Why I love rocket yoga

Rocket yoga sounds scary, but it truly is a practice for everyone

I took my first rocket class in 2016. I thought I was going to pass out. The speed, the intentionality, and the order of the postures was unlike anything I’d experienced in a yoga class before.

I wanted more. Until then, my yoga practice had been primarily hatha or built around slower flows. The pace of rocket gave something for my always-anxious brain to focus on, and the physical challenge inspired me. My teacher Megan Goodchild approached rocket with that special admixture play, tapas, and svadhyaya that I think Larry Schultz had in mind when he designed this beautiful practice.

It was that sense of playfulness that kept me coming back. I wasn’t strong – I couldn’t do so many of the postures. I still can’t. But rocket yoga isn’t about that. It’s not about getting anywhere, but rather about the discipline of showing up each day, of trying something familiar and something new in the very same class, of getting out of your thinking mind and into your feeling body.

Today, with many teacher trainings under my belt, I lead about four rocket classes a week. I’ve explored asanas I never thought I’d be able to do, and, paradoxically, I’ve gained more ready access to stillness in my mind and the kind of focus that often eludes me in slower practices.

Building community through yoga

To me, the most beautiful thing about rocket yoga is, whether I was a student taking early morning classes in the attic of Megan’s house (her first studio) or a teacher leading a full room of regular practitioners seven years later, I’ve been part of a community. No matter the class, chatting with the instructor after or even during the class – asking questions, receiving cues specific to me, giving advice to another student – was always modelled for me by my teachers. So was laughter.

I lead a free Friday morning rocket three practice at Megan’s current studio – The Attic Yoga in downtown Kitchener, Ontario, Canada – where anyone is welcome to come together for a playful, challenging, and rewarding community class. Our mats face inward, we cheer for each other as we make progress in our practice, and we support each other out of the studio as well. It’s exactly the kind of environment I learned rocket in, and I like to think that it makes the practice accessible and welcoming for practitioners of all levels.

I’m grateful to the teachers I’ve been lucky enough to study under – Megan, Mel, Cambria, Karen, Carrie, Myah, Amber, and Jaimis – and to all the students who make our little Kitchener rocket family so special. From each, I’ve found gems to implement in my own teaching and practice. It’s been so satisfying to see this practice I love so much become an inspiration to others.

I can’t wait to see where we go from here.