Yoga Après Polo with Megan Llambias

For over 100 years the Santa Barbara Polo & Racquet Club (SBPRC), situated beautifully in the Carpinteria foothills between the Santa Ynez mountains and the Pacific Ocean, has drawn polo players and spectators from all over the world. This year the buzz about Prince Harry, the Duke of Sussex, and world-renowned Argentine polo champion, Nacho Figueras, playing on their new team, Los Padres, has brought new energy and excitement to the start of the 2022 polo season. 

As the High Goal polo series started on Sunday, July 10, there’s no better time to come watch some polo in paradise and see what’s happening at this world-class polo facility in our community. In addition to great polo, there are other activities including tennis, swimming, and my favorite stress-relieving activity of all, Yoga Après Polo with Megan Llambias!

Megan Llambias is a truly gifted yoga teacher with over 30 years of experience and over 600 hours of formal training. The daughter of polo player John Greene and wife to 6-goal Argentine polo player Marcos Llambias, Megan travels with her family on the polo circuit and offers group and private yoga classes to everyone in the community. You do not have to be a polo club member to take her classes.

Every July and August (the High Goal polo months), Megan brings her unique style of yoga to SBPRC, integrating breathwork, meditation, traditional yoga sequences with equestrians in mind, and restorative yoga into a flow style class with modifications for different levels. The practice is both energizing and relaxing. Her classes are a beautiful experience, held outside with the backdrop of the stunning polo fields and mountains, and all levels of participants are welcome. 

More than just for polo players, Megan’s classes are an opportunity for anyone who wants to slow down, go inwards, and really feel what’s happening. According to Megan, “Anyone can do yoga. I like to offer something that is accessible to everyone in the polo community. Patrons, players, grooms, even the shoer asked me about some postures for the pain in his back. Polo is a very intense sport and yoga is a complementary experience for mind and body. Yoga allows for integration and the opportunity to experience from the inside out.” 

The benefits of yoga for many aspects of wellness, including stress management, mental health, better sleep, and pain management, are well-known, especially to polo players. As David Sigman, General Manager of the Santa Barbara Polo Club & Racquet Club, states, “Flexibility is a key component of staying fit for polo and recovery after a tough game, and yoga provides benefits for everyone, from new players to elite professionals with longevity and greater range of motion.”

Yoga has been a constant ritual in Megan’s life. “Being a polo gypsy family, it’s a wonderful practice that stays constant. Whether we are here in Santa Barbara, Indio, or Argentina, yoga keeps me balanced, and gives me an outlet. Yoga is my daily medicine to stay grounded, and peaceful to hopefully navigate this wild and wonderful life with a bit more grace and ease,” she states.

We are so fortunate to have Megan in our midst right now and I highly recommend you try her yoga classes at Santa Barbara Polo & Racquet Club. Megan will be teaching Tuesday and Wednesday evenings from 6-7 pm, next to the Polo Boutique. Club members $25/non-members $30. Bring a mat; extras are provided if you need one. Private sessions are available upon request. 

For more information, follow Megan Llambias on Instagram at @YogaApresPolo, or visit yogaaprespolo.com; For Polo Tickets, contact Tickets@sbpolo.com or call (805) 684-6683.  

Michelle Ebbin is a renowned wellness expert and the author of four best-selling books. She lives in Montecito with her husband, Luke, and three boys.