As our world becomes a busier and busier place and focus becomes harder to come by, a new yoga trend that offers a unique way to take your practice inward is popping up in cities across the globe. Silent or Sound Off yoga is a revolutionary twist on a classic vinyasa flow class; the funny thing is that it is far from being sensory deprived!
So what is it exactly? Imagine a public space such as an outdoor mall, a beach promenade or a black-lit yoga studio. Then fill it with yogis practicing a flow class mat to mat, dawning uber hip yoga wear and specially designed, sound isolating, wireless Sound Off™ headphones. To the outside world, it is silence in motion, to the students, it is a yoga bubble, devoid of outside distractions.
Not only are the Sound Off™ headphones made to keep out distracting sounds like your neighbor’s heavy breathing and grunting, but they pipe in crystal-clear instructions from the teacher, as well as tunes hand-picked by a Sound Off DJ or one of the teacher’s favorite yoga playlist. Why is Sound Off Yoga so popular? Because it takes the experience of doing yoga to music to a whole new level and allows you to connect with the teacher and the practice in a deeper way. Suddenly nothing external matters as you put on the headphones and float away on your own yoga island; It’s just you and your instructor, the sound of your heartbeat and the beat of the music. Add the element of darkness to the class and you are completely allowed to retreat within. And just imagine the savasana - the complete silence served up at the end is nothing short of bliss!
This new yoga adventure was conjured up by Castel Valere-Couturier who originally developed the headphone technology for another phenomena, the silent disco. Then in 2014, an idea to marry music and yoga was born on a beach in Hong Kong, due to sound ordinances that prohibited music from being played aloud. It only took a few days for Sound Off yoga to take off, and it has been spreading like wildfire ever since!
Now these ‘silent’ yoga classes can be found all around the U.S., Costa Rica, Asia and Europe. Whether on a beach at sunset or in a black lit yoga room with yogis covered in glow in the dark paint, this yoga is an experience not to be missed!
If you are interested in trying a Sound Off™ yoga class, check out soundoffexperience.com to find an event near you, or to contact them and create your own!
We would like to give credit to soundoffexperience.com, jenniferpansa.com and jonathanheisler.com for the images used in this article.