A Brooklyn yogi has discovered the secret to luring out-of-shape bros off the couch and onto the yoga mat: free beer!
Emma Galland launched her “Beer and Broga” class last Sunday inside Park Slope’s Strong Rope Brewery — and hopes the classes catch on in brew halls across the city.
“I thought, ‘Where do men go to relax and hang out? A brewery!’ ” said Galland, 40, who teaches regular “broga” classes at Crunch Fitness gyms.
The concept of broga — an obvious play on the words “yoga” and “bro” — was first introduced in 2009 by Massachusetts-based Crunch instructor Robert Sidoti to specifically appeal to men.
But Galland added beer to the equation — and kicked off last week’s one-hour workout by blasting a “bro-friendly” Jim Morrison tune.
Twelve brave but clumsy dudes dripped with sweat, and many toppled over as they tried to balance on one foot or hold a pose.
“I thought I was coming for a nice relaxing time, but I got my a– kicked!” admitted Alexandre Boesch, 40, who was expecting some light stretching, not a rigorous workout.
Another bro expected the class to be a breeze.
“It looks easy, but it’s not at all,” said Dan Simon, 32, a Williamsburg banker. “I have a whole new respect for yoga now.”
Jonathan Eisen has yoga experience but was in it for the hops.
Jonathan Eisen (left), and Anand Jayachandran make a toast after taking the Beer & Broga Yoga class.Helayne Seidman“I basically came for the beer, but also the setting at a brewery,” said Eisen, 28, who has practiced yoga for several years. “Only in New York.”
To make her brand of broga classes more dude-friendly, Galland incorporates basic athletic workouts, such as four minutes of push-ups and burpees.
“I think men can relate more to a classic workout than spiritual yoga,” she said.
And she uses stripped-down jargon instead of classic yoga terms.
“I never say ‘prayer pose,’ I say ‘hands to chest,’ ” she noted.
As the one-hour class came to an end, the bros toweled off and hit the brewery’s bar. One beer was included in the $25 class fee.
Boesch was grateful for that.
“All I could think by the end was, ‘I want a beer,’ ” he said.



