Look, yoga’s not for everyone. Frankly, I found it boring, hard, and a little too kumbaya for my personal tastes. I know that’s kind of the point, but I feel like there has to be a way to chill out/destress without shaking like a leaf while trying to hold Downward Dog for 10 minutes at a time. Enter rage yoga: the booze-filled, profane approach to wellness.
- Rage yoga is the brainchild of Lindsay Istace. Tired of feeling “really out of place” in traditional yoga classes, Istace decided that she needed to find an alternative to the somber, serious classes she tried attending. Nothing like that existed… until she created it. “The super serene and ultra calm environment works well for a lot of people but it made me feel like I was standing in a library full of gymnasts!” she explains on her website.
- It’s less about the practice and more about feeling good. While many proponents of traditional yoga work hard to be able to achieve certain poses, Istace thinks that’s beside the point. With rage yoga, she’s able to embrace her whole, true self and truly let out the pent-up emotions she was keeping in – something we can all benefit from. “My practice strong body-mind connection and a new appreciation for my body,” she explained. “I learned how to slow my mind, feel good in my body and built some decent pipes while I was at it. It helped me overcome addiction and weather a lot of personal obstacles. It kept me healthy and sane!”
- So what is rage yoga all about? Quite simply, it’s “a practice involving stretching, positional exercises and bad humor, with the goal of attaining good health and to become zen AF. More than just a practice, Rage Yoga is an attitude.” In other words, pour yourself a glass of wine, scream out every curse word that comes to mind, and just feel good, man.
- This is actually being taught in studios. Ashley Duzich is a certified Rage Yoga instructor at Brash Brewery in Houston, Texas. She’s a big proponent of the Rage Yoga movement because she believes “some people need to release and let go,” as she told CBS DFW. “Yoga itself actually means union… so union with yourself. And that’s not always just super-calm, breathing, practicing quiet time, like a lot of yoga places are.” Sweet – I’m into it!
- You don’t need to go to a studio to try it. Istace offers downloadable videos and guided practices on the Rage Yoga website for a fee, so you don’t even need to leave the comfort of your home to get your Rage Yoga on. What a relief!
