I wonder if some people scoff at yoga because they associate it with granolaheads, man buns, and Far Eastern woo. Or possibly the newer stereotype of the basic white girl getting spiritual and Instagramming a bunch of pictures of herself in very flattering yoga pants.
Black yoga shows us it can be neither. As a lifelong metalhead, I was thrilled to hear that this yoga class originated and was only taught in my city. Huge shoutout to Kimee, the inventor/instructor. When you think of metal, you might think of Metallica and Ozzy Osbourne, or if you’re younger, a skinny kid with swoopy hair and eyeliner alternately shrieking and whining into a microphone. But black yoga utilizes a few less mainstream subgenres of metal. Space doom, stoner doom, and drone to name a few. They can “dark” but are surprisingly slow and relaxing, and suit meditative practice quite well in my humble opinion. Mixes for the class include bands such as Windhand and SunnO))). That’s just pronounced “sun,” buy the way. And that’s why the stylized spelling of black yoga looks like that.
So there are several bands that play this mind-melting music, but what about something specifically made for the practice? Yep, it exists. For the instructional DVD, all of the songs are original compositions of The Black Yoga Meditation Ensemble, which aims to create “a heavy meditative space.” I proudly bear the Ensemble’s sticker on my desk at work.
Black yoga doesn’t just attract metalheads and weirdos like me. I’ve been attending the class for over a year with my mom, who refers to the soundtrack as “Halloween music.” -___- I’ve been in classes with men and women of varying ages, people of all sizes and from all walks of life. You don’t have to be a hippie or a 22-year-old white girl in Uggs to do yoga.
I had never set foot in a yoga class before I started going to black yoga. I had every intention of doing so, and I drove around with an unused yoga mat in the trunk of my car for about a year, because intentions take a long time to manifest. The uniqueness of this class and the prospect of meeting some like-minded people finally got me started.
So what’s my assessment? Perfect 5/7. The best thing ever. I’d marry it if I could. I surprised myself with how flexible I’d become after just a few weeks of practicing. I slept better. I got to listen to awesome music for an hour with no one to interrupt me! Kimee emits positive vibes galore and goes to lengths to make the class accessible and relaxing for all. If you can’t do a pose, there’s usually a modification. If you can’t do that, you can rest. I don’t have an easy time clearing my mind and getting into that meditative woo, but that’s just another goal to work towards.
If you like the idea of black hyoga, check their Facebook page for the class schedule. If you’re not in the Pittsburgh area but you really want to try it, you can always pick up the instructional DVD.
Thora getting fit 