On June 23, about 30 participants gathered under a canopy on a warm day to practice mindfulness, grounding and positive affirmations in a drag yoga session.
Held at First Magnitude Brewing Company on June 9 and 23 and led by Kardiya Yoga Studio, the events taught participants to “embody their own expression” with comedic commentary from local drag queen Emma Gration.
Kardiya Yoga hosts public classes twice a month at the brewery, but in honor of Pride Month, both June sessions were themed around the occasion, with all donations received going to the Pride Community Center of North Central Florida (PCCNCF), an LGBTQ+ organization that provides safe spaces, resources, services and events in 13 counties in north-central Florida.
The session, which was First Magnitude’s third performance, was taught by Nina Vena, 29, of Gainesville.
In keeping with the theme of Pride, Beena said she aimed to create a welcoming environment that combined the session’s deep breathing exercises with “letting go of heterocentrism” and “embodying the queer love that’s all around us.”
“We want to remind people that yoga is a personal practice,” they said.
Daniel Fisher, 31, of Gainesville, is the bar leader at First Magnitude, which also hosts drag bingo and hosted a “Pride Party” in conjunction with PCCNCF on June 8 in celebration of Pride Month.
In 2023, First Magnitude began hosting more Pride events in response to state regulations regarding gender-affirming care and using restrooms that reflect one’s sex at birth, he said.
“To me, a brewery is a place where you can just stop by and hang out with friends,” Fisher said. “We aim to make it a good atmosphere and a comfortable place.”
Ms. Grasson, 26, a drag queen from Gainesville, was dressed to resemble a “Great Shape Barbie” doll, with hot pink leg warmers and white-heeled go-go boots, as her rainbow-colored fan blew her long blonde hair out of her face.
After a bad breakup, she ended up at the University Club, a gay bar in Gainesville, where she decided to become a drag queen.
“An amazing drag queen said to me, ‘Hey, you have a glitter beard. You should do drag,'” Greshon said. “She became my drag mom, and the rest is history.”
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Gresson is the event coordinator and also serves on the PCCNCF board, and she said getting involved makes her feel closer to the community.
“Partnering with the Pride Center has really opened up my doors in the community,” she said. “I’ve been able to meet so many wonderful people.”
Gration has also appeared at First Magnitude’s drag bingo events, drag brunches at coffee shop Curia on the Drag, Pride street parties at The Bull, and regular performances at the University Club.
Elliot Schmidt, 27, a therapist in Gainesville who has been attending yoga sessions for nearly a year, said First Magnitude’s “beer garden” offered a pride-focused environment that wasn’t centered around drinking and partying.
“It’s good to have different options for people who don’t drink, or for people who are young or just not interested in alcohol,” he says. “Especially for people who don’t drink alcohol, or for people who are young or just not interested in alcohol. [events] The focus on health and fitness is great.”
Sage Schafer, a Gainesville resident and assistant director at Apex Yoga studio, said he attended the event for the “yoga and gay shit.”
Unlike other drag-focused events like drag brunches and drag book readings, the 23-year-old was intrigued to see drag featured in a yoga practice.
“I’ve been to Pride events where there have been yoga events, but I’ve never seen drag queens there,” Schafer said.
Emily Pendley, 28, of Gainesville, who works with Schafer at her yoga studio, said LGBTQ+ events are important in spreading awareness within the community.
“Visibility is important,” Pendley said, “and giving people a platform to talk about things that matter to them is always really special.”
First Magnitude’s next yoga session will be held on June 30th.
Contact Sara-James Ranta at sranta@alligator.org. Follow her at X @sarajamesranta.
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Sarah James Ranta is a third-year journalism major and minor in sociology of social justice and policy. She previously worked as a general assignment reporter on the Alligator’s college desk.
