Saskia Thode from Brooklyn has been teaching heavy metal yoga for more than three years. The idea came to her when she was supposed to put together a playlist for one of her final yoga projects. To do this, she mainly sought out music from Icelandic metal bands and combined asanas with it. She began teaching her self-created style in a small studio and since then, interested yogis have been steadily attending her classes.
The Yoga 'Metal Twist'
The yoga sessions at the Wacken Festival were broadcast live so that those at home could also watch the yoga spectacle. For her classes she takes traditional yoga poses and gives them the so-called heavy metal twist. For example, she takes the warrior 1 pose ('warrior') and renames it 'destroyer' and adds a few elements from martial arts and cardio training. She encourages her students to be loud and to express themselves by screaming and stomping. And of course the identifying symbol of all heavy metal fans should not be missing: the fork of French fries stretched into the air (fist with index and little finger pointing up).
Without the darkness there would be no light
In Metal Yoga, the darkness that lies within all of us and that we so often repress is acknowledged and used specifically to free us from the aggression and anger within us. In this way, the moments of light and carefreeness in life can be appreciated and enjoyed more. “Dark Yoga” now also exists in Germany. Charlotte teaches black yoga twice a week in Friedrichshain .
.png){kind=logo}