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On Friday, February 18^th, my husband and I attended the Yoga Happy Hour event at Yoga on the Ridge.  If you know me, you know I love practicing yoga, trying out new teachers, and if I learn 1 more little idea or motion that can help my class I am thrilled.  The man, however, needs a little motivation…and this time, telling him that a beer tasting was involved was all the motivation he needed.  Plus, even though we signed up for the class two months ago, being right around Valentine’s Day was the perfect way to spend time together doing something we both like. 

We showed up a little early to the class.  To be honest we weren’t sure if the class started at 6pm or 6:30, and weren’t sure how long the drive was going to take.  I am not sure if you remember that day, but it was the Friday that the temperature outside was 65 degrees.  Everyone and there brother was driving to get somewhere and traffic was horrific. 

We were greeted by Theresa and Don.  Theresa owns the studio and is an incredible teacher.  She even has a Yoga Therapist certification and teaches a class for Parkinson’s.  The studio is warm and inviting.  The studio has beautiful bamboo floors and a gorgeous chandelier that hangs in the center.  Candles were lit throughout the rooms and the smell was heavenly.  Promptly at 6:30 the classes began.  Theresa took us through a Vinyasa flow class that was easy to follow and allowed me to do more advanced poses while my husband was able to stick to his level.  The class was full with 21 people, a little cramped and to Dan and I, the only downside.  I loved the flow and energy of the class.  After an hour, I was in the perfect place for the resting pose called Savasana.  The chandelier was right above me with crystals to gaze at and enjoy. 

After class we migrated into the smaller entrance room, where everything was setup for the beer tasting.  We sat on cushions with small tables set up for four.  In addition to the list of the five beers we were tasting and the bucket of beers, on the tables were small soft pretzels, nuts, cranberries, chocolates, hops in its natural form, and salami.  Our beer tasting buddies had been at this event 3 times before and said that the Christmas beers that Don, aka Joe Sixpack, had selected were delicious.

I have to say; normally I am not a beer person.  I like Amber Woodchuck Cider, a sweet kind of beer.  However, I enjoyed trying all the beers and was surprised to find out that they could not only be paired with foods just like wine, but you can also taste flavors in them as well.  In one beer I could taste chocolate!  Don even brought out 1 of the beers from his personal stash that he had been aging for 5 years for us to taste.  The best part about it was that my husband, Dan and I found a beer that we both like called Weyerbacher Merry Monks, a Belgian-style tripel beer.  How exciting! 

The event lasted just the right amount of time and was the perfect end to a hard and stressful work week.  Instead of my other half and I being glazed over staring at the television we talked and enjoyed ourselves!

I would like to thank the lovely couple who hosted this event, and warn them that they may need a bigger space next time.  The crew that we bring with us moving forward; may be too many to fit…:)

The next Yoga Happy Hour event at Yoga on the Ridge is April 15^th, which I signed up for already…Please feel free to join us!

The reason yoga teachers take students through the whole sun salute series is to utilize every muscle group in the body.  Strengthening all muscle groups, increasing endurance, and breathing is simply amazing for your body.  However, sometimes you need what I am going to call today a quick stretch; like I have mentioned during class about stretching out your hand muscles if you are sitting typing at a computer and using your mouse all day.  If you do, your hands and upper back will thank you.

Quick stretch for our purposes today can come in two forms.  The first one is to simply pay attention to our bodies.  We sit, stand, and walk all day long.  The first step is simply to pay attention to how we are doing these things.  Elongate the spine, lift your head toward the ceiling, pull your shoulders up and back, use as many muscles as possible for each position.  When you are walking and your hands are hanging at your sides intentionally send them toward the floor.  As you are walking up a set of stairs consciously use as many muscle in your legs as possible.  The longer you sit at a desk or computer the more hunched your back becomes.  Try and elongate, using sitting as a time to stretch; which brings me to my second form.  Here is simple stretches while sitting to relieve some of the tensions in your body that can cause tired feet:

• Point and flex your feet
• Rotate each foot in one direction then the other
• Breath in and out through your nose as you sit with your spine straight and your feet on the floor
• Lift your lower leg to straighten it this time rotate your ankles slowly each way
• If your shoes allow it push the balls of your feet into the floor pushing your heels up feeling a calf stretch
• Sit on one leg to stretch out the back of your leg
• I think trying to take your shoes off as much as possible can also be helpful

While Standing

• Lift your arms up to the sky do a slight back bend, then as you exhale hinge at your waist, and drop your hands and body down toward the floor; then take a few breaths as you let your body hang toward the floor
• Prop your toes up against a wall and push down

As you know, any aches you have are not going to go away over night.  Practicing yoga and getting a massage will help in reducing some of the kinks that we create in our bodies.  However, by living our daily lives in a more conscious state of how we are doing mundane things like standing or walking up stairs, some of the usual pains will be reduced.  By stretching throughout our day the uncomfortable feeling will decrease even more.  6 weeks of doing anything causes it to become a habit.  Habits are unconscious which means you can then focus on more important things like family, life and simply feeling good which will mean a happier you.  🙂