What do you get when you combine Vinyasa-style experience, backed by the heavy bass, hypnotic rhythms of trap music, spun by a live DJ and paired with signature #RachetAffirmations? You get the pure littyness of Trap yoga produced and taught by Yoga Bae.
In just two years of teaching, Yoga Bae is one of the top yoga instructors in the San Francisco area, but her journey to the top started from a very personal space.
“I first got into yoga while I was in undergraduate school,” said Yoga
Bae. “I suffered from severe anxiety which would push me to the point of lashing out violently on others. I had heard so much talk about the benefits of yoga and thought it would be a good idea for my senior thesis project ( I studied Positive Psychology) on how yoga and mindfulness-based practices help ease feelings of anxiety during transitionary times. I found that yoga had a huge impact on the way I saw and interacted with myself, and I was sold.”
After finding that traditional yoga classes didn’t make her feel inclusive, she decided to make her path and emerged as Trap Yoga Bae in February 2017
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“Very often I would go to traditional Westernized yoga classes and would immediately feel ostracized. I would feel like yoga was for a very specific demographic and I did not match them,” she said. “Instead of trying to force a relationship with a practice that didn’t fully resonate with me, I decided it would be best to create that safe space for me and others who may identify with who I am. It was all about not trying to assimilate but creating and curating a safe space.”
So what makes Trap yoga different and so appealing? Yoga Bae says, “Empowerment.”
“Most people think that yoga is supposed to be quiet and relaxing, and it can be that,” she explained, “but sometimes we need to scream and laugh and listen to music that makes us feel grand. My yoga is more of an empowerment session, and that too has its place in personal growth and self-care journeys.”
What fun are self-care and empowerment if you can’t pass it on to the masses? Yoga Bae has been touring since March. However, she plans to expand the tour next year while also developing her brand.
“Next year we are focusing more on growing the experience so there will be less tour stops, but it will surely be worth the travel. We are working on a Trap yoga app and DVD. Also, we are working with more universities and corporate companies to bring in diversity in self-care,” she said.
Trap Yoga with Yoga Bae has upcoming tour stops in Nashville, Los Angeles, and Houston along with a stop in Detroit (Nov. 1-4) where participants can experience a free and safe space to experience fun, self-reflection, personal and physical growth. Yoga Bae advises, “Come laugh, cry, scream, twerk, network and let some s— go.”
For more information on Trap Yoga with Yoga Bae or to purchase tickets, visit www.itsyogabae.com.
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