Slow Metal Flow Yoga
Power through your pranayama to the sounds of metal music. Anna Fenton explains the meaning behind her innovative Slow Metal Flow Yoga classes in Bristol
They always say to find your niche as a yoga teacher and mine is Slow Metal Flow Yoga! My classes grew out of my personal practice, my love of heavy metal music, and an interest in the links between music, movement and mental health.
It’s long established that yoga is good for your body, mind and soul, but did you know that heavy metal music can do the same? Rocking out to metal can help us to process our emotions in a positive way. The lyrics can be uplifting and assist us in finding strength and stability. To my mind, this is very similar to yoga. Yoga brings together our body, mind and behaviours, and metal music can therefore support our yoga practices. For more information on the links between heavy metal and mental health, check out the amazing community, work and resources provided by Heavy Metal Therapy (heavymetaltherapy.co.uk).
Whilst I don’t wish to characterise my fellow ‘metalheads’, it is important to recognise that many of us are neurodiverse, many have mental health challenges and we tend to veer away from the mainstream.
My classes provide a safe and welcoming environment for people who love metal and may not be typical yogis. We are inclusive of all bodies, abilities, genders, neurodiversities etc. My people are those who may feel they can’t step into a yoga studio without being judged or feeling self-conscious for multiple reasons. I keep my classes at an affordable tariff as accessibility for all is important to me. My class teaching is ‘trauma informed’, I do not offer hands-on assists, just verbal where necessary to prevent injury. We don’t need to look like the ‘typical’ yogis on Instagram, we are aiming to understand and love our own bodies. To give our busy (and sometimes chaotic) minds some meditative and introspective time out. My class know they are welcome to take Balasana or Savasana at any point and just watch the swirly lights on the ceiling if they aren’t feeling it that day.
“I teach with respect to the ancient wisdoms of yoga, acknowledging the lineage, history and culture.”
I use Sanskrit to describe the asanas, and we look beyond these into the yamas and niyamas and other yogic philosophy. This is to support and encourage my participants to understand their unique strengths and fragilities, both on and beyond the mat.
Within a session you’ll find us taking a fairly typical vinyasa-style class with the lights dimmed to discourage self consciousness. I carefully curate a playlist with a mix of (for example) classic rock, doom metal, black metal and thrash with the musical cadences following the flow of the class. The music distracts and enhances the experience. We start with pranayama, which my students find is of great practical value. It’s great to have tools at hand for dealing with anxiety and stress, or to energise when we’re feeling low. We take sun salutations, with variations depending on the theme for the class. For the main body of the class, we will perhaps focus on a particular asana, yogic philosophy, a body area or joint. I also draw on my experiences with different styles of yoga such as ashtanga, hatha, kundalini or yin. I want my classes to be the start of a yoga journey and hope my students will be able to explore different styles and philosophies for themselves.
Anna Fenton has been practicing yoga for over 20 years and listening to metal for over 30 years. She studied for her 200 hours YTT under Vidya Heisel at Frog Lotus Yoga International in 2022.
Anna teaches weekly Metal Yoga classes in Bristol and can be found on Instagram @chickpea.yoga and on Facebook: Slow Metal Flow Bristol
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