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| I am curious to know whether any serious practitioners and/or teachers consume any alcoholic beverages? A little wine, a lot of beer, a glass of champagne at New Years? Anything like that? I understand tradition frowns on it, and obviously there are many health reasons to abstain, but I've met a few yogis/yoginis who don't see anyting wrong with having a cold one now and then.
Very interested to hear everyone's views! Thank you in advance for being very respectful of the folks who drink if you don't, and vice versa. |
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Expert Yogi
Posts: 8442
    
| Jean - I drink very little, partially because it is not good for the acid reflux and partially because I think I consumed my life's allotment in my youth  Beer seems to work well with my digestion so I'll have one from time to time but since I don't drink much, I CAN'T drink much which makes me a cheap date  I wish I could drink more wine because I enjoy the tasting, comparing and learning about it, plus it makes a wonderful accompaniment to a really good meal. As it is, when I get a chance I'll savour a tiny sip and I do enjoy it more, in a way. I became very interested in single malt scotch just before I changed my drinking habits and, like wine, think it could be a life long study but the cost factor is prohibitive! Again, a tiny sip rarely (less than twice a year probably) is all I have and it is a treat:-) |
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Extreme Veteran
Posts: 517
Location: New Jersey | I recently stopped drinking altogether. It had less to do with a Yoga style, and more to do with the fact that I get sick from alcohol really quickly. In college, I could go out and have few drinks and not have it bother me all that much, but recently I'll feel a little off from just one.
Samantha |
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| I do consume 
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| I used to drink alot... I work in a bar on and off and it came with the territory.
I stopped drinking a few months before I did my teacher training course and afterwards had no desire to start again.
I just feel alot better without that stuff in my system right now (during and after indulgence.) Although at times I do feel anti-social, drinkers seem to have an issue with non drinkers at times.
But everything in moderation I say, as long as it is for enjoyment and not as a means of escapism. |
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| I do drink 2-3 glasses of wine on the weekends nights. I know it's not the best thing for me, but it's something I enjoy and look forward to. I am pretty strict with my eating habits and exercise routine (yoga and running), so I feel like that is my one big luxury/treat. I only drink wine, I'm not a beer or hard alcohol fan - burn out from college I suppose 
Edited by Gracie 2005-02-28 1:15 AM
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| I very much enjoy the taste of beer, unfortunately often to excess.  However, since one week before the surgery I have not had a drop of alcohol, 3 weeks today! I didn't intend to give beer up for lent, I'm not Catholic by any stretch.
I am finding without it, I am very bored and restless. Obviously I have been using it to calm my restless mind instead of doing the hard work. Also, I hate my job very much and it causes me a great deal of stress which I unfortunately like to bury the easy way, in a bottle. Since I have not had to go to work during recovery, no stress!
Having had three major surgeries since I started this job is another indicator that I am self-destructing in that place. I hope to leave it behind this fall and start teaching full-time, but I have been saying that every year for the past 3 years. Unfortunately some dastardly thing like the mortgage, car loan, credit card bill, utility payment, etc. always seems to come up. |
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Expert Yogi
Posts: 8442
| Wow Jean, that is a big post you just made! Life does get in the way of our yoga and other fun stuff, doesn't it? Darn mortgages! I am personally hoping to win a lottery to get rid of my stress but since I don't buy tickets it will be tough...
Looking into your drinking habits is eye opening, isn't it? I really essentially quit drinking after my first baby was born. Abstaining for that time let me look at myself and why I drank (for fun and because I like the taste plus cultural norms at the time) let me get some perspective. I usually tell the story of going out for the first time when my son was 6 months old and having a great time (ie lots of beer). I tell people I quit drinking because that was the night I tripped over a zebra!  No, not a hallucination, the owner of teh house had a unique decorating style and had a china zebra the size of a very large dog sitting in their living room! Anyway, when I found myself out of commission the next day and not really able to look after my son, I realised it was time to tone it down - a lot. |
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| That was a really big thing to admit, thank you for not scolding me! Thanks for the laugh about the zebra, too!
