Story by Wesley McIntyre / Lifestyles Editor and Krystal Loritts / Contributing Writer
On Saturday afternoon, Mayday Brewery and its owner, Ozzy Nelson, hosted an hour long yoga class on the brewery’s outdoor deck. When watching the class, it’s easy to understand why it was held outside, as the sounds and feeling of nature brings a calmness to the yoga practitioner.
There are four yoga instructors who rotate weeks they teach. One of the instructors, Tammura Adreon, has been doing yoga for seven and a half years. In addition to teaching two of Mayday’s yoga sessions so far, Adreon also teaches yoga at Hot Yoga Studio.
“(Yoga at Mayday Brewery) is a great idea, because if people want to come and drink beer and see the yoga class going on, they might be more tempted to try,” Adreon said.
Her style of yoga is, as she described it, “fun” yoga.
“Yoga should be fun and overall relaxing. Nothing too serious,” she said. This philosophy shows in her teaching technique which included cracking jokes and conversing throughout the class while making sure the students were doing the poses right.
It made the experience, from a viewer’s perspective, more like friends hanging out instead of a standard teacher and student relationship, making the overall atmosphere relaxed and peaceful.
“Every time I get on that mat, I am a beginner,” Adreon said. She then explained that your body reacts differently to yoga every day, so some days it is extremely easy, and other days, extremely hard. She makes sure her students understand just because one day is easy or hard, it doesn’t mean it will be the same the next time.
The class had a mixture of beginners and frequent participants of yoga, so the instructors encourage both yoga experts and newbies to give this class a try.
Mandy Johnson, a Murfreesboro resident, has been coming regularly for a few months to prepare for the Boro Yoga fest held in March.
Johnson stated that her favorite part about coming is “the stretch and the beer. I work in an office all day so I need to get out.”
Lee Tate, also resident of Murfreesboro, said, “I try to come as often as I can. Yoga’s good. It helps my breathing and endurance and it’s a great crowd and community.”
“Hang out here a few times, and you’ll be friends with somebody and have a place to go on a regular basis,” Tate said. “I’m here usually three or four nights a week. It’s the best spot in town.”
Ozzy Nelson said that one of the instructors approached him with the idea of hosting the Yoga and Beer event a while back and he went with it. “That’s how a lot of things go on, people just approach me with the idea.”
Nelson said that the event has been great for the brewery.
“It makes Saturdays kinda busy at 2 o’clock, which it’s usually not. It gives us some customers and kinda primes the pump. It always seems like it’s busier when we have yoga,” Nelson said.
“Yoga and Beer” is held each Saturday at 1 p.m. on the deck of Mayday Brewery on Old Salem Road. The cost is $10 a person and includes a pint of Mayday beer after the workout.
