Article by Emina Sotto / Photos by Jeanne Dizon
Who knew mixing beer with yoga would be the perfect combination?
Beer yoga is the workout you never thought you needed! Made not just for the body, but also for the mind and soul, beer yoga originates from Germany and is said to help you achieve your highest state of consciousness.
Thanks to Flow in the City’s Mother’s Day Weekend Market, we had the opportunity to try this unique take on yoga – with booze!
To begin our session, we did the best part of it all: took a few sips from locally brewed beers from Nipa Brew of The PCK (Philippine Craft Kings)! This was obviously everyone’s favorite part. Leading the session was Risha Lai of Asana with Cheers, who actively hosts beer yoga classes in Manila.
Bottoms up, everyone! Cheers!
What would yoga be without meditation? We were made aware of our own breathing – breathing in and out as we started to relax our minds. As the saying goes: inhale positivity, exhale negativity! This was the part when we freed ourselves of all of our inhibitions. Good vibes only!
After doing breathing exercises, it was finally time to do some stretching – with our beer bottles! Trust us, do not underestimate the weight of a beer bottle. Doing yoga poses while carrying some extra weight is definitely not an easy task!
As we bent forward and stretched our backs, our beer bottles became our reference points. Guided by our instructor, we were able to find our own way of doing stretches as she inspired us to discover and explore our own bodies.
The greatest challenge of the night? Don’t put that beer bottle down, no matter what!
While taking sips in-between stretches, we slowly felt our body heat increase as our bodies relaxed. Being first-timers in yoga, we were completely overwhelmed by the stretches we had to do, but the beer definitely helped calm us down!
The most important thing we learned? Breathing is key in conquering difficult stretches. Don’t forget to inhale and exhale accordingly: inhale before a difficult move and exhale as you execute it! Breathing helped us pace ourselves as we tackled challenging stretches.
In yoga, it’s all about balance. Finding the right stance was definitely a challenge in itself. Personally, there were times when I lost my balance. (Or was I just tipsy?) Kidding aside, holding a beer bottle while finding my center was tough, but I pushed through!
Beer yoga is truly an enjoyable experience. Take a break from carrying the weight of the world on your shoulders and carry the weight of a beer bottle instead. Trust us, it’s worth it!
Are you up for the challenge? For more interesting health and wellness events and workshops, follow Flow Retreats for updates. Links below:
Flow Retreats
www.flowretreats.com
www.facebook.com/flowsurfyogasamba
Asana with Cheers
Facebook: www.facebook.com/AsanawithCheers
Instagram: @asana_with_cheers
