
When Mikki Trowbridge decided to teach a yoga class at Rogue Brewery's farm overlooking the Willamette River just outside Salem, Oregon, she thought it would be little more than a fun way to hang out with friends and enjoy a pint of beer afterwards. But in an area where most yoga classes draw about 15 people, 100 showed up.
Enthusiasts say that while beer and yoga seem like an odd couple, both come from time-honored traditions that focus on creating community. “We see that yoga and beer really compliment each other quite nicely in terms of bringing people together,” says Trowbridge. "People are naturally drawn to the friendly, laid back atmosphere of breweries and feel welcomed in a way they might not at a yoga studio," she says of the intimidation factor.
Despite yoga's widespread popularity, there are still those who are wary of the practice. We all have that friend, right? From feeling alienated by overly spiritual teachers who contort themselves into fancy poses, to feeling worried about not being flexible enough "to be good at" yoga, it's possible that the allure of Beer Yoga has helped to break the ice with some of these skeptics. And since you have to wait until class is over to take your first sips, we're rest assured the initial attraction to the practice wasn't due to a bad case of beer goggles. Earlier this summer, The New York Times reported on The Captain Lawrence Brewing Company in upstate New York, one of the first to gain notoriety for adding Beer Yoga to its repertoire:“We’re not going to end this practice by chanting ‘om,’ ” the instructor, Lauren Crowley, told the dozen or so participants. “We’re all going to chant ‘beer’ together.”
They do, and several minutes later, magically enough, glasses are served.
Can it be true? Does yoga go with beer? (Please say yes.)
“It does,” Ms. Crowley said, citing a recent Yoga Journal article about a study that found “barley malts had huge antioxidant power.”
The formal name of the monthly yoga class is Stretchin’ and Belchin’, and credit for that goes to Aaron Pozit, who runs the tasting room and events at Captain Lawrence.
Stretch and belch; bend and booze—detox to retox, and back again. But is it here to stay? Check out the hashtag #BeerYogi and see for yourself. Plus, it's encouraging to know that just like wine, beer also boasts plenty of anti-oxidant superpowers. Cheers to our health! Photo via iStock —