Drunk yoga: Where to try it in L.A.
It’s not too early to start thinking about fitness goals in the new year — and a January yoga series is intended to keep the celebration going. Drunk Yoga is designed to take the intimidation out of yoga and introduce a bit of wine-induced levity.
“Drinking wine is an incredible way to make yoga fun,” said Eli Walker, founder of Drunk Yoga, which stages events in Los Angeles and New York and for special occasions, such as bachelorette parties. “It’s about cultivating joy and community and letting your hair down.”
More beer yoga and wine hikes in and around L.A. >>>
There are several classes in January in Venice, including a “Brunch Drunk Yoga” event and a “Hair of the Down-Dog Yoga” class on the rooftop of the Hotel Erwin. The classes are intended for beginners, Walker said, and encompass a 45-minute vinyasa-style session based on gentle moves set to a 1990s hip-hop playlist. Expect some mild drinking games as well. (Nonalcoholic beverages are also available.) There is time before and after to socialize.
“It’s not at all serious and introspective,” said Walker.
Info: Jan. 16 to 19, and Jan. 23 to 26, various times. Hotel Erwin, 1697 Pacific Ave., Venice. Tickets $45 through eventbrite.com or dodrunkyoga.com.
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Here are three other happenings within L.A.’s wellness scene:
The inaugural Mindfulness Expo is coming to Anaheim, a spinoff of the popular 5-year-old Yoga Expo, where meditation classes typically fill up.
Mindfulness Expo founder Michelle Zarrin said the daylong event Nov. 30 will feature back-to-back workshops teaching various aspects of mindfulness; there will be talks on the long-term benefits of meditation, how the practice ties in with the ancient Hindu healing system of ayurveda, and sessions with kundalini yoga, breath work and sound healing. There will also be a pop-up marketplace for wellness-related products.
Speakers include Cassandra Carlopio, who focuses on using meditation to induce sleep, and Karla Amador, who spearheaded the 52 Hike Challenge, encouraging people to hit the trails every week for a year. Zarrin said the expo is intended for people at all levels of meditation.
Info: 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Nov. 30. Anaheim Convention Center, 800 W. Katella Ave., Anaheim. $35 for an all-inclusive ticket, mindfulnessexpo.com
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The new Pure Barre studio in Culver City is in a two-story modern industrial loft with stained-glass windows.
“You can look out the windows at the trains going by while you exercise,” said Ali Reynolds, owner of the new 1,700-square-foot space, who has been teaching at other studios for several years. “Culver City is such an eclectic community with a small-town feel but not that many fitness studios.”
The new space will offer various types of barre classes, ranging from Classic — which is ballet barre and light weights — to Pure Empower, based on cardio and Pure Reform, where exercises are based on the principles of Pilates and incorporate sliders and resistance bands. Does all of this sound like a foreign language? The Foundations class is for first-timers and introduces the basics of the technique. The classes are 45 to 50 minutes.
Info: Pure Barre, 8985 Venice Blvd., Suite E + F. First Foundations class free. Thereafter a single class is $25. Package discounts available. purebarre.com
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Toned is new a boutique gym in West Hollywood offering classes based around non-electronic treadmills for a gentler workout: Owner Dede Lagree wanted to offer a treadmill-based exercise option that was easier on joints. (If her name looks familiar, it’s because she’s behind the Lagree Fitness Method with her husband, Sebastien Lagree.)
“The Curve Treadmill doesn’t have any electronics, so you power it yourself using your legs,” she said. “It’s safer on joints and knees, and you burn 30% more calories than a traditional treadmill. It has no incline; we’ve found that a really high incline can be bad for the hips. This way, you’re running at a much more natural angle.”
There are 15 treadmills in the 2,000-square-foot space. The 40-minute workouts go back and forth between segments on the treadmill and on the floor, incorporating high-repetition moves designed to keep the intensity and heart rate up to result in a toned, sculpted physique.
“We want this to be for everyone,” said Lagree, “whether they have never run or can run marathons. On this treadmill, you can walk three miles per hour and your heart rate will still be high and your whole body moving.”
Info: Toned, 375 N. La Cienega Blvd., Suite 2. First class free when booked online using code WeWorkHarder. Drop-in classes are $29. Packages start at five classes for $140. tonedla.com
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