Angela Gargano didn't think yoga was for her until she took a class that paired downward-facing dog with a little reggae.

"Yoga can feel intimidating or elitist," she said. When an instructor played Bob Marley and Frank Sinatra, she finally connected.

Now Gargano tries to "break down barriers" at her own studio, Bliss Flow Yoga and Wellness on University Avenue, using popular music, wine, chocolate and more.

"We do series that focus on a certain genre," said Gargano. "We've done yoga and hip-hop, yoga and the blues. We did a 'find your inner rock star' class."

Bliss Flow is one of several studios and individual yoga instructors in Madison who are looking to break the increasingly popular exercise out of its quietly intimidating box.

Some, like yoga on a standup paddleboard on Lake Wingra or yoga on a ballet barre, are for those looking to take their warrior series to the next level. Others, like aerial yoga or yoga for couples, are fine for beginners.

There are yoga classes for toddlers and seniors, yoga with chairs and yoga in very hot rooms. You can take "yogilates," combined with Pilates. You can take it at sunset or sunrise, with candles or in Spanish.

Here are a half-dozen ideas to rev up your yoga practice or get you started on one, well in advance of the stress of the holidays.

AERIAL

Kula Yoga & Wellness in Cottage Grove starts aerial newbies with a basics class on Saturday mornings. In January, reporter and yoga teacher Jeanne Kolker wrote that yoga in hammocks makes some participants feel like kids again "the only thing that gets in the way is the mind," one Kula instructor said.

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Yoga in the air, on the water, with a glass of wine