{"id":52315,"date":"2016-09-08T07:15:37","date_gmt":"2016-09-08T11:15:37","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/dailyburn.com\/life\/?p=52315"},"modified":"2016-09-09T11:27:35","modified_gmt":"2016-09-09T15:27:35","slug":"sound-off-silent-yoga-headphones","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/dailyburn.com\/life\/fitness\/sound-off-silent-yoga-headphones\/","title":{"rendered":"These Headphones Will Transform Your Yoga Practice"},"content":{"rendered":"
\"Sound
Photo: Robert Pettus <\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

I never really realized just how much my neighbor\u2019s ujayii breathing<\/a> actually <\/em>sounds like Darth Vader, or how much the thud of your classmate who can\u2019t keep their balance (OK, fine \u2014\u00a0I\u2019m that girl) bothered me in yoga<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Until I tried silent yoga. The Sound Off Yoga<\/a>\u00a0experience takes those nuisances out of the equation by giving each yogi a set of wireless, noise-canceling headphones, which they use to tune into what the instructor is saying \u2014 and tune out<\/em> of any distractions.<\/p>\n

RELATED:<\/strong> How to Meditate: A Beginner\u2019s Guide<\/a><\/p>\n

Shhhhh! The Sound Off Experience<\/strong><\/h3>\n

The idea for the unique spin on yoga came to Castel Valere-Couturier while using the technology at a music festival in Hong Kong. (The \u201csilent\u201d craze started with disco parties and is rooted in the music scene.) \u201cEveryone was there to listen to great music,\u201d he says, \u201cso it was the perfect place to test it.\u201d<\/p>\n

As a typical high-strung New Yorker, I was hoping to achieve total zen but went in with low expectations. I was worried the headphones would fall off the second I dropped down into down dog. (Really, how do<\/em> they stay on?) I was certain the equipment would malfunction for me and only me\u2026and nobody would be able to hear my cries.<\/p>\n

The Vinyasa flow<\/a> started off slower than I would have liked, and I found myself frustrated at first with the workout. Until an imperceptible shift happened.<\/p>\n

Suddenly, I was achieving that perfect flow, where the asana (or physical expression of the pose), the breath<\/a> and my monkey mind melded into one.<\/p>\n

RELATED:<\/strong> Your Complete Guide to Mindfulness<\/a><\/p>\n

It felt as though the instructor, Julie Serow, was speaking directly to me since all other sound was blocked out. \u201cFeeling as though you are receiving individual attention in a room full of other people is quite a special sensation,\u201d says Serow. \u201cIt adds a whole new aspect to the act of listening which is such a vital part of the yoga practice that we often forget about if we are caught up in outside distractions.\u201d<\/p>\n

And sure enough, it was easier to pay attention and be mindful<\/a>\u00a0\u2014\u00a0something I usually struggle with, especially during a 60-minute class. Though I had to look up a few times to see form, Serow\u2019s cuing was straight on and I didn\u2019t need to look around much for extra clues. She also walked around and made adjustments where necessary.<\/p>\n

\"Sound
Photo: Whoopee Club<\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Tuning In To the Music, Out of My Brain<\/strong><\/h3>\n

By quite literally tuning into the instructions in my ears, I was able to tune out most thoughts other than what I wanted for dinner after (hey, it\u2019s a class, not a miracle). But I\u2019d reached my own personal nirvana: focusing on my own practice, not whether the woman next to me was getting deeper into poses. (She was.)<\/p>\n

RELATED:<\/strong> Are You Doing These Yoga Poses All Wrong?<\/a><\/p>\n

Carefully curated music \u2014 either live or with a DJ \u2014 adds another layer to the Sound Off class. Usually music can feel like it\u2019s an afterthought to the practice. It\u2019s either way too loud or too quiet, but in this case, I could control the volume myself.<\/p>\n

In a typical yoga class<\/a>, I\u2019ll only close my eyes in savasana and if we are chanting at the beginning of class. But shutting out the world visually added a new layer to the experience.<\/p>\n

\u201cClosing the eyes definitely allows for a deeper aspect of sensation, and less worry about whether one is doing the pose well or not,\u201d says Serow. \u201cYoga shouldn’t be about competition, but rather a full sensory and blissful experience.\u201d<\/p>\n

It\u2019s a lesson worth remembering even without headphones.<\/p>\n

Currently, you can experience Sound Off at <\/em>Yo Yoga<\/em><\/a> in NYC or at a pop-up event. Check <\/em>Sound Off\u2019s website<\/em><\/a> for an event near you.<\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

It took headphones in yoga class to help this writer find her zen. Here, a behind-the-scenes look at Sound Off Yoga, the new silent yoga trend. <\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":33,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_seopress_robots_primary_cat":"","_seopress_titles_title":"","_seopress_titles_desc":"","_seopress_robots_index":"","site-sidebar-layout":"default","site-content-layout":"","ast-site-content-layout":"","site-content-style":"default","site-sidebar-style":"default","ast-global-header-display":"","ast-banner-title-visibility":"","ast-main-header-display":"","ast-hfb-above-header-display":"","ast-hfb-below-header-display":"","ast-hfb-mobile-header-display":"","site-post-title":"","ast-breadcrumbs-content":"","ast-featured-img":"","footer-sml-layout":"","theme-transparent-header-meta":"","adv-header-id-meta":"","stick-header-meta":"","header-above-stick-meta":"","header-main-stick-meta":"","header-below-stick-meta":"","astra-migrate-meta-layouts":"default","ast-page-background-enabled":"default","ast-page-background-meta":{"desktop":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-4)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"tablet":{"background-color":"","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"mobile":{"background-color":"","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""}},"ast-content-background-meta":{"desktop":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-5)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"tablet":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-5)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"mobile":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-5)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""}},"footnotes":""},"categories":[24,6,19],"tags":[229,117,145,341,355,286],"class_list":["post-52315","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-exercise","category-fitness","category-yoga","tag-mindfulness","tag-relaxation","tag-stretching","tag-tax1living-well","tag-tax2yoga","tag-yoga"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/dailyburn.com\/life\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/52315","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/dailyburn.com\/life\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/dailyburn.com\/life\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dailyburn.com\/life\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/33"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dailyburn.com\/life\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=52315"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/dailyburn.com\/life\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/52315\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/dailyburn.com\/life\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=52315"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dailyburn.com\/life\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=52315"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dailyburn.com\/life\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=52315"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}