Tiffany Levy leads an elevated class at Club Space, a nightclub that daylights as a yoga studio.
When Miami’s fast-paced party grind begins to wear on you, head back to the club—Club Space, that is. Around 4 pm there’s an underground mindfulness yoga class happening every Saturday amid a colorful sea of yoga mats.
Before the session starts at 4:20 pm—yes, you see where we’re going with this—people start to gather. In lieu of skyscraper stilettos and glittery going-out outfits, athleisure reigns. And attendees are toting their favorite strains.
420 Yoga is a free, consumption-friendly yoga class lead by Tiffany Levy centered around cannabis, mindfulness, and living in the present moment.
Although Club Space is renowned for its bustling nightlife scene, light streams through the skylights on Saturday afternoons, illuminating the hanging trellises of greenery and iridescent disco balls. All the while, DJ Luca Zaglul curates soothing psychedelic music and sounds to accompany the slower tempo of these classes.
Bring your own cannabis and mat—if your dog is well-behaved, they can come too. Prior to the beginning of class, attendees partake in whichever form they please and chat amongst each other. By the time class starts, the room has turned into a sunny hotbox. Just absorbing the environment without directly partaking could leave you with a strong lasting high all its own. Though every attendee is outgoing, this is the kind of event best enjoyed with a group of friends (and a joint).
Class itself takes into account the warm climate and altered participants, going through a slower paced progression of poses, focusing on conscious movements and breathwork. While Levy directs the room and checks in on the occasional participant, a few other instructors demonstrate the progression of poses on raised platforms. Some yogis choose to partake as they practice, although most are focused on the moment.
Levy first discovered the power of combining yoga and cannabis following a car accident in her college days, using both as tools to help heal. She developed a personal relationship with the plant and practice after witnessing the impact they had had on her quality of life. Over the next several years, after visiting and enjoying the underground music scene at Club Space, she was invited to share her passions and host a yoga class. She hosted her first 420-friendly yoga class in 2016 with just 20 friends in attendance.
That intimate gathering evolved to become a major event of 300 people over the next six years, with the center space packed full before the clock strikes four.
“When you walk in, there is an immediate sense of community,” says Levy. “People are already setting their intentions.”
In a place where status and symbols of wealth can take the front seat, 420 Yoga is an escape from the superficial facade of everyday life, providing a welcoming, down-to-earth environment for the diverse crowd of participants. Attire is varied; the carefully-curated outfits and designer labels typical in the city are few and far between here. Anything that supports movement and comfort is worn, and each yogi has a remarkably different sense of style.
Levy plans to grow this series into a larger-scale community, with plans to host the inaugural 420SpaceYoga festival next year.
More than any growth, though, Levy hopes to maintain the intangible magic they seem to have sparked.
“It has also brought out a lot of people who would not typically go out at night, more introverted people,” says Levy. “I see people making friends, and that was my goal.”
Source: Thrillist.
