Yoga for Foodies
A couple weeks ago, my friend and sometime guest blogger Betsy invited Adam and I to join some Whole Foods Market employees for a yoga and chocolate class on the plaza above the flagship store.
Combining two of my favorite things – yoga and chocolate – sounded like heaven to me. Betsy read about David Romanelli, a yoga teacher that started offering classes combining yoga and food, in a New York Times article. She was inspired and asked him if he would come to Austin and teach a class.
It was a beautiful Austin spring day and David shared a bit about his background before class. He tried yoga for the first time when he lived in Los Angeles and fell in love with the practice. He loved how the focus on breathing and practice made him forget about anything other than the present and clear his mind. Now living in Arizona and regularly teaching yoga, he decided to experiment with combining food with yoga practice to bring that same focus and enjoyment to eating.
The class was at the beginner to intermediate level and was definitely challenging. This was a real yoga class, not just a couple of poses interspersed by eating chocolate bars. Dave talked us through the practice, playing some great music throughout.
At the end of the class, after the shivasana resting pose, he opened up packages of Vosges truffles and handed us each two. Before we ate, he talked us through focusing on the flavors, smells and textures of each. It was delicious and I might describe it as yum but in this context, I have to describe it as ommmm.
Hopefully David will return to Austin to teach more classes. I know he is interested in working with chefs to create unique yoga and food experiences. If I hear he’s coming, I’ll send an update out on Twitter or Facebook for those of you with mouths watering.
To find out more about Yoga for Foodies and David Romanelli, visit Tasty Touring.com