Thanks to the rising smog levels in Delhi (apparently I’m smoking 25 cigarettes without even lighting one) and my existing money being no good (thank you #noteban), there's really little motivation to get out of bed.
But Dumbledore is always watching over us.
“Help will always be given at Hogwarts to those who ask for it.”
Magic is Might
Enter Isabel Beltran, yoga trainer, believer of magic and an avid Harry Potter fan like the rest of us. Beltran decided to make the most of Vinyasa movements by holding a special Harry Potter Yoga Class at Circle Brew – a brewery in Austin, Texas.
Everything was inspired by the book – even the date of the class.
We wanted to celebrate the death of James and Lily Potter who had passed away on Halloween.Ximena Larkin, sister of Isabel Beltran and fellow wizard
Note: Mexicans celebrate the Day of The Dead and believe that the celebration of death is not necessarily morbid.
Point ME!
Do you remember when Mr Ollivander whispered to Harry many, many years ago – “The wand chooses the wizard”? Do you remember the thrill you felt as you heard/absorbed/believed in it?
For those at Isabel Beltran’s class, Ollivander’s words took on a whole new meaning. The session started with ‘wands selecting a participant each’.
It started with a standard Vinyasa flow – except that it was nothing short of exceptional. Sun salutations were seen as paying homage to The Order of The Phoenix. In a rather surreal moment, I was reminded of the time Dumbledore had passed on and all his students and teachers had pointed their wands to the sky.
The tree pose became the “Whomping Willow”, the plank became the “Nimbus 2000” and the three-legged pose was referred to as “Fluffy”, the three-headed beast from Harry Potter and Sorcerers’ Stone.
And when the class were required to do the classic cat-cow pose, Isabel urged them to think of McGonagall’s transfiguration class, fuelling already-fired imaginations.
My favourite, though? Was when she asked all wizards to think of their happiest memory as they stretched their spines and shoulders to the Vibhadrasana (Warrior II) pose, asked them to hold on to their stance and chant “Expecto Patronum”.
When it was time to lie down in the Shavasana, she did more. She recited a story special to Potterfans – better known as The Tale of The Three Brothers.
The class ended on a quote by the greatest headmaster Hogwarts had ever seen:
“Do not pity the dead, Harry,” Dumbledore had said. “Pity the living, and above all, those who live without love.”
Mischief Managed!
The yogis were then taken to a potion station – to hydrate and relax. The brewery even had a Sirius Black-inspired photo booth to take selfies.
Lumos!
Following an insightful 60 minutes that went viral globally, the sister duo now plans on holding more such classes in November – apparently centred around the release of the Fantastic Beasts – and Where To Find Them movie. They also hope that more and more yoga trainers try this.
We can only hope these classes start here, very soon.
Our workouts could do with a generous bit of magic.
(Follow @manavisiddhanti on Twitter to discuss Harry Potter quotes, analysis and anything magic related. Follow us on @thquint for more updates.)
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