…and discovered my inner diva in downward dog.
by Sarah Becker
Yoga. Burlesque. Not normally two words that go together – until now.
Yoga-burlesque is the brainchild of Jess from Yoga Punks, and on a Sunday morning I was attending only her second class in a six-week block at Mes Amies Dance Studio in Freehold Street.
At first glance, yoga and burlesque are two very different disciplines, but they actually both share a similar focus on wellbeing and body confidence.
A trained yoga teacher, Jess has also been a member of Northampton’s premier burlesque troupe, The Flauntettes, for many years. Loving both disciplines so much, she decided to try combining the two.
“I love burlesque,” she said, “and the way it makes you feel. People think it’s all about stripping, but it’s not—it’s about feeling good about yourself.
“I decided to combine the two and try something new, together with a playlist of all my favourite burlesque songs.”
Jess welcomed the seven ladies and myself to the class and introduced the new vibe.
“Our intention is to create some big, bold, bad-ass, sexy, confident, powerful energy,” she said.
“Please feel free to wear what you like. I like to teach my burlesque yoga dressed in a thong and see-through leotard. It makes me feel good.”
I was a little more prudishly dressed in black sweatshirt pants and a pink T-shirt.
We started with some warm-up stretches—with a little added sauce.
Why not give yourself a sexy wink in the mirror? Jess encouraged.
Or tell yourself how gorgeous you’re looking?
“Bring your happy sexy.”
“I think I’ve discovered mine for the first time,” I heard one participant say, as we moved to Jess’s favourite burlesque tracks.
The room was soon filled with the tinkle of laughter.
After a few warm-up stretches, we were on our feet trying out some burlesque walks and hip rolls—just enough to awaken our inner goddess and our hips.
Then came the yoga part—and the outer goddess—as we adopted the Goddess pose, based on a powerful yoga stance.
Next came the main yoga section: downward dog and other familiar poses, although these yoga moves came with some added burlesque spice.
We were invited to try some arm rolls, tracing the inside of our arms and circling around the shoulders in slow, flowing movements.
People were laughing throughout the class. The atmosphere was relaxed and playful, and everyone seemed happy to try something a little different.
Finally, we sank into savasana.
I swore I rolled to the floor in the style of a 1950’s film star, but a glance in the mirror revealed more of a flailing fish out of water.
Never mind—this class was all about feeling good about yourself and being unapologetically you.
Maybe my inner goddess had made a brief, cheeky appearance after all.
Namaste. Enjoy!
For further details about the classes visit Yoga Punk’s Instagram page at: