For the past years, one bizarre pairing has become the trend: Yoga With Wine. This pairing has been frowned upon by some yogis, but others are recommending this activity, as it promises more relaxation and a stress-free state of mind.
This might be an unlikely pair to think about, but yoga studios and wine manufacturers are widely offering this session. The wine should come after or during the yoga session, not before! You don’t want to be wobbly while doing yoga. To know more about yoga plus wine, read below.
What is Yoga?
Yoga can mean anything to any person. Some might think of it as a physical exercise, while others think of it as a road to spiritual wellness. It is a mind and body practice with ancient Indian philosophy, aiming to combine physical postures, relaxation, and meditation.
It has become a popular way to exercise without running and lifting dead weights. It is a low-cost method for self-help, as it is widely used as therapy for anxiety, substance abuse, depression, heart disease, and cancer.
The Trend of Yoga plus Wine
This trend started in New York and has slowly been practiced all over the country. There are wine manufacturers and alcohol breweries that host yoga sessions while drinking alcoholic drinks, like Connecticut’s Chamard Vineyard, that hosts summer yoga sessions that include drinking wine. Yoga instructors have also started incorporating wine in their yoga sessions.
Yoga plus wine events have been popping up all over the country. Yoga and wine parties are held in New York. There are also tasting events held in California, and Chicago also has a weekly session called the Namaste Rose. In Hawaii, Italy, and California, people can also host yoga and wine retreats.
A yoga studio based in Los Angeles offers wine tasting while doing yoga. While teaching yoga poses, the instructors also teach students about wine facts. Right after yoga, wine is served. The studio in LA points out that wine and yoga both need balance, so they combined both to increase stability in one’s life.
Advantages
This activity is not just fun, but it is also beneficial. Your social life, senses, body, mind, and soul will find joy in this experience. Below are some of the benefits you can get with it.
Social benefits. Doing yoga for the first time can be intimidating and awkward. But with the help of wine, the session might not be as intimidating as you think it is. This can also help in building a community of yoga goers who drink wine.
Although yoga is for solitary benefits, a wine-tasting after a session will build a healthy, happy hour environment for the students present. Attending these classes will also help you build relationships and connections with other students.
More Awakened senses. Doing yoga will awaken your senses. It helps you focus and be mindful of your surroundings. But, adding wine to your yoga session will help you focus even more. There’s nothing like sipping a glass of 2004 Sassicaia wine to help you focus and relax at the same time.
You’ll appreciate the taste more. Since your senses are awakened, your taste buds will also be awakened even more. Since focus and concentration are important in wine tasting, then you will appreciate the wine more.
Double the fat burn. Research suggests that drinking a glass of wine before sleeping can help burn fats because the polyphenol in wine can help burn calories. Yoga is one of the ways that a person can lose some fat. Although there aren’t any scientific explanations for doing both, you might as well try it.
More fun. Drinking wine with your friends is already fun. But drinking while staying fit is another level of enjoyment. To make it more fun, bring in as many close friends as you want and know them a little bit more.
Disadvantages
Like any other thing in life, drinking during yoga should be in moderation. Too much of anything can be dangerous. You don’t have to chug down one whole bottle of wine to enjoy your yoga session.
There are yoga instructors who believe that drinking wine while doing yoga is dangerous. There will be the risk of getting drunk, and the student might not be able to control his or her impulse. He or she might try doing daredevil stunts, such as handstands and backbends, without checking on its dangers.
Other instructors do not recommend drinking alcohol altogether. They say that drinking alcohol, even just a small glass of wine, can affect the kidneys, liver, and overall function of the body. Yoga should be cleansing the body and soul, not putting alcohol in it, they said.
Takeaway
Drinking wine while doing yoga sounds fun, but it has to be done in moderation. You don’t want a hangover after a session of yoga. Find a studio that offers this session. Increase your zen experience and improve your senses by doing so.
