If you are one of those who have always felt that a cold beer is the best way to disconnect and relax after a long day at work, you should know that a new discipline perfect for you has arrived (and that it will help you carry the process of achieving inner peace to the next level): beer yoga, a new way to practice this activity where you can drink beer while you exercise. But it is not only the inside of the bottle that is involved in this practice: the container of the gilding is included in the performance of the poses.
It is no secret that the practice of yoga can be very beneficial for health . It doesn’t matter what style of yoga you practice: the basic one, bikram (in a sauna), in the office, outdoors, while smoking marijuana (medicinal, of course), on a paddle surf board, with your cat … Whatever the discipline, those who practice it always report multiple positive results shortly after starting to do so. And to all these, we must add in the practice of beer yoga the benefits of drinking beer.
What is beer yoga?
This beer yoga is exactly what it sounds like: the combination of the art of relaxing your body through stretching and impossible figures and the pleasure of tasting the palatable flavors of a good beer . It sounds like a bar counter idea (and that is probably how it was born), but it is destined to become the umpteenth crazy and passing fad of fitness freaks. The good thing about this initiative is that, in addition to yoga lovers, it can attract the attention of those who do not usually exercise but love to get out of canes, and cajole them into doing something more productive than just consuming alcohol.
Both alcohol and yoga are centuries-old therapies that have been used in different civilizations throughout the ages to help preserve body, mind, and soul in good condition. The joy of enjoying a beer combined with the mindfulness required to practice yoga make it the perfect complement to a relaxing, fun and invigorating experience in equal measure. Because yes, beer yoga is fun, but its creators warn: it is not a joke. This discipline, like all the others, continues to seek to reach the maximum level of consciousness through the relaxation of the body and the concentration of the mind, something that is enhanced by that extra relaxation that gives you the pleasure of drinking beer.
How beer yoga came about
The idea came about a little over a year ago in Germany, in a Berlin yoga studio run by Jhula and Emily, two beer-loving yoga teachers. According to what they say, they were inspired by the concept of the “Burning Man” festival, an annual meeting that is held in Nevada (USA) every September and that brings together the cream of the children and grandchildren of the hippy movement, and in which they also the search for enlightenment is practiced through meditation and the influence of alcohol.
After this experience, it occurred to them that joining their two great passions – yoga and drinking beer – did not have to be such a bad idea, since the purpose of both was the same: to relax. They began to test from figures of the discipline of vinyasa yoga trying to figure out where they could include the beer bottle … And the rest is history. The concept has become global and has been gaining adherents across the globe: Ausralia, the United States, Argentina and, little by little, Spain.
How is beer yoga practiced?
You don’t have to be an initiate to “reach a higher level of consciousness.” Beer yoga is as much for “yogis” who love beer as it is for brewers who are curious about yoga. And, in general, for anyone who wants to test its benefits as long as they are of legal age.
Some classes are taught directly in breweries, and drinking time is often reserved for when the yoga posture session is over. Music is also important in class, but more fun and relaxation. Beer yoga sessions are usually about an hour long, cost around 10 euros and include a couple of bottles of beer.
The materials needed are simple: a mat, a lot of desire, and a bottle of beer . The routine consists of the practice of stretches and simple postures such as the extended triangle asana, holding the beer with the arm raised; the salutation to the sun; that of the lotus flower, with crossed legs, or the ‘garudasana’ or the eagle pose, whose balance is more difficult to maintain… Especially if you have already emptied your bottle.
