Novel yoga formats on ticketing and event platform, Eventbrite, such as naked, laughter, goat, chair, puppy, queer and tantra yoga are gaining traction as innovative yogis bring the benefits of the ancient practice to whole new audiences.
In 2022, Eventbrite hosted yoga experiences in over 90 countries worldwide and over 10,000 yoga events in the UK alone – and a bunch of experimental yogis are getting even more people interested in the ancient practice by giving it a new twist.
An analysis of thousands of yoga related experiences on Eventbrite UK has revealed that British practitioners continue to keep yoga fresh by experimenting with novel variations to suit a wide variety of tastes, lifestyles and personality types. Naked Yoga, Chair Yoga, Vegan Yoga, Queer Yoga, Pregnancy Yoga, Tantra Yoga, Aerial Yoga, and Yoga with puppies, pigs and goats are just a few of the classes on Eventbrite in which people are getting involved in the discipline that provides many body and mind benefits through poses, breathing techniques and meditation.
Eventbrite’s Sebastian Boppert said: “Some traditionalist yogis may sneer at the unorthodoxy of pig, puppy and goat yoga. But these alternative classes on Eventbrite can serve as a fun and approachable gateway to more serious practice, potentially attracting entirely new audiences to the global yoga community. And that can only be a good thing!”
Eventbrite has highlighted five top Yogis who are innovating and modernising the practice in the UK:
Puppy Yoga by Helen Barefoot and Serena Williams, London
#puppyoga 117.7m TikTok views
Expert yoga instructor Helen Barefoot and business partner Serena Williams started running puppy yoga classes in September 2022 and over the last few months, attendance has ‘catapulted’. Helen trained in the Himalayas and had never heard of puppy yoga until, as a dog breeder, she got a call from another yogi asking if they could use her pug puppies.
“The pups’ welfare always comes first so we only hold a couple of classes a day and have around 15 to 20 attendees at each. During the classes, I teach hatha yoga which is about simple poses, holding and breathing – and all of this is done at ground levels to keep the puppies safe as they snuffle around. Attendees love our classes. Aside from the stretches easing tension and helping with relaxation, being around the puppies releases oxytocin and serotonin, and reduces cortisol. We work with a real cross section of puppies including cockapoos, Dobermans, staffies and huskies and as well as being an uplifting experience for our yogis, the puppies get more confident with such early socialisation.
“Our yoga is for people of all ages, shapes and sizes – they don’t have to be perfect at yoga either. It’s people forgetting their worries. We also work with homeless people, children with complex needs, disabled people … it’s all about finding inner peace while exercising … it’s what people are looking for right now.”
Naked Yoga by Krissi Cook, London
#naked yoga almost 1m TikTok views
Krissi Cook who’s been practicing yoga for 10 years and teaching for the past four has created naked yoga workshops in a bid to bring women together through a philosophy that connects deeply back to our ancestors. The intention of the workshops is to help identify wounds that have been repressed due to society, social and childhood conditioning.
“Being naked isn’t mandatory, although the vast majority of women practise without any clothing on in order to connect with themselves and love the skin they’re in. My sessions start with breathwork and activating the voice before moving through the practice of yoga and the style is chosen depending on the energy in the room during that session.
“Around 20 per cent of our attendees have never tried yoga before so it’s great to have them in our community of sisters who come for sexual empowerment, to feel liberated or for spiritual reasons. We even have a WhatsApp group and meet for walks or coffee monthly. I’ve had people in my sessions who’ve done 20 to 30 years of therapy and say they’ve experienced better healing through my naked yoga sessions.”
Yoga with Goats by Diana Malone, Ipswich
#goatyoga 46.1m TikTok views
Diana Malone trained to be a yoga teacher 10 years ago in Chiang Mai, Thailand and would take up to 12 Ashtanga yoga classes a week before lockdown. She introduced Yoga with Goats after hearing about the USA phenomenon from a yoga teacher over the pond.
“Yoga with young goats is such fun and we practise outside in nature, connecting with the earth, people and animals. Goats are like children, they love human interaction and are unpredictable, which makes our attendees stay in the moment – you have no idea what they’re going to do next. The classes are accessible to everyone and the goats just mill around. Some people just sit on the mats and interact with the goats while others are stretching but taking extra care in balancing as the friendly goats weave in and out.
“Our attendees get a huge release of feel-good hormones that bring happiness and relaxation. We do lots of different yoga classes but run a goat yoga class fortnightly. Yoga with Goats can get fully booked up to six months in advance by people all over the country, including businesses and hen parties.”
Chair Yoga by Sayon Cheung-Mulligan, Banbridge, County Down
#chairyoga 21.6m TikTok views
Sayon Cheung-Mulligan from Banbridge started practising hatha yoga in 1997. After an injury, she used more yoga therapy and travelled the world learning new techniques and movements. Returning to Northern Ireland in 2000, Sayon started training in vinyasa and hatha yoga and when she started teaching she decided to introduce chair yoga for the many attendees with limitations.
“I wanted to make yoga available for all abilities and run a weekly, full to capacity class of up to 60 members, mostly around 50 to 90 years old, doing chair yoga. Some are younger and have tight backs from sitting at computers all day or maybe they’ve had a stroke or MS, but they get freedom from moving their body on and around the chair. One client with a severe back injury couldn’t move or put her shoes on for five or six years but she now walks three miles every day and can sit on a plane to visit family abroad. It’s given her strength, confidence and flexibility.”
Puppy Yoga by Helen Barefoot and Serena Williams, London
#puppyoga 117.7m TikTok views
Expert yoga instructor Helen Barefoot and business partner Serena Williams started running puppy yoga classes in September 2022 and over the last few months, attendance has ‘catapulted’. Helen trained in the Himalayas and had never heard of puppy yoga until, as a dog breeder, she got a call from another yogi asking if they could use her pug puppies.
“The pups’ welfare always comes first so we only hold a couple of classes a day and have around 15 to 20 attendees at each. During the classes, I teach hatha yoga which is about simple poses, holding and breathing – and all of this is done at ground levels to keep the puppies safe as they snuffle around. Attendees love our classes. Aside from the stretches easing tension and helping with relaxation, being around the puppies releases oxytocin and serotonin, and reduces cortisol. We work with a real cross section of puppies including cockapoos, Dobermans, staffies and huskies and as well as being an uplifting experience for our yogis, the puppies get more confident with such early socialisation.
“Our yoga is for people of all ages, shapes and sizes – they don’t have to be perfect at yoga either. It’s people forgetting their worries. We also work with homeless people, children with complex needs, disabled people … it’s all about finding inner peace while exercising … it’s what people are looking for right now.”
Laughter Yoga by Christine Herron, Pathways, Aberdeenshire
#laughteryoga 7.1m TikTok views
Christine Herron says the yoga part of Laughter Yoga comes from the breathing exercises that are done alongside singing, clapping and having fun with her class, which is quickly growing in numbers after launching a few weeks ago. Laughter Yoga was started in India on 13 March 1995 by Dr Kataria, who came across the concept while researching ‘laughter being the best medicine’. There are now thousands of clubs around the world using laughter as a relief from stress related illness.
“Laughter is a great way to elevate our mood by releasing endorphins from our brain cells and it can also reduce stress. For optional function, our brain needs 25% more oxygen and laughter increases oxygen to our brain and body. Anyone can laugh during good times, but in our yoga class I teach people how to laugh unconditionally, even during hard times, so they can go away feeling relaxed and energised. With this – and the novelty value of the classes – we’re seeing people of all ages attend our sessions and hopefully they will keep on growing.”
