Vinyasa in the Vineyard (September 28, 2014)

I will start with this post by explaining that I suck at yoga.  If you had told me two years ago that I would take yoga on a sort-of regularly basis, I would have laughed, but a few intervening life events have made me appreciate the workout, even if I am about as bendy as a pretzel rod.  First, like most kids, I dreamed of a big, exciting job…and grew up to spend Monday through Friday sitting at a desk like the majority of Americans.  Sitting 10 to 12 hours a day started to bother my back.  My doctor told me to start doing yoga to keep my hamstrings stretched.  Naturally, I ignored her advice.  A year or so later (with no back improvement), my father was diagnosed with terminal cancer.  I usually would run to relieve stress, but about the same time he was diagnosed with cancer, I was diagnosed with a bad case or runners’ knee.  I could not run for a few months.  My doctor recommended that I do yoga for stress relief.  On an aside, my doctor has more than one suggestion for ailments – she does not suggest yoga for strep throat (that is clearly treated with pilates).  Out of desperation, I started taking yoga classes.  Turns out, it actually is great for your back and stress (and probably a slew of other things).

I remain awful at yoga, but my best friend, Erin, is amazing at yoga (as well as many other things and she just kicks ass at life in general).  She can do a handstand.  If you don’t understand the gravity of how impressive that is, please attempt a handstand right now. 

Erin heard about yoga in a vineyard through her yoga studio in Baltimore.  She goes to Charm City, which I hear is awesome.  I drove north and she drove west on a beautiful Saturday afternoon for Vinyasa in the vineyard.  There are tons of different types of yoga, but it always seems that Vinyasa is what is done in the vineyard.  I suspect it is because alliteration is a good marketing tool.  

Even if you don't like yoga, doing it in a vineyard is a great life choice.  First, the instructors are lovely and patient.  The atmosphere is even more relaxed than a usual yoga class, and they offer lots of variations, one of which is to just sit there and drink your wine (the guy sitting in front of us preferred that option).  

Vinyasa is my favorite type of yoga.  I feel like I get a pretty good workout, even though yoga does not provide the high calorie burn of a traditional cardio workout.  When I do yoga for any consistent period of time, I feel like my arms get more toned and I am generally stronger.  I think this is from all the downward dog, which I can only describe as standing on all fours with your butt up in the air (you look sort of like a human triangle?).  Here is a link with a pretty basic description of Vinyasa since my ass triangle description probably did not do it justice.    http://yoga.about.com/od/typesofyoga/a/vinyasa.htm

I definitely recommend doing yoga in a winery at sunset.  That should be an easy sell even if you never do yoga.  However, I do not suggest making this a weekly workout. One, I believe it is a stretch calling it a workout.  People were able to drink throughout the workout,  If you can drink during your workout, there is a good chance that you are not working out too hard. Additionally, even if you did get a solid workout, it is a little pricey to do on a regular basis.  However, this is because the "workout" is started with a winery tour and followed up with a wine tasting, which includes a ridiculous amount of cheese and other yummy items.  If you are looking for a burning workout, I would steer clear, but I think you could have figured that out from the title of the workout.  If you are looking for a fantastic, relaxing evening with your friend, or if you are only going to do yoga once, I would do Vinyasa in the vineyard.  It was incredibly relaxing, and sometimes that is better for your body than any strenuous workout.

I also have to thank Erin for not pretending not to know me during the yoga workout.  She is definitely a solid yogi, and I am more of a solid cheese eater.  I love you, Coop!