Photo credit: Friday Night Yoga Club

I’ve been doing Yoga for the last ten years or so. I’ve done downward dog everywhere — inside, outside, hot, cold, and even suspended in mid-air that time when I tried aerial yoga. So when I was invited to Friday Night Yoga Club (FNYC), I thought it was just going to be yoga that happened to fall on a Friday night.

FNYC started out as a wintertime sister to the Yoga Rocks the Park events in Denver, but now its one of the fastest growing “yoga parties.” Who knew there was such a thing?  The mission of this organization is “to create a conscious community through world-class yoga events that promote peace, giving and well-being on a global scale.” So far, these parties only happen in Denver, Kansas City, Salt Lake City, and Portland. Hopefully expanding to more cities.

My friend and I arrived a little on the early side, but the room was already packed. They had so many people RSVP that the staff had to move it into the CrossFit studio next door. The CrossFit equipment loomed large over the room full of yogis rolling out their mats.

I sat down and a man appeared almost from thin air because of the lighting, and handed me wireless headphones. I was already happy about the wireless headphones, but then I found out that also happened to glow in the dark. Say what? I was a little hesitant at first too because I thought the headphones would probably come off my petite head during some of the yoga poses, but they were actually quite comfortable. This was definitely different.

Photo credit: Friday Night Yoga Club

There was a DJ streaming a mix of chants, Elton John, and sitar strumming all mixing together in a way that oddly made sense. The studio was totally silent because everything was streaming through the headphones in a silent disco manner. A calm voice entered my ear telling me what to do, when to breathe, and to pause in the crazy by taking a moment for myself. I was in a room with at least 50 people, but through the headphones and the music I was also entirely alone. It was one of the best hour and a half yoga sessions I have ever done.

After the yoga session, there were about a dozen vendors giving out samples of kombucha, chocolate, cold pressed juice, and tonics. Not to mention the ten minutes in heaven in the form of a free massage or mini-facial.

Overall, I enjoyed the experience immensely, but it turns out that this experience goes on tour and is seasonal so there are only two more sessions in Denver. You may want to put this on your winter work out list for next year. It’s by far the healthiest “party” I have ever been to, and really a great start to the weekend. Maybe I’m buying into that whole Denver healthy lifestyle mantra, but its far better for my body than anything I would normally do on a Friday night. You can check it out here. Tickets are $25 in advance and $30 at the door. Note: Best to buy in advance because they sell out quickly.