Beer and Yoga, the Detox and Retox Trend

Originating in India over five centuries ago, the ancient practice of yoga has since become a hugely popular exercise for physical, mental, and spiritual growth around the world. I won’t waste this space preaching to you about the virtues of yoga, but as a beer enthusiast, I won’t however hesitate to exalt my jubilation when two of my favorite loves meet in the middle. 


We often demonize suds as being bad for your body, and if you’re developing a beer belly that may certainly be the case, but just how bad is it? Researchers in America have found that the drinking moderately can increase a person’s likelihood to work out by more than 10 percent when compared to those that abstained. Thus, the hangover and guilt that accompany a pint-filled night can be your impetus to get out and just what you need to burn those extra calories, although probably not too early in the morning.


On top of that, one Finnish research team discovered that beer includes high amounts of hordatines, believed to possess antioxidant power by triggering smooth muscle contractions and, in turn, aiding digestion. Beer has even been adopted as an alternative sports drink in some studies – the nutrients in the hops and sugar replacing those that the body excretes – which is effective so long as sodium and alcohol levels are low. 


In fact, practicing yoga at breweries has become a thing, with several breweries across America, such as Rogue Brewery, Sanitas Brewing, Old Bust Head Brewing, and Funky Buddha Brewery, among others, now holding regular beer and yoga classes. These sessions tend to last between 45 to 60 minutes and focus on the usual routine of implementing certain yoga poses before students are allowed to wind down and reward themselves with a beer. 
The good people at the Delaware brewery Dogfish Head are so into yoga that they have gone as far as to create a Namaste beer – a Belgian white with dried orange flesh and fresh-cut lemongrass. Athletic apparel Lululemon also launched a craft beer with chinnok and lemondrop hops, in cooperation with Stanley Park Brewing. It’s safe to say that the pairing of beer and yoga is alive and well.
Another bonus of yoga at the taproom is that you can combine the exercise with going to a place you often visit, helping you work it into a weekly routine. “We see that yoga and beer really complement each other quite nicely in terms of bringing people together,” yoga coach Mikki Trowbridge at Rogue Brewery recently told the website Well+Good. “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.”


To help you get bendy before getting loose, sipping on an ice-cold beer or sniffing the scent of dried hops is sure to get you in a relaxed headspace. After ending your routine with the classic de-stressing Savasana (corpse pose), you’ll secretly wish that you could stay prone forever (just try not to pass out!).
Apart from the Savasana, there are several other poses that may help with a little brew, such as the Marjaryasana (cat pose), Setu Bandha Sarvangasana (bridge pose), Salambhasana (locust pose), Ananda Balasana (happy baby pose), and Malasana (Garland pose). 


To lubricate the process, these poses pair nicely with some of our favorite local brews, such as Party Queen Wheat with (5.2 percent ABV) from Legend Beer, Helmsman’s Honey Ale (6 percent ABV) from Slow Boat Brewery, Contae Au Lú (saison) (5.5 percent ABV) from Great Leap Brewing, Mandarin Wheat (4.8 percent ABV) from Jing-A Brewing, Man with the Golden Hop (3.8 percent ABV) from Arrow Factory Brewing, Old Ale with (4.7 percent ABV) from Rolling Rolling Brewing … the list goes on.

For serious yoga practice, or if you think you could do with a little guidance, you can either get to one of Beijing’s numerous studios (see the directories below) or download a yoga app, such as Yoga Studio, iYoga+, Sworkit Pro or Yoga 101.

Yihe 42 Degrees Hot Yoga
3/F, Bldg 1, Shimao Gongsan, Chaoyang District (8405 9998)
Yoga Yard
6/F, 17 Gongti Beilu, Chaoyang District (6413 0774)
Kamal Yoga and Wellness
3/F, Bldg D, World City, 9 Jinhui Lu, Chaoyang District (8590 7161)

All in all, beer and yoga can help you feel relaxed, as it helps your brain release both dopamine and endorphins. Mathematically then, it only makes sense that doing both in unison will leave you feeling doubly good. So grab a beer and wake up your inner Yogi today!
Namaste and cheers.

This article first appeared in our magazine. To read the entire September/October issue online, please click here.

More stories by this author here.

Email: tracywang@thebeijinger.com
Twitter: @flyingfigure
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Photos courtesy of Knoxnews, humorsharing, weightlosstips101, Yogajournel