If you’re a yoga studio, your students probably come to you because of the variety of offerings you have that fit their individual needs.
That said, vinyasa, hatha, restorative, ashtanga, iyengar, prenatal and Bikram are often offered at most studios, meaning that setting your studio apart is that much more important to keep your students interested and coming back to your classes.
If you’re looking to expand your class offerings – and tap into the latest and craziest trends in the yoga world – try including one of these five classes in your schedule for a month, and see what happens.
This class is exactly what it sounds like – an energizing yoga class set exclusively to the tunes of Drake himself.
Namasdrake was started by DJ T.J. Petracca and DJ Paul Schneider (who also teaches yoga) and offers a more playful form of vinyasa perfectly synced to Drizzy’s hits.
While Namasdrake may not be right for your studio, try incorporating more hip-hop or contemporary tunes into your vinyasa class. Give your new class a name, and get the word (and music) out!
If Drake isn’t right for your students, why not try a different sound experience? Sound Off yoga, popular in New York, isn’t a no-chatter-allowed experience, or even a silent one. It’s set up more like a silent disco, with each student wearing their own set of wireless headphones playing music, creating a centering and individualized experience.
Students can chant, grunt, breathe and focus without worrying about disturbing their neighbor’s concentration. The noise-cancelling headphones keep every student focused on their own experience, while still giving them the chance to listen to music that aligns with their flow.
Don’t have the budget for wireless headphones? Invite your students to bring their own and connect with a Bluetooth device in the room. Or, have everyone wear headphones and start the same playlist at the same moment.
For all of the non-savasana lovers out there, there’s Rage Yoga. Ironically enough, this yoga trend was started by a Canadian yogi looking to serve those who weren’t quite feeling the traditional yoga class vibe, and, as Rage Yoga’s motto says, those who wanted to become “zen as f***.”
The number 2 reason that people practice yoga remains relaxation, stress relief and a sense of calm, but some people don’t find chanting “om,” meditating or holding chair pose without cursing all that relaxing.
Host a class at your studio that breaks down the calm and collected tone of hatha and invites your students to curse, power through and ultimately get whatever’s weighing on their shoulders onto the mat instead.
It might be best to save this one for a community event that your studio puts on, but either way, Bounce Castle yoga is no joke.
Bounce Castle yoga (or HotPod Yoga as it’s actually called) takes balance and poise to a new level, delivering a heated yoga class in an inflatable room-like pod that creates an isolated and grounding experience for all those brave enough to try it. It gets sweaty, it’s harder to balance – it’s basically Bikram on steriods.
While HotPod yoga isn’t currently stateside, you can try hosting a community yoga class in a rented bouncy castle. Space is obviously limited, so host a few different classes throughout the day to give everyone an opportunity to attend. This is also a great way to get kids excited about yoga.
If you’ve ever caught a glimpse of Rachel “Yoga Girl” Brathen’s Instagram, you know that goats have a knack for joining you (or climbing on top of you) in downward dog. While you and your students may not have many pet goats lying around for “goga”, bringing animals into your space can help develop deeper friendships between your students, encourage a community feel and get your students in the door even if they’re dog-sitting for the day.
Try inviting small dogs (or bunnies, or cats) to join their owners on the mat in your studio.
But if you have an abundance of goats around, definitely include them. Think of it as a free back massage during your asanas.
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