Techno Hot Power Yoga Classes

I took a two hour Hot Power Yoga class at Samadhi Yoga Studios in South Windsor on Friday. The class was taught by my new friend Alysse, and two live DJ's (my husband, DJ Originate, and Yoga instructor Nick Ricciardi) accompanied the class. It was quite an experience!

I had never been to this studio, or even to a Hot Power Yoga class before, so I was excited and nervous about the class. Especially since I hadn't stepped into an actual yoga class in over a month! As soon as I walked into the studio I could hear the boom of the bass from the music. As a big fan of Drum & Bass, Dubstep, and Electronic Music, I couldn't wait to get into the class!

I laid down my mat in the middle of the room. There were about 16 people in the class, and we were all different ages. I was glad to see such a diverse group of people. But then again, Yogis are pretty much always open for new things!

After setting the initial intention for the class, Alysse began leading us through Sun Salutations and the pulse of the music became louder. I do have to say that I LOVED having techno music blasting during the class! I am not sure if it is just because I am used to being driven by music because I am a dancer, or because it was helping me get through the millions of Chaturangas I struggled through (something Bikram students like myself are NOT used to!!!), but it was great! It was also comforting to occasionally look up at the two DJ's and see that they were both totally into the music and the energy of the room as well.

The two hour class flew by, and was full of flowing postures, balancing postures, and many breathing exercises. It was actually the toughest class I have ever taken - even more so than any Bikram class, if you can believe that! I definitely need more Hot Power Yoga classes in the future, at least to build my arms strength. My arms are STILL sore from all the Chaturangas, and it is 4 days later!

At the end of class, when we came back from Savasana, we sat up and faced Alysse and the two DJ's beside her, who were all seated in cross-legged positions with their palms up in front of us like they were thanking us for the class and the energy we had shared with them.

I didn't get to talk to any of the class members about their experience, but I did talk with my husband after. It was great to see him looking so happy after class. He has NEVER been to a Yoga class before, so I was eager to hear what he thought about the class. From the look on his face, I could tell that he may have gotten some of the benefits of doing Yoga just by being in that hot room with all of us practicing in front of him.

He told me that he felt he was feeding off our energy during the class. His song selections were chosen based on what postures we were doing. He said that when we began flowing, he would pump the bass up a bit more, and when we were still, he changed to play more smooth songs. Nate used to DJ our dance rehearsals sometimes and has become really aware of how to play off his audience, so I was really excited to hear how that translated into DJ'ing for a Yoga class.

Nate and I spoke to Alysse and Nick after class and we all agreed that perhaps a "TechnoYoga" class would be a good idea to add to the class schedule at the studio. Though the mixture of Yoga and Electronic music is not something you'd think that would blend together that well, it surely was an experience we'd like to explore again!