On Friday, February 18th, 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 15th, which I signed up for already…Please feel free to join us!
Laura S DiMarzo 