Mackay’s beer yoga combines the spiritual practice with sipping a refreshing brew

Forget bikram and meditation – ‘boga’ has become the latest fitness craze for people to find their inner zen with a refreshing beer in one hand.

For one hour, yogis can unwind on their mats as they hold difficulty poses while balancing a cold beverage at Yoga Fix studio in Queensland’s Mackay. 

Not only can getting into a warrior two pose or downward dog be a spiritual practice, co-founders Liz Eales and Ben Courtice insist sipping on brew helps with strength, flexibility and relaxation.

Ms Eales explained the idea to pair the ancient form of exercise with beer came after she was tagged in multiple boga videos on social media. 

‘Being a yoga instructor and a beer drinker myself, so we thought we’d bring it to Mackay – and do the first boga classes in Mackay,’ she told Sunrise.

Mr Courtice said there are different ways yogis can incorporate beer into each pose.

‘Liz would run through just a range of yoga poses. A lot of them involve drinking a beer, holding the beer, hoping over the beer,’ he explained.

‘Just a really fun way to exercise and do yoga.’

For one hour, yogis can unwind on their mats as they hold difficulty poses while balancing a cold beverage at Yoga Fix studio in Queensland’s Mackay

Combining the spiritual exercise with drinking alcohol helps people to unwind in classes

Co-founders Liz Eales and Ben Courtice (pictured together) insist sipping on a refreshing brew helps with strength, flexibility and relaxation

And don’t worry if you don’t like beer – there’s also champagne and wine on offer. 

He said combining the exercise with drinking alcohol helps people to unwind.

‘You become a little bit more relaxed, and your balance is so good because you don’t want to spill your beer – so no Aussie wants to spill their beer,’ he said.

The 60-minute classes have proven popular in Mackay after the fitness craze debuted in Melbourne and Brisbane for the first time early last year.