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Yoga and Beats Connects Orlando Through Movement and Music
Friday night was coming up and I was looking to experience something new. An Instagram post caught my attention about doing yoga while listening to a DJ play House music. While yoga has never been my go to for movement, my wife enjoys it, and I like House music, so I figured it was a perfect idea for a different way to spend a Friday evening.
The event took place at 7pm in the back area of a new bar called Kaleidoscope in Thornton Park. Pavers covered the entire space with party lights strung from side to side creating the perfect vibe to match the perfect nighttime Orlando weather. We arrived early and I quickly found a spot in the back corner away from the center of attention.
Photo by Mark Angelo, Backbone Media Group, LLC
Maddie Fosmo, whose passion for teaching yoga started 3 years ago, was getting things ready alongside her event partner, Tyler Gaddy, who’s been teaching yoga for 4 years.
Maddie, who teaches yoga classes at the Four Seasons, started MatChats Yoga, a concept that creates space to chat with the community and be social, “on and off the mat”. Tyler, who’s a firefighter here in Central Florida, started Yoga & Beats with his friend Ryan, who’s a DJ, to offer space for people to try yoga outside of a studio, which can sometimes be overwhelming.
Both Maddie and Tyler share a passion for building community and creating spaces where people can connect through yoga. This common ground led to them to collaborate on these pop-up outdoor events.
Photo by Mark Angelo, Backbone Media Group, LLC
As the evening got started I found myself being able to practice yoga in a judgment free zone while listening to the sounds of ItsDaWaves, the DJ for the evening. Everyone was super friendly and after an hour of movement we finished up and stood around getting to know each other.
Tyler started yoga 10 years ago and was initially drawn to yoga as a coping mechanism for the stresses in his career.
“I was having some issues with coping and somehow wandered into a yoga class. It wasn’t until I dove deeper into the practice, especially pranayama (breath practice of yoga) that I began to see noticeable positive changes. It became my mission to share and help others who might also be struggling.”
Maddie is a yoga instructor at the Four Seasons, and before that she worked at Disney. She shared with me that her start in yoga was actually not an easy path and she had struggles with certain movements in the beginning. She says her yoga teacher at that time said, “When things come easy for you, you don’t always appreciate or understand the time and patience it takes to get there. That is why we practice.”
As of right now, Yoga and Beats hasn’t announced their next pop-up event, but you can follow them to stay tuned to what's coming up at the following links below.
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