Tired of the same old, same old when it comes to your yoga? Here are some yoga workouts with a twist.
1. Laughter Yoga
No, this is not a joke. According to the Metro Vancouver Laughter Yoga website, Laughter Yoga, which has roots as far away as India, is a series of movement and breathing exercises designed to stimulate laughter and cultivate an inner spirit of joy. Instead of baking in a hot room, participants get to work on their deep breathing, do simulated laughter exercises and play games. Find a laugh yoga club near you.
2. Aerial yoga
At the Tantra Fitness aerial yoga class, hanging hammocks — as seen in Cirque du Soleil — bring yoga to new and challenging heights. Performing poses in the air means classes focus on increasing students’ strength, stability, mobility and flexibility — while at the same time allowing for deeper poses, because there isn’t a floor in the way.
Where: Tantra Fitness in Vancouver and Richmond
Photo credit: Tantra Fitness
3. Infrared Yoga
Despite its scientific-sounding name, infrared yoga is not to be feared as something more extreme than hot yoga. In fact, its main attribute is that unlike hot yoga studios, students warm up, but the air does not. According to Shuswap Hot Yoga, infrared heaters convert light directly to heat, which warms nearby objects without raising the air temperature. Not only is this method said to detoxify, but the infrared studios claim to increase circulation, strengthen the cardiovascular system and improve the skin.
4. SUP Yoga
You cannot get more Vancouver than Stand Up Paddling Yoga. Bringing the practices of yoga to the surfboard, this balancing act will tone the core and build stability, with the ocean coast and mountains as your ‘studio.’
Where: SUP Yoga classes at Stand Up Paddle Vancouver kick off in May, but there are SUP Yoga retreats in warmer waters until then.
Photo credit: Stand Up Paddle Vancouver
5. Garden yoga
Imagine performing sun salutes outdoors amidst rows of lavender and herbs. In Kelowna, such an experience is possible at the family-run Okanagan Lavender & Herb Farm. Returning this summer, yoga instructor Kate Stewart leads all-ages classes that blend artful alignment and energetic instruction.
Where: Lavender & Herb Farm, Kelowna
Photo credit: Okanagan Lavender And Herb Farm
