Yoga for beer drinkers and other normal people

You know I’m a certified yoga instructor, right? Well, in case you can’t figure it out, I’m what you’d call a meat-eatin’, beer-drinkin’, swearin’ type of yoga teacher. Definitely not one of those Whole Foods vegans – (not that there’s anything wrong with it) – it’s just not me. In fact, the only two things I buy at Whole Foods are hair dye and Young’s Chocolate Stout beer. I understand they have a wonderful selection of produce, but I can get fruit down only if I douse it in chocolate syrup.

I have to admit there’s an element of the yoga culture that annoys the hell out of me; I find it kind of snooty. And if you ever look through the yoga magazines—you know, the ones with the 105-pound models on the front—you’ll see from the ads that it’s a huge money-making industry. Everything costs a fortune—the special yoga apparel, the props, the yoga retreats, etc. It doesn’t have to, of course—all you need is comfortable clothes and a sticky mat from Walmart.

The thing is, yoga is cool as hell and you don’t have to be fit and svelte and all metaphysical-like to practice it. I mean, this cover of Yoga Journal doesn't exactly scream, "Yoga is easy--anyone can do it!" And that’s why I get pissed about the whole elitist yoga culture. They can bite me. Yoga's not meant to be esoteric; it should be accessible to the masses. And anyone really can do it.

Last Wednesday night on our Internet radio show, Aging Nymphs, my sister Lori Biker and I did a show on “The Beer Drinker’s Guide to Yoga.” If you’ve always wondered about yoga, but figured it wasn’t for you, give a listen. You may be surprised. We talked about the types of things I just mentioned, plus you’ll get a good idea of what yoga is all about (from our perspectives, anyway). It’s a pretty good segment (I wouldn’t direct you to one that sucks) and parts of it are pretty funny. My sister and I sound a lot alike, though; it may take a while to distinguish one voice from the other. (I talk more and my accent’s probably a little heavier.)

You can listen to the show in one of two ways. On the right side bar of this site, scroll down to the Blog Talk Radio show listings and click on “The Beer Drinker’s Guide” show title under the RSS/profile/share icons. The show will start up in a few seconds and you’ll stay right on this page. Or, you can click here to go to the Blog Talk Radio site (you’ll leave this site, though).

So speaking of beer drinkin’, today I’m heading down to Laughlin, Nevada, for the River Run. It’s an annual motorcycle event that attracts thousands of bikers. I went last year and had a blast! Pictures on Tuesday, but in the meantime, here’s an oldie but goodie.


Enjoy your weekend!