7 New Yoga Trends Popping Up Around the Globe

Here at My Yoga Teacher, we’re never bored by yoga. There’s always something new to learn, a yoga pose we haven’t mastered yet or meditation practices that can get even better.

However, we understand that some yogis struggle to find the yoga practice that’s a right fit for them, leaving them piecing together various parts of different yoga classes to create one that works.

While we offer many types of yoga classes, it has come to our attention that there are some fun new types of yoga popping up all over the place! And that’s exciting! Instructors everywhere are modernizing a thousands year old practice to fit the needs of yogis everywhere.

And the more people participating in yoga, the more people are reaping the benefits of it. 

Before we get started, we want to stress that yoga isn’t just an exercise. It’s an experience. One that creates happier, healthier, better adjusted, kinder humans. If you can’t find or participate in some of the newest, creative forms of yoga discussed here, we always welcome you to test drive My Yoga Teacher!

1. Yoga for Men (aka Broga)

Don’t laugh. Broga is a real thing! And we think it’s awesome.

Traditionally, yoga has a feminine vibe and is practiced by women, by far, more than men. Even though the ancient roots of yoga are derived from sages who were almost certainly men, ladies have flocked to this ancient practice for decades now.

While Broga or yoga for men is a fitness-based yoga program designed just for men, it truly is open to all. It is a dynamic yoga session combined with HIIT training that focuses on all the major muscle groups that men tend to want to strengthen.

It’s typically an intense and distinctly masculine yoga practice designed to attract more men to yoga!

2. Yoga for runners (aka Roga)

This is another hybrid form of yoga designed specifically for runners.

Runners encounter their own set of challenges when it comes to fitness. Besides hitting a brick wall when it comes to motivation, runners deal with health struggles such as shin splints, stress fractures, plantar fasciitis, blisters, and incontinence.

They also use mostly the same muscles over and over again. Which means they are left open to other types of injuries due to under or over use of various muscle groups.

Yoga for runners, or Roga, helps runners strengthen and tone their underused muscles safely while increasing flexibility all around. The mindfulness aspect of yoga for runners helps them be more aware of their body’s needs when they run.

3. SUP yoga 

Stand up paddle board yoga is probably the newest form of yoga we’ll talk about here! We haven’t tried it, but it definitely looks fun...and challenging.

If you’re a paddle boarder or even a surfer, this new yoga trend is definitely one to check out.

Because paddle boarding and surfing require you to change positions and almost constantly adjust your feet and balance with micromovements, SUP yoga includes a lot of core work. Both paddle boarding and surfing are excellent forms of exercise and are challenging in their own right. 

SUP yoga helps yogis (who also participate in these types of activities) build strength, flexibility, and balance to be able to more confidently make the adjustments needed to successfully stay on a paddle or surfboard.

4. Slackline yoga

Ever walked on a tightrope? Slack rope? Yeah, us either. But that’s almost exactly what this form of yoga entails.

Slackline yoga is particularly for those who are already advanced yogis. Yogis who are looking to challenge themselves even more than they already have or do. Even simple poses prove very challenging in slackline yoga.

In this type of yoga practice, you’ll focus on practicing yoga poses on a 1-inch wide piece of fabric, often an aerial yoga silk or some other form of webbing. The main goal of slackline yoga is to help yogis regulate stress responses and connect with their calmer inner self. No matter what kind of situation they may be in.

5. Aerial yoga

Speaking of yoga silks, they are essential to aerial yoga. While this form of yoga has been around for a while, it’s still new to a lot of people. Plus, aerial yoga studios are popping up everywhere as more adventurous yogis are looking for a yoga style that’s more...fun!

Not to mention, aerial yoga swings are super accessible for people who want to try aerial yoga out at home.

In aerial yoga, you’ll do the same yoga poses you do on a mat, just in the air. Sounds fun, right? 

While aerial yoga may not be the best for yogis who have disabilities, injuries, or our senior yogis, it is great for yogis of varying fitness levels and sizes. 

If you try this form of yoga out somewhere, be prepared to increase your lung function for sure! It’s definitely a work out!

6. Yoga for mental fitness

Most people think of yoga as a means to build strength, flexibility, and get toned or as an active recovery for other forms of exercise.

But with all the stress in the world recently – a pandemic, wildfires, floods, politics, and social injustice – yoga is a convenient and accessible solution to anxiety, depression, trauma, and other forms of stress.

Mental fitness yoga is just that. Yoga practiced for the sole purpose of restoring and/or healing your mental health. 

Many people are jumping into a yoga practice with a focus on mental health for this very reason, but truly, all forms of yoga improve mental health. It even improves your outlook on life in general, including perceptions of aging. Read here how instructor Kanika Sud, who teaches Yoga for Seniors, believes yoga can transform commonly held beliefs about getting older. Through yogic breathing, self awareness, and meditation, yoga for mental fitness is helpful (and available) for every single human on this planet.

7. Yoga capsules

While this isn’t a specific form of yoga per se, we wanted to include it because something we hear a lot of is that people don’t have enough time for yoga.

The great thing to remember about yoga is that you don’t have to practice for long periods of time in order to reap the rewards of a yoga practice! For people who are super busy, yoga capsules could be their best option for getting their yoga on.

Yoga capsules are small chunks of various yoga practices that only take 5-15 minutes each. You can practice at different times of day, whenever it’s convenient for you. Taking just short amounts of time to meditate, stretch, and calm your central nervous system will make a huge (positive) impact on your day!

As always, My Yoga Teacher is here to help you start or continue your yoga practice! We’ve made it convenient to take live classes at almost any time of day (or night). Grab your 2-week free trial here and experience one or all of the various types of yoga taught by our highly qualified, expert yoga instructors from the birthplace of yoga, India!