Beer and yoga, a viable combination

Today we present beer and yoga.

No, we haven’t been drinking… it’s simply the new frontier of this discipline which helps us to nurture wellness in our body, mind, and spirit.

I know, upon first impression this pairing seems so implausible that Robert Maynard Pirsig’s Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance sounds almost normal, or even trite.

BEER-YOGA, FROM MERE FUN TO A TRUE DISCIPLINE

First created just for fun during the 2013 edition of Burning Man, an alternative festival that takes place every year in the vast expanse of desert in Black Rock City (90 miles from Reno), Nevada, it became an official discipline in 2015, when Brooke Larson and Emily Casey, two enthusiastic participants at the time, autonomously opened the first two schools in the world: respectively Beer-Yoga, in Oklahoma City; and Bier-Yoga, in Berlin.

Since then, this brew-based meditative practice is recruiting proselytes all over the world, with classes in Australia, Mexico, Colombia, Venezuela, Argentina, Brazil, Great Britain, France, Hungary, Finland, South Africa, Cambodia, Singapore, Taiwan, Thailand, and even appearing in Italy, in Rimini.

These sessions don’t only take place in gyms or out in the open, but often in breweries, pubs, and taprooms, bringing together two great passions for many of us.

The more purist yogis and yoginis among us will look at this new trend with ill-concealed diffidence, forgetting that at the very roots of this ancient Indian discipline, as far back as the 6th century, alcohol was used as an ascetic and meditative aid.

A sort of conservative return to its origins, in full “Circle of Life” style, but without calling upon Simba and Walt.

WHAT IS IT EXACTLY?

In truth, not much changes.  The asanas, the positions of the body in yoga, are the traditional ones, enhanced by the aid (or obstacle) of a good beer.

That’s right, because while sipping is allowed in moderation during the exercises, the beer can also be used as a means for achieving greater awareness and concentration.

You try doing Vrksasana, tree pose, while balancing a beer on your head, or Virabhadrasana, warrior pose, while firmly holding a pint in your hand (and above all without taking a swig)… then we can talk.

All we’re saying is that it’s fun, but it’s no joke!

CASUAL YOGA

Those who practice it love it, because it’s perfect for relieving stress.

Less strict and more fun than traditional Yoga, more like a get-together with friends, it’s perfect for those who, after work, can’t decide between going out for a beer and getting some healthy exercise.

Those who teach it emphasize that anyone can do it, from expectant mothers (just get a non-alcoholic beer) to those who have never tried yoga before to those who simply want to spend an evening out with other people.

With less than 20% of those who practice yoga in Italy being male, could beer finally help to dispel the typically macho prejudices directed towards this discipline?

As the famous advertising catchphrase from the 1990s said: “Two is megl’ che uan” or “Two is Better Than One”.[SI1] 

 A brief and fleeting trend, or a new way to reach Ātman, knowledge of self?

Let history be the judge.

Just one thing, when the lesson is over, do we say Namaste or Cheers?