Summer is the hottest time for the Seattle yoga community, from events and festivals to retreats and workshops. There are also many businesses that are working in collaboration with the yoga community, to raise awareness about the benefits of yoga, build relationships and ultimately promote a healthy lifestyle. One of these businesses is The Woodhouse Wine Estates which in partnership with Lululemon, has organized a few yoga events held at their space in Woodinville. To learn more about this partnership and their objectives, we asked Johanna Bautista, the Woodhouse Wine Estates events manager, a few questions. Here is what she had to say:

Seattle Yoga News: What is the history of Woodhouse Wine Estates?

JB: The Woodhouse Wine Estates is proud to be a family-run winery that blends international flair and quality Washington wine into all five of its unique brands. Located in the heart of Woodinville wine country, we have been crafting wines since 1998 that are terroir-driven with luscious, complex fruit. We focus on balance and restraint, so our wines age very well. Like many of the most respected wineries in Europe, we release wines a bit later than most, so they have time to rest, integrate and express their fullest flavor complexities.

In addition to producing award-winning wines, Woodhouse promotes itself as an event space that offers a truly unique experience for private and corporate events such as holiday parties, weddings,  fundraisers, cooking and yoga classes to name a few.

SYN: How did the “yoga & wine” idea come to fruition? Why yoga in particular?

JB: When I first began at Woodhouse as the Events Manager, I remember walking into the Tasting Room and being in awe of its large open floor plan and elegant chandeliers. Being a yoga and fitness enthusiast for nearly all of my life, the first thing that popped into my mind was, “This would be a fantastic place to have a yoga class!” Initially, I was reluctant to pursue the idea further, as how would I convince others that yoga in a winery would be an exciting and well-attended event? It took a few months of debating whether or not to move forward with the concept, until finally the right time appeared. I reached out to Lululemon in hopes of partnering up as they have a huge yoga and fitness following and are active in the community. I lucked out, they were just as excited as I was to host the class. We promoted it as a day of yoga, wine and shopping, which are all favorite pastimes of mine. The first class was held on February 7, 2015, and was an outstanding success. Over 50 yogis attended the event and covered Woodhouse’s 1500 square foot Tasting Room floor. After class, guests stayed for complimentary wine tastings and shopped Lululemon’s trunk show. The event exceeded my expectations and, more importantly, brought together people from different communities all for their love of yoga and wine.

SYN: How many yoga-related events have you had and what are your future plans?

JB: Woodhouse has hosted three yoga and wine events thus far, with one more scheduled for August 8. We will definitely continue having yoga-related events at Woodhouse as our space is the perfect setting and because, selfishly, I love yoga! We have plans to partner with different businesses in the future to continue reaching as many communities and people as possible.

SYN: What is the inspiration behind the Vinyasa & Vino summer series?

JB: The Vinyasa & Vino summer series came about after the success of the first yoga and wine event in February. It became apparent to me that people wanted a common and peaceful environment where they could come together and share their enthusiasm for both yoga and wine. I partnered up with Lululemon again so that we could reach as many yoga and wine lovers as possible.

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