised at how freeing and empowering it is to just let it all go.
8. Airport Yoga
If there’s any time when you really need to find some inner calm, it’s when you’re stuck at an airport. Whether you’re waiting for a delayed flight or want to stretch before being crammed into a tiny airplane seat, a little self-guided yoga session could be the solution. Many airports have studios with mats provided, providing a quiet space in an otherwise stressful location. Here are just a few to check out: San Francisco International Airport, Chicago O’Hare International Airport, Miami International Airport, and Denver International Airport.
Have you tried any of these unique yoga classes? Tell us in the comments!
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