Friday, October 16, 2020

Unusual Ways To Do Yoga.

The other night, I watched a rerun of NCIS and two of the characters were discussion "Goat Yoga".  I honestly thought that must be a joke because I'm not sure how it would work but it turns out, it is a real thing.  Goat Yoga is quite similar to regular  yoga except it includes the use of live goats.  

In general, the goats are wondering around while you do yoga and they join in when they feel like it.  They might jump on the back of someone doing a plank, or snuggling up during a Downward Facing Dog, or breath in your ear as you relax at the end.  It is said the goats help people relax.

Then there is Doga which is yoga done with a dog.  The idea is that the person who comes to yoga class with their pet.  The class begins with both the dog and the person laying on the floor and progresses from there. It is said that this yoga encourages relaxation and stress relief in both the dogs and their humans.  It is also said the dogs finish the class feeling important and extremely happy.

We mustn't forget horse yoga. Yes horse yoga where the connection between humans and horses gets stronger.  The idea is the person performs yoga moves on top of the horse or next to it while focusing on breathing.  This type of yoga focuses on balance, flexibility, and core stability as the rider expands their connection with the horse.  In the meantime, animal yoga has expanded to include cats.

There is something called Tantrum yoga which really doesn't sound like any yoga I've tried but I'm told it is actually more of fusion, rather than a standard yoga.  Apparently people get to scream, stomp their feet, yell, thump their chest, and finally laughing.  In other words, adults are allowed to throw tantrums to work out stress and frustration.  It is said to be quite therapeutic.

If you prefer, there is Aerial yoga in which people carry out yoga movements while in a silky sling shaped hammock set three to four feet above the ground.  A person uses the hammock by maneuvering the material to help hold them in various positions.  The material helps the person take each move a bit deeper and helps improve core muscles.  According to some research, regular usage of this type of yoga can help the person loose weight, a decrease of body fat, and a decrease in the waist measurement.

On the other hand, if you are adventuresome with a partner who is willing to try something, why not look at Acroyoga which combines, yoga, acrobatics, with healing practices.  It's been around since 2003 and uses two to three people.  The person who is on the bottom and does the lifting is referred to as the base while the second person is referred to the flyer because they are being lifted and the third person is the spotter providing the safety element.  There are two types of practice in Acroyoga.  The first is called the lunar practice in which the flyer is passive and lets the base stretch them and move them around.  The other is the solar practice where both the base and the flyer are active.

Then there are a bunch of others that are based more on the addition or subtraction of some things.  For instance there is Broga Yoga in which male buddies or "bros" participate in yoga.  It was designed as a way to get more males involved in yoga and it focuses on strength training and cardiovascular exercise.  For drinkers, they can enjoy beer yoga which takes place at breweries or bars.  It is set up so the yoga is done first, ending with a beer at the end for relaxation.  In some places such as Germany where it is quite popular, some poses do involve bottle of beer.

If you are a fairly new parent, you might want to take advantage of a baby and parent yoga where the parent helps the baby work through certain poses while performing their own.  Some parents have reported their children sleep better after a session.  For mothers, it helps them get over having given birth, strengthens and stretches muscles they need worked, and helps mother and child bond.  

For those who prefer nudity, there is nude yoga.  It is said people become more aware of their bodies and movements.  There is also hoop yoga, yoga raves, and as many other variations as the mind can come up with.  Let me know what you think, I'd love to hear.  Have a great day.


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