My husband and I both thought we'd quit drinking when we had kids, but as luck would have it, we can't have kids. So now that is both an excuse for us to stay totally immature and also a reason for me to get pretty depressed sometimes (you can guess where that leads). This must be a lesson that I really need to get on my own, because there does not seem to be any external stimuli to force me to quit.
I have felt like this is a very dirty little secret, because as a teacher people may think I should be held to higher standards. When I went to teacher training I was quite relieved to hear how many of my classmates could not wait to get home and have a beer & a cheeseburger (we lived for 2 weeks on an ashram!). Most of my students now have no clue about yogic tradition and would not really be phased by whatever I want to do on the weekend, but it's still not something I'm very proud of.
I don't really want to quit drinking completely and forever. I would like to become one of those people who enjoys a glass of wine now and then and has the ability to buy beer in a six-pack instead of a case! |
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| I love a good glass of wine every now and then. I did used to drink quite a bit more when I was bartending and waiting tables, but since I have started a yoga teacher; I hardly drink as much. I definately feel healther and do notice that if I have too much I feel it for DAYS afterwards. Done in moderation I think it's cool. But... beware of over consumption! Hangovers are not fun. |
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| I enjoy going out and drinking with friends and like the taste of beer (Stella Artrois!), wine (mmmm....Shiraz) and cocktails (gin and tonic for me, please). However, over the last few months I've been drinking less overall. Its possible its a normal thing for my age (26) to just stop acting like the crazy college student I was. However, as I am doing more and more yoga, taking care of my body and feeling well have become more innate.
I honestly don't seem myself giving up alcohol all together, I enjoy the taste and going out for drinks with friends. But I think yoga is helping me strike a healthy balance. |
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| twisti - 2005-02-27 3:47 PM
I used to drink alot... I work in a bar on and off and it came with the territory.
I stopped drinking a few months before I did my teacher training course and afterwards had no desire to start again.
So has practicing yoga influenced your attitude about drinking alcohol? |
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| So, does yoga philosophy encourage or discourage alcohol? |
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| Discourages it. And therefore, yes it has changed my attitude in that now I feel more guilty about drinking. |
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Expert Yogi
Posts: 8442
| Mr D - yoga philosophy in general suggests a moderate lifestayle Some traditions I am sure expect 100% abstinence but that would not attract me because I don't like absolutes and commandments from "above." Far better to let the student find his/her own path and discover the benefits of a healthy lifestyle in their own way.
Jean - you have a lot on your plate in this lifetime, eh? And you are right - it seems like you are being asked to work on these things on your own. I feel I have often been bumped into moving in the right direction, either because I was smart enough to recognise the hint or because I was so hopeless I needed a big nudge and never would have figured it out on my own.  I suggest giving up the guilt (it is still Lent, isn't it? You can give it up for Lent ) It sucks up way too much energy that you could be putting to much better use. You sound like you have a good brain and a good heart. Have some faith in yourself and take it in little steps. You'll be fine  |
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| Good brain, good heart . . . baaaad liver. 
Thanks Tourist, sometimes I need to be told the same stuff I'm always telling other people. I go nuts when my friends are kicking themselves about something, then I do it to myself without even realizing it! It is somewhat ironic that I'm finally having this discussion when I haven't even had a drink in almost a month. Boy, I sure am saving a lot of money! Spring wardrobe here I come!
I agree that moderation is the key to everything, I just don't trust myself to moderate some things. Beers are like those potato chips, I can't have just one! At the same time, I know myself too well - I like to rebel. If I tell myself I am not allowed to drink, I'll think of nothing but beer until I have one. So, they're in the fridge, and I know I can have some if I want some. Just haven't had any yet. I think it's that my recovery from surgery is going so great, I don't want to do anything that might slow it down. |
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Expert Yogi
Posts: 8442
| Oh Jean, you are so right about the rebellion and denying yourself. That's why I never "diet." Every time I say zero tolerance to something, the urge to do it is so strong! and so right about telling yourself the same things you tell others. BTDT |
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alcohol!
