Seven months ago, Horner, a 28-year-old yoga instructor, decided to combine her two passions: her love for early aughts emo music and yoga. Horner approached the local arts and entertainment company Twin Productions, who she also works with, about the idea – and it took off from there.
I stumbled but felt comfortable falling while at Emo Yoga.
Abigail Im, Multimedia producer
I learned a lot about myself while practicing yoga for the first time.
Abigail Im, Multimedia producerAt first, Horner didn’t know if the event would blow up as it has after hosting her first night in January and again in February. However, it wasn’t until she sold out her third Emo Yoga night in March that she felt like this is what San Antonio’s emo community needed. It will now take place bi-weekly on Wednesdays for only $15 a person inside the Rockbox. All you need is a mat and water — eyeliner is optional.
“I would go to emo nights in San Antonio, and just interact with people in this culture. And, you could say you saw a lot of alcohol and drug addiction,” Horner said. “You’d see a lot of aggression, a lot of violence. You’d see a lot of unresolved trauma-like things that people are kind of leaving pent up inside, and they’re using unhealthy coping mechanisms to deal with that. I wanted to bring something to the community that was healing, but also something fun. Something that doesn’t involve drugs and alcohol.”
I left Emo Yoga feeling powerful and uplifted.
Abigail Im, Multimedia producerAnd, boy, was it healing. On a day when I was dealing with a breakup that left me emotional, I felt a therapeutic sense of power in my soul and spirit when I did the Downward Dog Pose or the Warrior I Pose. Although it was my first time ever practicing yoga, Horner made me feel comfortable when I couldn’t balance myself or stretch my leg a certain way.
It also was uplifting being around individuals who love emo favorites such as Simple Plan and My Chemical Romance as much as I do. Twenty-somethings sang along, danced and cried, especially during the meditation at the end. It’s something that happens a lot, Horner said. I cried because I was listening to my thoughts tell me what I deserve and how much I need to love myself and my body more.
“That’s one of my favorite things about yoga, is just the healing properties,” Horner said. “It can honestly help you heal from anything emotional, mental, physical. It’s really just a mindful practice. Every time you get on your yoga mat, it doesn’t matter how long you practice, you will start to notice things about yourself. You end up walking differently, thinking differently.”
Chey Horner, 28, hosts Emo Yoga every other Wednesday at the Rockbox in San Antonio.
Abigail Im, Multimedia producer
About 30 people showed up for Emo Yoga.
Abigail Im, Multimedia producerFor Horner, the love of yoga started in 2017 when her back gave out unexpectedly. She said she was laid out for two weeks,visiting a slew of doctors, but nothing helped alleviate the pain. Prior to her back problems, Horner called herself a gym rat who went to the gym six days a week in two-hour stretches of time.
“My back was not going to be able to handle that,” she said. “I was looking for an alternative form of exercise. And, I found yoga.”
Horner said she knows there’s a misconception about yoga where people think it’s all about stretching and having to be flexible. However, it is accessible. She said it’s more about the body and almost a soul-searching practice. During Emo Yoga, I didn’t know my body could bend a certain way, but through breathing and believing in myself, I was able to do things I didn’t know I could.
The Emo Yoga night on Wednesday, May 12 sold out for the second time.
Abigail Im, Multimedia producerHorner urged first-time yoga students to not to let fear keep you from practicing. She said it’s for everyone, adding “if you have a human body, you can do yoga. It’s a mindful practice.
“When you think of yoga, you think of like that specific marketing that we’ve all seen, the skinny, white, perfect, serene hair, perfect, serene face,’ Horner said. “And if you see that, and you don’t identify with that, then you’re going to think, ‘oh, yoga is not for me.’ But it doesn’t matter your age, it doesn’t matter your weight, your skin color, your gender. It’s for the human body. And as long as you have one of those, that’s all you need.”
For more in Emo Yoga and more events from Horner, follow her on Instagram at cheymliss_yoga.
https://www.mysanantonio.com/lifestyle/article/Emo-Yoga-San-Antonio-rockbox-17168423.php
