After recently celebrating its fourth anniversary on Aug. 26, Southern Salad hosted its last monthly Yoga and Mimosas on Saturday mornings until January.
Inviting anyone to enjoy an hour of free yoga, local yoga instructor Bethany Smith encourages people to tap into their spirituality with mindful stretching.
Smith has taught yoga in the community for 10 years and teaches workshops and classes often, but is taking a break until January to further strengthen her mind and body for a renewed love of teaching.
“I love sharing the gift of yoga, it made a huge impact in my life,” she said. “I just love getting together with others.”
Smith shared how yoga helped her mentally fight against her diagnosed Bipolar-Depression and Anxiety disorder which made her want to share it with others.
“I have a great time just building that community and helping other people get centered and present, and just slow down a little bit,” Smith said.
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After class, attendees enjoy mimosas and brunch together while sharing their thoughts on yoga.
Participant Natalie Lee said she likes coming out to meet other “yogis” and having a sense of community in the yoga world, while keeping herself checked-in with her body.
“It definitely helps me to stay calm and practice having good intentions and setting them as well,” she said.
Another fellow yogi, Allie Ristroph, said was originally interested in learning how to do difficult headstands and mastering the balance aspect of yoga. However, the mixed community, fitness aspects and flexibility are ultimately what kept her interested over time.
“It’s something you can do anytime, anywhere and it incorporates all the different aspects of fitness,” she said. “It was something I did before the pandemic and it was something I could do during the pandemic along with other exercises.”
Ristroph enjoys mastering the challenging stances and poses to test and enhance her skills while improving her health.
“Honestly, it’s just really good for your overall health. Something I read before was that, ‘flexibility shows your age,’” Ristroph said. “As you get older, your flexibility really decreases and it keeps you from being able to do a lot of things. So yoga is one of the greatest things for flexibility.”
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Despite yoga having some difficult poses and stances, Smith emphasizes it as an exercise that can be enjoyed by all, no matter one’s age or physicality.
“It’s for everyone. There is a type of yoga for literally any and everyone. I have up to 80-year-olds that come to some of my classes,” Smith said. “You can find a yoga practice for your body, no matter the age. I just feel like it’s really important to just start something where it’s mindful, whether it’s yoga or tai chi. Anything that moves your body, but brings that mental aspect into it.”
Just a few minutes away, Savannah River Brewing Co. holds a Beer Yoga event every Saturday morning at 11:30 a.m. to also promote wellness and community.
“We like to bring a lot of different community activities to the brewery and we had a lot of people that had an interest in yoga, so it’s blending this aspect of health and wellness with hanging out with friends,” said Tap Manager Abigail McCandless. “It’s a great way to meet people, learn something new and try something out. It’s just fun and if you don’t like it you get to have a beer with friends.”
Taylor Reynolds has been a full-time employee and yoga instructor for almost five years at the brewery and stresses the benefits yoga offers both physically and mentally.
“I think it brings people a better quality of life just generally. On a physical level, you’re less prone to injury and it’s a great supplement for other practices like running or weightlifting,” she said. “It really does help you handle stress, just by learning how to control your breath. It just helps bring everything back to baseline.”
Similar to Smith, Reynolds also sought out yoga to help with her anxiety when she was younger. She believes yoga is a great stress reliever and mood uplifter for those who might be struggling after the pandemic.
“I think whether it’s from COVID, losing your job or just having a bad week, yoga is in my opinion one of the most effective, holistic tools that we have,” she said.
Reynolds suggests people research online the culture of where classes are held to help newcomers choose the best environment for them.
Both classes host yoga for a wide range of participants who span across different ages and capabilities to ensure an inclusive, calming environment. At the brewery, inclusivity even stems across species, as some participants choose to bring their pets to class as well.
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However, despite the welcoming environments, some might still view attending a class as a daunting task.
For those who might be intimidated by the idea, Lee and other participants share their advice on how to tackle one’s apprehension.
“Just go because everything [in yoga] can be modified and most teachers know how to accommodate that,” said Lee.
“I’ve been doing yoga for some years now, but I do it by myself, and I’ve been looking for a community in Augusta for women who love it just as much as I do,” said intermediate yogi Allyssa Blair. “It’s also good for corrections because you can’t correct yourself when you’re doing it by yourself, so it’s good to have a licensed instructor to help you with that.”
Blair shared how Smith goes out of her way to make sure attendees make connections with other yogis to ensure a welcoming environment for newcomers and facilitate a true sense of community.
“I try to come as much as I can, [Smith] makes it so friendly and she’s just so nice and kind. It’s a really good environment,” she said. “So don’t be afraid, come out and meet some new people. I always meet great people and make great connections. So don’t be afraid to join.”
Carla Moore, who drove from Atlanta to enjoy Smith’s class, said, “I feel like I’m still very bad at yoga, but I just have to remind myself that everyone who is good at something was bad at one point and was a beginner at one point.”
“Just do a little bit of it, just stretch. Find one pose you can do and just go to a class because it’s going to be so good for your health in the long-run. Don’t be intimidated or scared, I think one of the best things about yoga is that you’ll always hear yoga teachers say ‘do what you can do,’” Ristroph said. “Even if you can barely do it, at least you’re showing up and trying for it. So go and do your best, everyone has that mindset of ‘just do your best.’”
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Local yogis also shared their different reasons for choosing to practice yoga, as opposed to other sports, and attending community classes.
“You have to mix it up, if you don’t do that then you’re not taking care of your body,” said Tiffany Padgett. “Yoga has helped me in a whole lot of other things like tennis and jogging. [Reynolds] has done a great job helping me to heal some things that were kind of fussing at me for beating them up so much in the other things.”
“It’s not just about the physical, it’s more about the mental and the spiritual. It’s a time for me to slow down from my busy life,” said Blair. “Yoga is really more about mindfulness.”
Blair also shared how, even though she has lived in Augusta her whole life, yoga allows her to meet other life-long Augustans who share the same interests and hobbies that she otherwise would not have met.
To learn about future classes by Bethany Smith follow her on Instagram @bethanysmithyoga.
To learn more about Savannah River Brewing Co. and their wellness classes and events visit: https://www.savannahriverbrew.com/events-calendar
Liz Wright is a staff writer covering education and general assignments for The Augusta Press. Reach her at liz@theaugustapress.com
