Thursday Toasts with Aradhna: The Original Pairing

By Aradhna Chhachhi

It doesn’t come as a surprise that after a long day, two thoughts come to mind. The first being – a glass of wine engulfing my sensory cells. The touch of a new bottle I’ve been waiting to open, the sound of a lavish pour, striking colour to look at and the accompanied perfume that’s travelling up my nose – building excitement to swirl and taste it.

Now, what is the second thought you ask? Well, it’s as heavenly as the first one and tugs desperately at my emotions and gadget-fatigued limbs. The sight of a white mat, overlooked by warm yellow fairy lights, green leafy plants, and soft bolsters. The show stopper is an audio system with a sound capacity that lulls your soul to release. All of this guarded by a door, that once shut will leave my mind and body to liberate in a calming yoga session.

Having spent an adequate amount of time with both Yoga & Wine, let me tell you, they’re more alike than we realise, making it very easy for someone who is taken by both to marry her passions.

Here are some of their similarities:

Both can be intimidating

Have you walked into a yoga class & seen people mould themselves into shapes with ease and decided this isn’t for you? Have you also walked into a wine shop, looked at the sheer number of bottles from different regions and got daunted?

Well, the people that now twist & stretch themselves were once at your side of the class, they worked at their own pace and have journeyed to get there. The wine bottles stacked in the shop only means more variety for you to choose from. It’s all about that little step, remembering why you walked into that yoga class or wine shop in the first place to make that move and experiment.

Good for health in moderation

Let’s visit a style of wine here – hello red wine (specifically medium to fuller in the body). The presence of resveratrol, an antioxidant that is found in the skin of the grapes (particularly those with higher tannin – a natural polyphenol found in seeds, plants, fruit skins, and even tea leaves!) makes it a win-win. Around 3-4 glasses of wine every week, drinking at a moderate pace with a consistent intake is beneficial – as opposed to finishing one bottle in an evening. Red wine is anti-cancer, anti-inflammatory, and aids weight loss by blocking the absorption of fat.

Whereas, moderate yoga – you can pick a form that suits your body, mind and comfort level. Yoga done at a temperate pace three times a week for 45 minutes with slow & deep breathing has a similar aftermath and more. It leads to a reduction in inflammation, weight loss, pacification of hormones, change in the response to stress along with better balance, and mobility.

Practice enhances the experience

My mantra to better understand wine and my taste buds? The 5 s’s of wine tasting – see, swirl, sniff, sip, and savour. Expose your palate to more wine and make it a gastronomical experience with the food you love. This will better inform you of the wine profile and flavours you prefer too. As far as yoga is concerned, here is something I read when I was training to be a Yin Yoga Coach (specific Yin Principles which I believe can apply to all forms of Yoga, after a little paraphrasing).

These are come – into a posture in a way that respects your body, make – a commitment to finding some stillness, and hold – each pose for a period you determine. This is what you owe to you – commitment, consistency, and self-respect.

Now that you’ve spent a while musing with me over both wine and yoga, what is your pick for this evening? Most days, I find that a soothing yoga session followed by a glass of red wine beats any other pairing.

Cheers!

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