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The Spokesman-Review Newspaper
Spokane, Washington  Est. May 19, 1883

Suds salutation

Rick Bonino

At first blush, combining beer and yoga might sound like a bit of a stretch.

But it’s a perfect fit at Perry Street Brewing, which has started a weekly Saturday morning Beer Flow Yoga class. The hour-long, all-level session starts at 10:45 a.m. (drop-ins welcome, bring water and a mat); the cost is $15, which includes a pint afterward.

Christy Lukes, who co-owns the brewery with husband/brewer Ben, says they borrowed the idea from Cabinet Mountain Brewing in Libby, Montana, which calls its yoga class Beervana.

“I thought, what a fun thing to do at a brewery,” Lukes says. “We’ve always looked at what we’re doing as building up the community, the neighborhood. It’s just another way for people to meet each other.”

Classes are conducted by Lily Nichols Fife, a certified yoga instructor and former Perry server.

“It’s a great way to offer yoga to people who might not normally do it – ‘I don’t know about yoga, but yoga and beer, that sounds like fun,’ “ Fife says. “I get people who’ve never done yoga before, get to introduce them to that, and Ben and Christy get people in to see their place and try their beer.”

The bright, industrial-chic taproom, with its big windows and airy feel, is a pleasant alternative to the typical yoga studio, she adds.

“It’s just beautiful, especially with that patio, and those glass doors you can open,” Fife says.

The class covers Vinyasa yoga – also known as flow yoga (hence the Beer Flow title) – which focuses on the breath and moves fluidly through a series of poses, such as the popular Sun Salutation. “It’s almost a choreography,” says Fife.

You don’t need any yoga experience to be able to do it, she assures: “It’s not for the bendy, yogi types, though they’re welcome as well. You don’t have to be flexible to do yoga. It’s a practice.”

And when beer is involved, it becomes even more enjoyable, Fife says.

“It’s a great balance between getting some exercise, sweating a little, then enjoying a good beer,” she says. “Life is about balance, and yoga is as well.”

The concept is spreading. Lukes notes that Barrister Winery downtown has started its own yoga classes on Tuesday nights.

“Places like breweries, wineries, so much of that is about community,” she says. “So is yoga. It kind of makes sense to marry the two.”