Perhaps, you aren’t there yet. Your hand's yearning to clasp each other behind your back to complete the Paschima Namaskarasana also known as the ‘Reverse Prayer’ pose but hey! You are inching closer every day to your yoga goals and that calls for a party. Health and fitness goals - Not the toxic, plasticky kind you have come to detest. A real celebration, one that brings as much harmony and inner peace to you when you say your ‘om’ in yoga class. We are talking about a yoga party to thank and motivate your fellow Yogis. Intrigued? Here are a few suggestions to help you along.
1.The place
One of the main aspects of yoga is cultivating and maintaining good energy and the place you choose has a major hand to play in that. That means thumbs down to a noisy club or restaurant. We suggest a quiet place with generous space to do your asanas, your exercises. A friend’s open terrace, a less frequented park or even the yoga studio you go to every day. Most studios rent out their space for parties and events during non-business hours and you can take full advantage of that. You may also be eligible for a discounted rate since you are enrolled there.
2.The invites
When is the last time you received a handwritten invitation? No, don’t get us wrong. We love the environment too and yoga-themed e-vites are great fun, but for a truly unforgettable party hosting experience, we recommend you go old school and use a fountain pen in cursive style to write out a personalized party invite. Got too many invites to make? Make one design and get them printed on eco-friendly paper. Not sounding fun to you? Make a video invite with yoga music, sure to set the tone of your party.
3.The music
What kind of party are you going for? An informal mixer to get to know other yogis better or a focused gathering to affirm your learnings together as a group? Your music will depend on the answer. If you are planning the former, any light and pleasant music should work out fine. Instrumental albums like Ravishankar’s sitar melodies are always the classier choice but really, that would depend on your group’s preferences. You can even play chants that are commonly used to invoke a meditative state but that would only be limited to your exercise time. To put it simply, stay clear off Ozzy or Bieber and you will be fine!
4.The activities
Yoga is about breathing and achieving balance and tranquility. All deeply rooted concepts indeed, but who said it has to be a bore? Liven it up! Start with a fun icebreaker. Challenge everyone to balance themselves on one foot while folding their hands. The last one standing wins! You could even play the ‘yoga challenge game’ where each person challenges others to do a yoga pose and the person to hold it longest wins. You could even conduct a fun quiz or pass around anonymous chits with your funny or unexpected moments in yoga written on them which are sure to keep everyone in splits.
5.The food
You may know this already, but yoga isn’t just about what you do. It’s a lifestyle and your diet is a significant part of that. Wine, beers, soda, fried food, and even your beloved coffee or tea, may find place at your standard event but for your yoga party, it is a NO with a capital N! Yoga advocates for a natural and balanced diet that consists of green leafy vegetables, lentils, nuts, fresh fruits and lots of warm water. Why not incorporate that into your party? You can never go wrong with freshly pressed vegetable or assorted fruit juice as the welcome drink. Have a salad bar with lots of greens. For the main course, you can have a Vegan bowl with a side of hot cooked lentils or tofu marinade and whole wheat bread. For dessert, how about a coconut and quinoa pudding with lots of roasted almonds? You can even serve a plate of fresh berries or whip them up into a shake with organic milk (and ice cream!). They’ll be gone before you can say ‘Namaste’!