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When most people think of yoga classes, they think of people stretching on mats to music. For Jayla Clark, a yoga instructor and preschool teacher, she wanted to mix her love for yoga with her love for Harry Potter.

Clark is the head of Magical Mats, which introduces yoga to young children. They travel to schools and birthday parties encouraging them to stay active.

Clark enjoys teaching yoga students of all ages.

“Being a teacher, I can connect easier with people,” Clark said. “It helps me reach out to those who have never tried yoga before.”

Clark said she wasn’t always comfortable in front of people.

“I suffered from severe social anxiety,” Clark said. “I almost couldn’t go anywhere without freaking out. Yoga helped me overcome those challenges, and I hope I can make a difference in others’ lives through yoga.”

Clark said Harry Potter and yoga work perfectly together because meditation is just like concentration for a spell.

“When your eyes are closed, you can feel the magical energy flowing through you,” Clark said. “It’s a spiritual experience as well as a physical one.

The Harry Potter Yoga event was first created in Austin, Texas by twin sisters Isabel Bertran and Ximea Larkin in an attempt to grow their yoga class. The sisters were huge fans of the franchise and figuredit would make for a good theme for yoga class. They renamed some classic yoga poses after certain words and phrases used in Harry Potter. By combining yoga with a franchise many were familiar with, they attracted larger audiences. News of the event exploded on social media and very soon, there were Harry Potter yoga sessions held around the country.

Clark first hosted the Harry Potter yoga event in Ames, but began teaching the classes around the Des Moines metro area.

“I really want to teach Harry Potter yoga all around Iowa,” Clark said. “But I eventually want to branch out and start teaching in other midwestern states.”

Before the event started, each participant was sorted into one of the four Hogwarts houses and given a wand. They used the wands in tandem with traditional yoga poses to create an whimsical experience.

“I would recommend Harry Potter yoga to everyone,” Clark said. “It doesn’t matter if you’re a yoga buff or if you want to start getting involved.”

The event had music from the original soundtrack to set the atmosphere. The participants also reenacted scenes from the movie through yoga. For example, the students were attacked by Dementors. They simultaneously shouted “Expecto Patronus!” to banish the dementors and by the end of the class, the students officially became full-fledged wizards.

In addition to yoga, the event also had a station where you could pose as a prisoner from Azkaban, mirroring the famous scene where Sirius Black escaped from Azkaban. The bar also sold alcoholic and non-alcoholic butterbeer. The drink was made up of butterscotch, root beer and condensed milk. There were also Golden Snitch shaped candies and a station where you could try on invisibility cloaks.

Clark has combined yoga with other famous franchises.

“Last November, I taught a Star Wars themed yoga class,” Clark said. “It was a training academy where yoga patrons would be trained as Padawans and graduate to the rank of Jedi. Someday, I hope to fuse more famous franchises with yoga.”

The Harry Potter yoga event was an exciting experience. It is highly recommended for people of all ages whether they are yoga aficionados or not. Not only is it good exercise but the Harry Potter atmosphere adds a magical charm to the setting.