Yoga has many different styles -- Ashtanga, Kundalini, Bikram, etc. -- but some establishments are putting a different twist on it, perhaps in hopes of appealing to another segment of fitness enthusiasts.
Consider the following three offbeat varieties of yoga now being offered:
-- Aerial.
-- Laughter.
-- Naked.
Aerial Yoga involves a swinging, silk hammock. Jeneé Osterheldt of the Kansas City Star tried it out and gave a favorable review:
Michele Vinbury, a studio owner in Columbus, Ohio, says aerial yoga, which is also known as anti-gravity yoga, has been a hit with her students.
"I think people are surprised at what they can do," Vinbury told the Associated Press. "There's no weight on your head, your neck -- and you're really able to elongate your spine. Fluids rush through the vertebrae, and it's a really nice feeling for people."
Laughter Yoga is being used a therapeutic exercise for military veterans in New York.
"We don’t take ourselves too seriously," instructor Jeannette Watson told the New York Daily News. "Laughing yoga is a unique exercise routine that combines group laughter exercises interspersed with breathing, stretching and rhythmic clapping. It fosters happiness and clears negativity.
"It is very healthy -- laughing engages 85% of your lungs. In classes we make a commitment to joy. The idea is to fake it till you make it!"
Naked Yoga needs no explanation.
Bold & Naked just became the first coed naked yoga studio in New York City, according to a report in Outside: "The studio offers various combinations of clothed, naked, same sex, and coed classes."
The studio's website says it "is not about being naked for naked's sake, even though that's perfectly fine. It is about liberation and being comfortable in your own skin and the amazing confidence that comes with it."
