PINTS & PLANKS
Yoga classes with a cold one
Happy hour and yoga aren’t usually two things people think about in the same context.
But, both are popular ways people use to unwind so perhaps the latest trend of drinking beer while perched on a yoga mat isn’t that far of a stretch. YogaZo mobile yoga studio owner Ashley Fathergill is embracing the fad.
Her studio puts on classes every day, except Fridays, at local breweries around town, including Rio Bravo Brewing Company, Santa Fe Brewing ABQ, Duel Brewing Company, Dialogue Brewing and Marble Brewery. The Pints & Planks yoga courses have become so popular, she’s had to hire five new yoga instructors.
It’s not clear how the trend started but a studio in Germany, BierYoga, was one of the first to try the concept. Their tagline is “The original since 2015” and the studio offers classes that actually incorporate beer drinking and the beer bottle into the yoga routines. According to its website, “BeerYoga is the marriage of two great loves — beer and yoga. Both 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.” The classes are held at bars, festivals and parties.
Fathergill has put her own spin on it though by hosting the courses
in breweries and making the goal for people to make new friends. They also don’t incorporate the beer into the routine. People can drink during the class, or not, and are encouraged to stay afterward to socialize. During every class, she asks everyone to introduce themselves to at least one person they don’t know. The classes are held in the evening to coincide with typical workday schedules and the time most people socialize.
“People like to go to happy hour after work,” she said. “Having it in a brewery setting makes is seem like more of a gathering than a ‘I have to go to this workout class.’”
Making new friends was the reason Fathergill embraced yoga. Six years ago she moved to Albuquerque from Ohio and was having a hard time meeting new people. She enrolled in some classes as a way to meet people and said she ended up falling in love with yoga and decided to become an instructor.
She started her yoga business in September 2015, naming it after her dog Zoey who died earlier that year. Initially she rented a space and offered three classes a day but nobody showed up.
“It wasn’t any different than what was being offered,” she said. “I needed a hook.”
Fathergill said she had heard of this
idea of holding yoga in breweries and other urban spaces and so approached Rio Bravo Brewing Company on Second Street and pitched the idea to them. They agreed to test the concept.
“It took off,” she said. “We have 20 to 40 people at each of our classes.”
Fathergill charges $5 per class and most of the money is given to local nonprofit organizations. She pays her instructors but does not take a paycheck, instead using her full-time job in publishing sales to provide her income.
The classes have even attracted a large group of men, which she said is somewhat unusual for yoga. She said it’s the atmosphere of the brewery, not necessarily the drinking, that attracts the large crowds and that some people do not even drink during the class.
“I think people immediately have an open mind to it,” she said. “They already have positive feelings about it because it’s a brewery.”