The concept has been subtly invading the yoga scene for a few years, from Shiva Rea’s Yoga Trance Dance, to Friday night black light flow classes. For those who feel a common thread between the mental, physical, and spiritual effects of a good yoga class and dancing or singing, these events can be a great way to enjoy a night of healthy socializing.
This idea is what inspired Argentinians Rodo Bustos and Nico Pucci, of the So What Project! to start throwing yoga rave house parties five years ago. They “realized that so many people want a different place, want a different orientation to have fun.” Their parties quickly outgrew houses and had to make the move to larger venues. As volunteers for the Art of Living Foundation, they realized they had found a way to promote peaceful community gatherings while giving back to the community, and the non-profit Yoga Rave was born. They now organize yoga raves in eight countries with the vision of creating “a movement that will support all people to come together in deeper connection and celebration, without the fallout.” Proceeds from Yoga Rave events support stress reduction for youth and prisoners.
While they may have the rights to the domain name, the Yoga Rave organization is far from being the only group throwing yoga raves. Natural Highs, a teen-led group in Boulder, Colorado recently threw a yoga rave led by yoga wiggle-worm David Sye. The groups founder, Avani Dilger, feels these events reflect the true origins of the rave movement, a movement she says started with the intention of creating community celebrations where altered states of consciousness were reached through movement, dance, and music rather than with drugs. She thinks yoga raves may not only help redefine public perception of what a rave is, they may also introduce more people to yogic practices. She points out “people who do yoga know that they feel ecstatic at the end, but a lot of people who do drugs don't know that yoga does that…we're teaching people that you don't need drugs and alcohol to feel extraordinary states."
There are currently so many events merging live music, dancing, yoga, and mantra in varying combinations, that there really is no one formula for a yoga rave, and many of these events don’t actually use the word “rave.” Often individual studios and teachers find their own unique way of naming their event, the one thing they have in common with each other and the raves of the nineties—glow sticks are required.
Do you know of or have you been to any yoga raves in your area?
