Yoga Studio Bends Rules On Music

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Yogis now have a place to mix their downward dog with some Kanye West beats.

Playlist Yoga, a West Hollywood studio scheduled to open this week, is attempting to modernize yoga by taking upbeat, popular jams and matching them with customers’ movements.

Co-founder Jordan Cohen said his experiences at traditional yoga studios led him to create one centered on music.

“I just couldn’t get into it,” Cohen said. “I found it almost boring and just not very approachable. I thought it could be great applied to music just like any other kind of workout.”

While some yoga studios might see music as essential, the music is often instrumental and serves as background sound or as an aide for meditating at the end of class.

But customers at Playlist Yoga can expect to hear everything from the Rolling Stones to Taylor Swift blasting from speakers during a 60-minute session.

The studio has 11 instructors that craft their own playlists under the guidance of DJ and Chief Music Officer Nikki Pennie. Prices range from $25 for a single class to as much as $400 for a package of 20 classes.

Playlist has also taken a cue from cycling studios. Students can sign up online before class to pick their favorite spot. Each class can hold 41 students and individual spots are numbered so when students walk in it’s easy for them to find their chosen location. It’s something Cohen wishes he could have done when he started practicing yoga three years ago.

“I’m sort of a back-corner guy, so I would go to class a half-hour early just to make sure I got the back corner,” he said. “It takes the stress away from a person like me who just wants to be in the back row and also takes the stress away from people who are running late and don’t know how crowded a class is.”

– Subrina Hudson

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