How much do you think wine and wellness have in common?
More than you think! It's widely known that yoga is all about being mindful with your breathing and movement, yet wine professionals will tell you that's exactly how they taste wine.
As students of wine, we’re taught to pay attention to every aspect of wine: how it looks, how it smells, how it tastes... to “properly” taste a wine, mindfulness is involved.
That's why at Vino Vinyasa classes, we add wine facts into our yoga flows and follow each class with mindful wine tasting. While we encourage everyone to try a Vino Vinyasa class one day, you can also try your own mindful wine tasting and yoga pairing.
Here are our favorite yoga poses and wine pairings for you to try the next time you're on your mat:
Pinot Grigio – Mountain Pose/Tadasana
Pinot Grigio is a light-bodied white wine that a lot of people think of as basic–kind of like mountain pose. But if you look at the details, neither is quite so basic.
Despite being a white wine, Pinot Grigio is actually a grayish-purple grape that is a mutation of Pinot Noir, a black grape. Similarly, Mountain Pose is not just standing at the front of your mat–it's about mindfully standing to calm your mind and balance your nervous system.
Chardonnay - Downward Facing Dog/Adho Mukha Svanasana
A kind of chameleon of wines, there are many versions of Chardonnay. It's the most planted white grape in the world. Similarly, downward-facing dog is a popular pose that has many variations and is the starting point for many flows and poses.
Sauvignon Blanc - Down Dog Splits (3-LeggedDog) / Eka Pada Adho Mukha Svanasana
Sauvignon Blanc is an uplifting wine, while Down Dog Splits involves lifting one leg to energize your body.
Amongst tasting notes of tropical fruit, grass, and green bell pepper, a common smell you may get is slightly reminiscent of cat pee, depending on who you ask. And the best cue for opening your hip from this pose? “Pretend you’re a dog peeing on a fire hydrant.”
Chenin Blanc - Wild Thing / Camatkarasana
Chenin Blanc, like this pose, can be fun and funky. It can be a grounding posture, or it can make you feel like you are flying. Similar to the Wild Thing pose, there are many variations of Chenin Blanc, varying from dry or sweet, still or sparkling. Anything goes but it’s all joyful!
Albariño – Triangle / Trikonasana
Albariño is generally a high-acid, linear wine. Triangle pose is meant to be an extremely linear pose, lengthening the spine, back, and hamstrings while keeping your body in the same plane. This is an energizing pose and I think of Albariño as an energetic wine!
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