October 11, 2017, 3:59 pm | Read time: 4 minutes

Lindsay Istace is a remarkable woman. Above all, a woman of many talents. Not only can the Canadian swallow fire and knives, juggle, or contort herself like a snake, but she is also the inventor of Rage Yoga. And in Rage Yoga, you are indeed allowed to vent, as swear words, especially during conscious exhalation, are an integral part. Sometimes a simple “Hell yeah” suffices, while at other times a hearty “Fuck you” might slip past beer-moistened lips.

However, it wasn’t the swearing argument that convinced me to be a guinea pig, but the prospect of a cold beer. And as Lindsay confirms, I’m far from the only one who came to her yoga in this way.

“Beer is a great gateway drug for yoga,” Lindsay explains to me with a smile. “Beer also brings people to yoga who would otherwise never have been interested.”

It begins. Alongside Lindsay, a colleague from BILD also participates in the session. It quickly becomes clear that I’m the only novice here. And also that yoga can push me to the limits of my strength.

Between exercises, we clink our beer bottles together, and here I can finally play to my strengths. But as soon as the beer is set down, I have to contort my body into seemingly impossible positions again. “Pussy is power” is written on our T-shirts (more on that below), and seeing my two companions who don’t break a sweat, my panting self quickly realizes why.

But how did Lindsay come up with the idea for Rage Yoga?

She tells me about a formative experience during a conventional yoga class. When she fell on her butt during an exercise and had to laugh at herself, she received disapproving looks and frowns from the other yogis. That’s when she knew: This form of yoga is not for me–too serious, too quiet, simply not in line with my nature.

Around the same time, she went through the painful end of her relationship. With grief and anger in her belly, she began to spice up her private yoga exercises with all sorts of swear words, feeling a great sense of relief. Rage Yoga was born.

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Soon, beer joined the swear words. It should be emphasized here that Rage Yoga is by no means about drinking. Most participants would drink no more than one bottle, she explains to me. The beer mainly serves to lighten the mood. And once the participants are relaxed, they are more likely to release their pent-up negative emotions. Despite the beer drinking and swearing, Lindsay emphasizes that Rage Yoga is not just a fun event. Sure, you have a lot of fun, but in the end, it’s still yoga. And I definitely feel that during the workout. Again and again, I lose my balance, have to adjust, reposition body parts, and realize that yoga is a tough sport. When she finally announces that we’ve reached the end of our (half) hour, I’m just relieved. And completely drenched in sweat.

Rage Yoga as a life aid

By the way, Lindsay has already provided real life aid to people with her Rage Yoga. She tells me about a participant who had joint problems due to a car accident and could barely climb stairs. After a year of Rage Yoga with Lindsay, her complaints were significantly reduced. And the positive feedback is not limited to the physical level. According to Lindsay, many participants also leave their sessions mentally strengthened and are not as easily bossed around by others.

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And this is precisely where it becomes clear why Lindsay, with her Rage Yoga, is a wonderful poster child for the so-called #pussyispower campaign. Organized by the German Foundation for World Population (DSW)–which advocates for the sexual and reproductive rights of girls and women in developing countries–the campaign aims to raise awareness of the realities of life for young women and girls in the world’s poorest countries (learn more about it here).

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