WASHINGTON — Yoga playlists packed with sounds of Tibetan chimes and trickling steams are so passé. These days, it’s all about reggae.
And if you think yoga and reggae don’t mix, Anne Harrison disagrees.
“Actually, they’re so related,” says Harrison, a senior yoga instructor at Yoga District. “Yoga is for peace of mind; it’s for relaxation, it’s for stress relief. The poses are meant to help one be meditative, and the spiritual reggae music is very much like that.”
Take for instance Bob Marley’s famous line from “Redemption Song.” Harrison starts: “Emancipate yourself from mental slavery, none but ourselves can free our minds …”
“That is yoga in one sentence,” she says. “That’s it — that’s it right there, so it is a natural marriage.”
Harrison has been teaching yoga in D.C. for several years, and in that time she’s found different ways to bring reggae into her studio — whether through recordings or live performances.
But this weekend, she’s stretching the union to new heights in the form of a festival, which she co-founded with longtime friend and reggae promoter Wally Kings.
On Saturday, Sept. 19, Washingtonians will be able to rock steady while holding a steady plank at D.C.’s first Yoga Reggae Festival at Gateway DC East.
At the daylong event, there will be live musical performances from the legendary reggae band Third World, as well as from several local artists, including Zedicus & Abyssinia Roots, Dejazmatch Kwasi and Bomani Armah.
At the same time, yoga instructors Faith Hunter, HawaH, Nichele Vaughan and others, will lead yogis through poses, movements and workouts that coincide with the music.
“Yoga is a way of life, and reggae is the voice of Rastafarian, which is also a way of life,” says the festival’s co-founder Kings. “This is a fusion of yoga and reggae.”
Yoga Reggae Festival, which runs from noon to 9 p.m., will also have wellness workshops and food and craft vendors on site. Tickets for children and seniors are $1; general admission is $40.
