Yoga will never go out of style in the city, because it constantly finds ways to reinvent itself. In the past couple of months, I've come across three particularly unique schools of yoga: Breakti, BuddhaXtreme, and Caponyasa. For people who find yoga too peaceful and too introverted to be motivating, these breakout yoga workouts are taking the boroughs by storm.

Founded by yogi Anya Porter (at left), Breakti is the union of break dancing and yoga, and its motto says it all: "a little down in your dog." Breakti takes hip-hop, soul, funk, and house music (mostly played by a live DJ) and sets it to yoga breathing and movement sequences. Add to that a focus on actual freeze techniques, footwork, and pop-and-locking, and you have a ridiculously fun, ridiculously funny-looking group of people getting down(ward dog). You can find your inner chi break dancer at YogaWorks SoHo (459 Broadway, 212-965-0801) on Tuesday, Thursday, and Sunday.

Similar to Porter's Breakti, BuddhaXtreme founder Ari Kassman has created an experimental movement that fuses elements of break dancing, martial arts, and power vinyasa yoga. But don't confuse either school of yoga as an alternative to the other because they are different. The result here is an interactive "breakflow" workout, taught by a group of yogis, B-boys, and martial artists. The first BuddhaXtreme class was taught at Pure Yoga on Feb. 27 but be on the lookout for more workshops. It's only a matter of time until you conquer the three interconnected basics of BuddhaXtreme: the foundation, the core, and the urban warrior.

Caponyasa, created by Carlos Rodriguez, fuses elements of capoeira (Brazilian martial arts) and vinyasa yoga. Needless to say, the quality of fast, high-energy movements give you a full-body workout that leaves you sweaty and breathless . . . and in much better shape. Did I mention that caponyasa is taught in a hot room á la bikram yoga? I'm not sure I could hack it, but it's definitely worth a try. Right now, you can attend a Tuesday or Friday evening class at Viva Vinyasa (226 E. 54th St., 646-692-8185) with Rodriguez as your instructor.

Are you more apt to attend these type of yoga classes or are you a stalwart fan of the classic yoga approach? Would you be a student of the "new school"?

 

Source: Breakti