Beer Yoga is in the city, and we tried it only to discover that everything is more fun when beer is involved
We try out the tree pose and the spinal twist. Pics/Bipin Kokate
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Tell us there is a bottle of beer in the picture, and we are gung ho about doing anything. So, when we heard of a yoga class that incorporates beer in the one-hour routine, how could we say no? Have you felt the heat in Mumbai recently? Whatever our debauched reasons may be, we found ourselves at Verbana Brewery on Tuesday afternoon to try a Beer Yoga class, organised by UACTIV, and conducted by yoga and reiki expert ad teacher, Dhara Vachharajani.
As we sip our beers.
First off, Beer Yoga may be new to India, but it's not new to the world. It's supposed to have started off at the 2014 music/culture festival Burning Man that takes place in the middle of the desert in Nevada - and so it is as hipster as it gets. It has slowly spread through Germany, the home of beer, and then Australia and America. All that this routine is - a regular yoga class, with a bottle of beer to take a sip from or hold in your hand to provide as the "focus point". Our lithe instructor Dhara Vachharajani also tells us that it's now proved that a pint of beer a day is good for us. And that there is no harm in drinking one as we manoeuvre our way through the asanas, unless we drink too much of them and fall during our sun salutation. As one of the organiser Atish Chhabria tells us, "The class is aimed at the millennials, who may not do yoga otherwise. But this is a fun way to draw them in. And they can continue the drinking after class."
Intsructor Dhara Vachharajani demonstrates a headstand
But, don't be fooled into thinking the asanas are easy. We started off with the Tree Pose, and were surprised that we managed to balance the beer bottle on our head (for two seconds, at least). We then contorted our body into the Downward Facing Dog Pose, and Triangle Pose, where the beer bottle in our hand reaching out for the sky helped us find focus. We then moved on the chair pose and the Sitting Half Spinal Twist, where the bottle also twisted with us. We were sweating 20 minutes in to the routine, and we would preempt Vachharajani's voice asking us to guzzle our beers. It is also a lesson in patience, as you are tempted to drink up during the tough asanas, the beer serving as an emotional buddy.
In the end, we were in good spirits, thanks to the invigorating asanas as much as the beer. We may need more than one beer to last the whole hour though. We would recommend don't scoff at it till you try it, and keep an open mind. Also, don't see it as a long-term fix for a yoga class, just as a one off experience that will spice up your social life.
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