Namast'ay Metal

Well, I mentioned that I have been recently encouraged by a doctor to do more yoga.  And doctor's orders, I have been doing it, or as they say, practicing.  With the weather getting brisker and it getting darker earlier, it remains harder and harder for me to get myself together and motivated to get my ass to a yoga class.  However, with an old yoga mat I took out of storage, I have been able to practice yoga in my apartment. 

Yoga, ugh, not very metal, right?

WRONG!

Metal yoga.  It is a thing.  A thing that I cannot seem to book or schedule before classes sell out or in a location that I don’t have to rent an alpaca to ride to, (aka Williamsburg).

I bet in Williamsburg you can totally rent an alpaca. 

But with the right metal attire . . . .

Thank you, Rob Zombie.

 . . . and proper soundtrack, yoga can be as metal as you want.  

Monday night, when I did yoga at home, I was inspired to do my own Metal Yoga.  Does that seem counterintuitive?  Yoga is supposed to be relaxing and meditative.  That is true.  It is said to help relieve stress and tension in the body.  However, doing yoga properly, from what I have gathered from a few experienced yogis I have encountered over the past few months, is meant to be challenging.  In order to advance in your yoga practice, you must push yourself through all the positions, go deeper into the stretches, and hold your poses for longer periods of time.  You are meant to push to the extreme.  And what better music to get yourself to that extreme than METAL!

The below Metal Yoga playlist includes songs that have a mystic, mellow vibe to them while still having some real rock 'n' roll elements.  My own Metal Yoga ended up being an amazing experience and an opportunity to do two things at once: listen to my favorite songs and get a workout in.

If you are not interested in trying this at home but would rather find a metal yoga class you can attend outside of your studio apartment, you can search online for classes OR wear a Meshuggah t-shirt to a regular yoga class—they will come to you—trust me. 

But, I realize that metal is not for everyone (and by the way, neither is yoga).  I have also made a much more yogacentric playlist that is a little more relaxed, zen, and what you would think of when practicing yoga.  It is great to have both options.  However, it does have a kick to it.

Both playlists are a little over an hour to ensure that if you are in fact using these playlists for yoga, the playlist will not repeat.  And if you do not like yoga or want anything to do with it, BOTH these playlists are great background music for cooking, cleaning, reading, or a nice walk through the snow.

Please enjoy these mellow tunes amidst this crazy holiday season.