{"id":116558,"date":"2026-04-27T07:29:53","date_gmt":"2026-04-27T10:29:53","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/ubirataonline.com.br\/yes-goth-yoga-is-a-thing-and-its-thriving-in-a-burbank-occult-shop\/"},"modified":"2026-04-27T07:29:57","modified_gmt":"2026-04-27T10:29:57","slug":"yes-goth-yoga-is-a-thing-and-its-thriving-in-a-burbank-occult-shop","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/ubirataonline.com.br\/en\/yes-goth-yoga-is-a-thing-and-its-thriving-in-a-burbank-occult-shop\/","title":{"rendered":"Yes, goth yoga is a thing \u2014 and it’s thriving in a Burbank occult shop"},"content":{"rendered":"


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It\u2019s 7:50 p.m. on a Tuesday as I enter the dimly lighted metaphysical supply store the Crooked Path<\/u><\/a>. Even inside, it almost looks closed; I barely see the crystal-necklace-studded walls, the bowls of runes and bins of long, black candles around me. Half-filled glass jars (perhaps potions?) sit beyond the store\u2019s elongated bar \u2014 the apothecary \u2014 where a silent man in black points me past Egyptian deity figurines and a large python named Drakina to \u2026 my yoga class.<\/p>\n

The backroom that Goth Yoga LA<\/a> calls home is all black paint, purple lights and sage-y smells; music growls ominously from the speaker system above. Devotees gather for the intimate, pay-what-you-can classes, held at 6:30 and 8 p.m. on Tuesday and Thursday nights. It feels like an open mic night in the Upside Down \u2014 and yes, everyone is wearing all black. Everyone but Goth Yoga LA\u2019s leader, Brynna Beatnix. Tonight, Beatnix is giving more Y2K occult-glam. She chats with one heavily-tattooed man stretching in the corner, and welcomes in an older woman in heavy eyeliner who tentatively peeks inside. Is she in the right place? Of course she is.<\/p>\n

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Students take part in a Goth Yoga LA class, complete with burning incense. <\/span> <\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n

Goth Yoga LA\u2019s masterminds are Beatnix and her partner, James David (who DJs each class). The couple has been active in L.A.\u2019s goth\/alternative music and event scene for years, co-creating the popular outdoor roller disco event Skate Oddity<\/u><\/a> during the pandemic. This \u201cgoth club on wheels,\u201d brought an inspiring blend of physicality, niche goth music and connection to alt-Angelenos at their most isolated.<\/p>\n

As Skate Oddity (and athletically-forward goth events like it) became more popular, so did some pretty gnarly injuries. As a response, Beatnix began hosting communal stretching sessions before the event, complete with vibey dark \u201880s, goth and post-punk soundtrack. \u201cIt started as a gathering,\u201d Beatnix said. \u201cAnd with James and my background in nightlife and music, it gained momentum and grew.\u201d<\/p>\n

Soon, Beatnix got her yoga certification and a couple of her goth friends, Sal Santoro<\/a> and Popi Mavros, offered the backroom of their Burbank-based occult store, the Crooked Path. And from the shadowy, crystal-studded darkness Goth Yoga LA was born.<\/p>\n

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Brynna Beatnix\u2019s classes are defined by deep stretches and dark sounds. <\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/figure><\/div>\n

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DJ James David provides the music for Goth Yoga LA classes. <\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/figure><\/div>\n

Beatnix and David created and practice Goth Yoga LA much like yoga itself \u2014 slowly, with intentionality. It took them years to fuse music and movement to \u201cget the space right,\u201d and they hope that the result helps participants\u2019 mental health. \u201cThe music and the alternative world can already be a coping mechanism. Well, yoga is also a great coping mechanism. So let\u2019s combine the two.\u201d<\/p>\n

What resulted is an intimate, therapeutic yoga class shrouded in darkness (literally), where goths, alts, punks \u2014 anyone feeling outside of the norm \u2014 can work through \u201cheavy feelings\u201d via moody vinyasas. \u201cIt just feels really nice to be in a room of people who are kinda literally leaning into the discomfort of being in the chaos of the world right now,\u201d says Heather Hanford, a regular at Goth Yoga LA.<\/p>\n

For many, it\u2019s not just about mental health but simply a more welcoming alternative to the Lululemon-coded homogeny of L.A.\u2019s wellness culture. \u201cSome people feel scared of going to traditional yoga studios. One, the prices are really high. Or they don\u2019t really feel accepted there,\u201d Beatnix says. \u201cI\u2019ve even had guys be like, I\u2019m scared to go, because people are going to look at my tattoos and think that I\u2019m a satanist and stare at me.\u201d<\/p>\n

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The intimate Goth Yoga LA classes are distinctive because they are mostly shrouded in darkness.<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/figure><\/div>\n

And, of course, it\u2019s not just for goths. Class participant Hanford, who identifies as a neurodivergent non-goth, experiences Goth Yoga LA as much more regulating than a mainstream yoga class. \u201cThe lighting and mood music makes it easier to focus on the internal experience than other classes I\u2019ve taken,\u201d she said. \u201cEither intentionally or not, really helps minimize sensory overload.\u201d<\/p>\n

As we cat-cow to the Cure, the irony that goth yoga is more approachable, more calming and far less expensive than most traditional classes isn\u2019t lost on me. With its donation-based entry, alternative clientele and bespoke DJ experience, Goth Yoga LA is like the anti-yoga of L.A\u2019.s yoga scene. \u201cI didn\u2019t particularly want to rebel against the yoga studios, I just \u2026 am,\u201d Beatnix tells me later. \u201cWe just saw something that didn\u2019t exist, and wanted to create it.\u201d<\/p>\n

I know the class is coming to an end as ambient noiserock leads us into corpse pose. I inhale, letting new smells \u2014 something minty and palo santo-y, maybe? \u2014 waft over me. Now back into our original sitting positions, I\u2019m not expecting a namaste. No, I have been warned this class concludes \u2026 differently than most.<\/p>\n

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Class participants Ellie Albertson and Jenn Rivera recline in corpse pose. <\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/figure><\/div>\n

In Sanskrit, namaste translates to mean \u201cI bow to you,\u201d or, \u201dthe light in me honors the light in you.\u201d It is meant to be an invitation: a means of being deeply and profoundly seen.<\/p>\n

\u201cBut that\u2019s just ignoring the dark,\u201d Beatnix says. In her opinion, to truly be seen we must acknowledge our alternative natures, our shadow sides, the otherness of our beings. \u201cMy ending is \u2014 and it ranges class to class \u2014 but generally I say, \u2018the darkness in me honors and acknowledges the darkness in each and every one of you.\u2019 We have both light and dark. We are both.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n