Heavy Metal Yoga? Wait a minute, isn’t that an oxymoron? Isn’t yoga supposed to be zen-like and relaxing? These are questions often associated with the topic, but the creator of the crowd-favorite Heavy Metal Yoga class and owner of Colchester Health and Fitness in Colchester, Vermont, Stacey Mercure, 50, has a method to her madness.

“I wasn’t sure how well it would be received but in the fitness industry we have to keep people coming in and felt we were missing the market when it came to yoga,” Mercure said, and thus the idea to incorporate heavy metal into a relaxing fitness class was born.

So what is Heavy Metal Yoga and how does it work? Mercure answered that during our ICON interview.

“Heavy Metal Yoga class is choreographed to the music which gives it an awesome flow. We heat up with light weights and yoga postures to fire everything up; we then drop the weights and go into deep stretches.” Mercure claims.

Being an avid bodybuilder and massage therapist of 16+ years, Mercure created a program geared to the non flexible person who wouldn’t be likely to step foot in a yoga studio but could benefit from a real awesome stretch class.

“Lifting weights pushes a lot of blood through the muscles so it made sense to warm up with moderate weights combined with yoga postures. Once we create some heat in the body we lose the weights and focus on deeper stretches using blocks, straps, foam rollers, massage sticks and balls. The class works on mobility and helps release muscle tension. You literally feel like you’ve had a massage at the end of the class,” all of this is done while jamming out to only the heaviest of metal music such as Evanescence, Disturbed, and In This Moment, to name a few!

You might be wondering how that could be relaxing, and Mercure has an answer for that too.

“The moves are choreographed to the music to create a flow; and let’s be real, not everyone relaxes to yoga music. There has been an incredible response to the program and I’m happy to bring something new to the fitness industry.”

And it seems like Mercure isn’t the only happy one about it. There appears to be a very positive response from the community.

“I rolled out the first Heavy Metal Yoga program and the class was packed! I even got a call from the Town to see if I’d be interested in teaching a series. After they put the email out to their staff they said they never had so many people sign up for a program. At that point I knew I was on to something.”

Then the pandemic happened and the fitness class industry changed, giving Mercure, whose motto is “plan for your plan to change,” a new obstacle to work with.

“After COVID, I had no idea where the industry would go. I signed up for Fitposium and it was exactly the recharge I needed. Such great coaches, very inspiring. I then signed up with James for The Launch Program. I know how to run a business but I wanted Heavy Metal Yoga to be a brand and wanted a coach. I’m at the end of the eight weeks and it has been a great program to focus on my brand.”

Currently, Mercure is offering in person classes as well as Zoom? You can sign up for a class even if you’re not in Vermont email chfit@comcast.net to get signed up for a series.

“Yoga is 5,000 years old with many different variations, I’m not reinventing the wheel I’m just putting a cool spin on it.”