You know how the old saying goes: Beer and yoga – you can’t have one without the other.
Okay, so maybe nobody has ever said that before, but they should, because what could possibly go wrong when combining physical fitness with alcohol consumption?
You can find out the answer if you go to Blooming Tree Yoga’s beer yoga event Friday night. The event will be exactly what it sounds like – doing yoga while drinking a beer (or two).
“I’ve never participated in a class of beer yoga, but I’ve done it at home before and watched online webinars,” said Morganne Waldo, owner of Blooming Tree Yoga, which shares studio space with Rattlebox Studios at the Concord Community Arts Center on Thorndike Street.
“People at the studio kept tagging me in beer yoga stuff so I got the hint.”
The class will incorporate beer drinking into yoga poses, such as balancing the bottle on your head or just taking a few swigs before settling into a position. Plus, sipping on a beer or two during class should help loosen everybody up and make sure everyone’s having fun. To top it off, Waldo will have some light-up cups to drink out of to add to the whole experience.
“You’re doing yoga still, so it’s still working your body with the mental focus,” Waldo said. “I had a yoga instructor who said if you can’t figure out this pose, go home, drink a beer and try it again. It kind of relaxes the nervous system, gives you confidence, it kind of loosens you up.”
The ones who stand to benefit the most are those new to the class, or new to yoga in general. While it can be intimidating to join a class for the first time and look around and everyone nailing their positions, cracking a few cold ones can help those folks not worry so much about that.
“It just kind of creates a more comfortable environment for people who are new,” Waldo said.
And there’s a good chance there will be plenty of new participants – Blooming Tree Yoga has only been open as a business for about three months, and it’s only been at its current location for about a month. Before that, Waldo was teaching classes out of her home, but as the class sizes grew, she had to expand to a bigger place, and the upstairs studio at the arts center is a perfect spot.
While there’s certainly a lot more room in the studio space than at Waldo’s home, there is still a limit of how many people can participate in this beer yoga event – 30, and there were already 11 signed up as of early last week. The class, which will run from 6:30 to 7:30 p.m., costs $15 and you can reserve your spot at calendly.com/morgannewaldo15 (accessible by clicking the “Find Tickets” link on the Facebook event page). While most Blooming Tree classes are $10, this one counts as a special event, so it’s a little extra.
It should go without saying, but this will be a 21-plus event. Since the registration is online, with no way to verify ages, the honor system will be in play – don’t be that 20-year-old hoping to pull a fast one here. Waldo will be checking IDs of anyone who looks remotely young, so don’t risk it.
Also, it will be up to you to bring your own libations. Just try to keep it to beer, wine or hard cider – leave the handle of vodka at home.
If this event goes well, Waldo said she’d look into making it a more regular thing. She has also just added a Baby and Me class on Wednesdays, so go to bloomingtreeyogallc.com to learn more.
