New Trend: ‘Rage Yoga’ Encourages Posing While Cursing, Drinking, and Listening to Metal

Next-level anger management—or total oxymoron? Just when you thought yoga trends couldn’t get any weirder than cat yoga (hey, don’t knock it until you try it!), a new way to get your om on has emerged: rage yoga. [7] There’s a common saying cited by non-yogis as a reason not to practice and pose: “It’s boring.”   That’s an understandable sentiment — some people just don’t find the same kind of stress release in yoga as they do in, say, kickboxing — but with a new take on the practice, called “Rage Yoga,” there may be more folks flocking to the fitness activity than ever before.  [1] Created by Lindsay-Marie Istace after “the really painful breakup of a long term relationship,” Rage Yoga is meant for those who are hoping to improve their posture and flexibility, but have never felt at ease in a modern yoga studio.  Or for those who just have a little extra aggression they need to work out.  [1] Using humor, however, Istace curses and shouts as she encourages students to flow their way in and out of challenging poses, giving them a platform to unleash their vexations  [10] Istace is now holding Rage Yoga classes in the dimly lit basement of Dickens, a bar in Calgary, Canada. “You should expect there to be foul language, laughter, and shenanigans. If these offend you, Rage Yoga is not for you.” Istace promises that her special brand of yoga will leave you “zen as fuck.” [2] The cost of each class — $12 for a drop-in — comes with tickets good for beer at the bar… the perfect way to replenish fluids after an expletive-fueled yoga session.  Classes have been held on Monday and Wednesday nights since January. [2] [6]  Istace is a contortionist, fire-eater, and juggler who bills herself as a “full-time entertainer.” She told CBC News, “When I started going to yoga classes, I felt like I didn’t really fit in at a lot of those different studios. [They have a] very deadpan, serious, overly serene approach to things. And that’s just not how I roll.” [2] [13]

According to the Rage Yoga website, the movements are based on Vinyasa yoga, but performed at a slower pace.  [13] Although it may seem strange to practice yoga at a bar, Istace says, “Dickens is a funky basement bar with a lot of regulars and a strong sense of community. The regular bar patrons have been super-respectful.” She explains that once in a while a patron of the bar will peek into the class, but generally, “they fuck off once they realize it’s a private yoga class.” All in all, Istace says, “The general feeling of the bar is super-accepting!” [2]  Istace also encourages participants to feel free to swear and drink while posing.   “We don’t have problems with people getting drunk,” Istace told us. Although her students are allowed to drink when they want—before, during or after class—she says, “At most, participants might finish a pint during class.”On the topic of alcohol and yoga, Istace says Rage Yoga helped her deal with her own addiction problems.  And she claims it actually has an ameliorative effect on her students: “As soon as people get into the sequences they tend to naturally drink slowly.” [2]

Metal music is also often played too, with albums by the likes of Metallica and Black Sabbath spinning in the background.  [1] [2]   Students at the class warm up to the dulcet tones of the “Jurassic Park” soundtrack — peppered with a few “Star Trek” jokes from Istace — before launching into what Istace calls a “bastardization” of Vinyasa Yoga, complete with a heavy metal soundtrack and the mantra of “fuck yeah.”  “Rather than doing the namaste (at the end of the class), we do a really big ‘f*ck yea,’” Istace told Metro News. “It was pretty awesome because I had a whole room of people turning to one another saying ‘F*ck yea, f*ck yea’. It was good.” [4] [5] The soundtrack can vary from class to class, but there’s always one constant: Bif Naked’s “I Love Myself Today.” [3]  But perhaps Rage Yoga’s most distinctive feature is the addition of screamed swear words and offensive gestures like the middle finger as a way to release stress and add a sense of humour to age-old yoga poses. [13]  The whole thing may seem like blasphemy to those that consider yoga a highly spiritual process, but to Istace’s fans, it’s a respite and a quirky alternative to partaking in yoga as we know it today. [1]  Not only does releasing that tension by swearing just plain feel good (duh), but research has also found that swearing may actually increase pain tolerance. [7] According to her website, combining swearing and screaming with her yoga practice helped her overcome addiction and anger issues. “When you create a space for yourself to be angry and to shout and swear and scream, suddenly it’s hard to take yourself so seriously. “So it goes from anger to laughter pretty quickly. And we have a lot of that going on here.” [13]  “It changed my life and I want to share that gift with you,” Istace writes of her classes.  “On and off the mat, Rage Yoga is an attitude,” she adds. “Centered, confident and giving zero fucks.” [6]

Rage Yoga is also a welcomed option for some of those feeling uncomfortable by the generally quiet practice, or turned off by the yoga’s less hardcore reputation.  “When I started going to yoga classes, I felt like I didn’t really fit in at a lot of those different studios,” she told Vice last month. “[They have a] very deadpan, serious, overly serene approach to things. And that’s just not how I roll.”  [1] “I’m a very loud, colourful personality,” said Istace. [13] Istace typically sees between five and 12 participants per class, and says feedback has been largely positive.  But she admits it’s not for everyone. “Some yoga teachers don’t exactly like the approach,” she says with a laugh. “They don’t really think that it’s real yoga, that swearing and drinking beer makes it illegitimate. And that’s fine. Everyone’s entitled to their own opinion. Different things work for different people and not everyone has to be on board.” [13]  The practice is so far only offered live in Calgary, but Istace hopes to soon make it available to anyone with an internet connection. Coming off a very successful Kickstarter (Istace raised more than $5,700) aimed at funding the creation and distribution of online classes, the dream of having an excuse to scream while exercising may not be that far off after all. [1] [11] Istace told CBC that she hopes to one day incorporate her practice into tours at various breweries across Canada. [13] And to the traditionalists who marginalize her invention, Istace says: “That’s fine. Different things work for different people and not everyone has to be on board.” [8]

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