DOWNWARD FACING DOOM: THE ART OF DOOM YOGA

“Meditation is the practice of death” – not a million miles from doom metal then. But seriously what’s the link between doom metal and yoga? Can the two ever happily co-exist? It’s hard to imagine the likes of spindly old Bobby Liebling wrapping his legs behind his head or aligning his chakras, but hey, what do I know? I’m about to find out…

My first encounter with the concept of mixing metal music with yoga came in the heydays of Tumblr, when I saw a post floating around about combining black metal and yoga practice. My initial reaction was to scoff at the notion and had no time for what I considered to be “hippy dippy bullshit”. A few years and a mental breakdown later, I have a different perspective on these things – I regularly practice mindful meditation, to combat my natural dalliance with stress – my calmer mind is a much more open one.

So, when I was offered the chance to partake in a doom metal yoga class, I jumped at the chance, but it wasn’t without apprehension. I have all the flexibility of cheap pine furniture and my idea of a … Read More