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Yoga + Beats offers unique yoga experience

Nate Day
nday@vaildaily.com
Kirby K (right) and Yvonne Schwartz (left) have worked together on Yoga + Beats for nearly three years.
Nate Day | Special to the Daily

When practicing yoga, setting the right atmosphere is very important. Some people light candles, some turn the lights down and some burn incense. In Yoga and Beats, however, you crank up the tunes.

Yoga and Beats is a traditional yoga class with a non-traditional flare; while Yvonne Schwartz, of Yoga Off Broadway, instructs the class, Kirby Koch, known as Kirby K, plays music. Many yoga classes feature soft and soothing music in the background, but here, the music is more prominent, and it makes a difference.

“People are more in their body and less in their mind,” said Schwartz, who has a degree in music therapy.



However, it’s not just the instructor that thinks the music makes a difference.

“I love to feel the bass when I’m doing yoga,” said Sunny Koch, a participant and Kirby K’s wife. “It’s just amazing.”

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Schwartz and Kirby K met about seven years ago while working together at Yoga in the Park, a program that Schwartz puts on. From there, they became the dynamic duo.

“We can kind of understand what each other is doing,” Schwartz said. “(Kirby K) can tell when I’m winding down and knows to make the music wind down, too.”

Kirby K described his lax disc jockeying style for the class as simply “picking a few tracks prior to class and putting them together as the class goes on.”

“The goal was to create a fun class and a new way to experience yoga,” Schwartz said. “We take this class to a variety of locations including Stoneyard Distillery, Bonfire Brewery, Vail Mountain, Colorado Workspace, local festivals.”

Schwartz and Kirby K’s goal was to combine the things they loved most: yoga, music and fun locations to create a unique experience.

Don’t be fooled, however, the music played during class isn’t the popular tunes you’d hear on the radio, and it’s not disruptive to the yoga, it just changes the ambiance of the class. It’s rhythmic, heavy on the bass and beat but still relaxing.

“The music gives it more of a relaxing Zen,” said Jasmine Paula, a class participant. “It’s a nice change of pace.”

Even the local businesses appreciate the class.

“We have several classes a month, and many businesses will approach us offering a class in their business,” Schwartz said. “It’s a fun way to get new people into a business to check it out.”

The program will be putting on a retreat from Thursday, Nov. 8, to Sunday, Nov. 11, in Scottsdale, Arizona, offering six days of classes with Schwartz and Kirby K, as well as plenty of time to relax by the pool and a daily happy hour.

Yoga and Beats has been running for three years now, and based on Schwartz and Kirby K’s shared love of both yoga and music, shows no sign of slowing down.

More information on Yoga and Beats classes, as well as retreat registration, can be found on http://www.yogaandbeats.com.


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