Yoga Like A Fine Wine?
We all definitely end up settling into a style of yoga or a teacher that suits our tastes. Something tried and tested , does what it says on the label and dosn’t make us feel funny or leave us with a nasty taste.
Like a good wine, yoga needs a little breathing space. Rather than glugging the whole class/glass down as fast as we can, space around the shapes, acclimatising ourselves to the room temperature and a little bit of a dim rather than startlingly bright atmosphere can create a whole different experience.
Just like wine, we all have different yoga tastes from the flavour (style of yoga) to the glasses (studio, hall, gym) it’s served in. And we all occasionally have our head turned by a funky flashy label that all too often tastes like ‘I wish I hadn’t bothered’.
However if you are a wine connoisseur or yoga enthusiast it’s great fun and part of that hobby or lifestyle to try lots of different types, varieties and note their aftertaste, what draws you back for that second sip or has you spitting it out.
When we,or our practice, is young it is similar to the famous Beaujolais Nouveau wine – fresh, fruity, vibrant. It’s meant to be consumed promptly after harvest and is known not to age well. It is meant to be enjoyed young and is described as fun rather than meant to last. It has instant satisfaction value and the idea is consume plenty whilst it is seasonal.
But a yoga practice with structure, complexity and aging potential is like a Barolo, often called the king of wines. It becomes better with age, connoisseurs reporting it developing intriguing layers, rich flavours and depth.
Jumping straight to what we perceive as the good stuff dosn’t always work though. A young Barolo is bitter and austere so patience is key to appreciating it.
Yoga like fine wine is a process of maturing.
Often best left alone in the dark, not jostled around and allowed time to develop a slow soft bodied intensity of its own.
We get there when we get there.
Let the beaujolais come and go and enter your cellar worthy practice era.
