5 basic beer yoga poses you need to learn

If you are a yogi who likes beer or a beer lover who practices yoga, we might have the perfect hobby for you. Beer yoga has been popular for a few years now, so there’s a good chance you’ll find a class near you. But instead of looking into your yoga studio schedule, check your favorite brewery’s activities.

What is it, exactly? It’s as simple as it sounds. You will have a regular class of yoga while drinking one or two bottles of beer. But the challenge here is that you need to balance the bottle while taking (and holding) a new pose.

Where did beer yoga started?

Even though it became trendy in Germany, it all started at a Burning Man Festival in Nevada. Two yoga teachers witnessed this particular class and, as experienced beer drinkers, decided to take it to Berlin.

They founded BierYoga and began organizing classes all over the city at bars, beer festivals, and parks. Their motto: Beer and yoga “are centuries-old therapies for body, mind, and soul. The joy of drinking beer and the mindfulness of yoga complement each other and make for an energizing experience”. From there, this fitness trend crossed borders to beer cities in Asia, Australia, and back to the United States.

What kind of style is beer yoga?

While beer yoga is a style on its own, most of the classes use the Vinyasa style to create a coordinated routine with different brews. Also known as flow yoga, people go from one asana to another, using breathing. The variety of postures are endless, and the sequences are never the same, hence every class is unique.

Vinyasa yoga helps you to strengthen your balance (while holding a beer) and prevents injuries caused by repetitive movements. That is why the philosophy behind this style is to “recognize the temporary nature of things” (One Flow Yoga, 2019). So, for every posture you hold, let it go and move to a new one. Nothing is permanent.

5 basic beer yoga poses

1. Downward-Facing Drink

It’s the traditional downward-facing dog pose but with a beer and a straw.

2. Extended Swig-angle

In the triangle pose, turn your head to the ceiling and, instead of reaching to the sky with your arm, just take a swig.

3. Hold My Drink

In a relaxing seated spinal twist, let your elbow stretch your leg while your hand holds your beer (It’s not always about drinking).

4. Chug

While holding the chair pose, chug your beer to help you to bear the burning sensation on your legs and booty.

5. Slurp

In your crow position, get a straw again and sip a little bit of your brew. If this move is too advanced for you, just flow into a plank and keep slurping.

And this is just the beginning. You could go on with as many postures as you want while enjoying different brews. This is what we call a new way of beer tasting where the pleasure goes beyond the smell, color, beer head, and texture. So, don’t overthink it and try a beer yoga class now.