THE PRACTICE OF MINDFUL DRINKING
When you grab a beer after work or on the weekend with friends how often do you think about the individual flavours of the beer or where the ingredients come from? As yogis + beer connoisseurs, it is important to us that we’re not drinking just for the sake of drinking. There is a purpose, and that purpose is experienced to it’s fullest ability! Whatever your beverage of choice, acknowledge that it is more complex than it appears + therefore deserves your full attention when learning about this liquid that you’re sipping into your body!
Whether you’re alone at home, with a few friends, or out at a bar – stop: take a breath and notice that your liquid refreshment holds a key to the present moment…even if it’s only water, coffee, or a pop! A mindful drinking practice can help you experience the vivid aliveness of your life, with or without alcohol!
STEPS FOR A MINDFUL DRINKING PRACTICE
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TAKE A BREATH.
Did you know that on average a human can breathe in 5L’s of oxygen before exhausting the space in the lungs, but that we only use about 20% of this capacity each time we breathe? Some come on, you deserve a nice full deep breathe! Lungs are muscles too, so just like how it feels good to stretch your whole body, it feels really good to stretch the lungs full of oxygen! Notice where your body feels good + where it feels tight. As you continue to breathe, send this breath into any of those tension areas to allow youto relax more into the moment.
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USING YOUR SIGHT, OBSERVE YOUR BEVERAGE WITH UNDIVIDED ATTENTION.
What is the colour, are there bubbles surfacing from carbonation, is the beverage opaque or transparent? What is the shape of the glass, cup, or bottle that is housing your drink? Why not take this moment in? It will never come again. Is there a thought or emotion when you reach for the glass? No good, no bad, just noticing whatever’s there.
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USING YOUR TOUCH, EXPERIENCE THE FEEL OF YOUR DRINK WHEN YOU PICK IT UP.
What does the weight feel like in your hand + the material on your skin? What type of temperature does your drink have? Does the temperature stay to the touch in your hands or does it transfer to other areas of your body?
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USING YOUR SMELL, BRING YOUR DRINK TO YOUR NOSE + TAKE A BIG INHALE.
What are your initial reactions to this smell? Familiar connections, unknown notes, favourable or non favourable? Take another inhale and while your exhale, notice how the smell remains in your senses.
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USING YOUR TASTE, TAKE A NICE SIP OF YOUR BEVERAGE + LET IT SIT IN YOUR MOUTH.
Hold the contents long enough for you to be able to take note of any familiar or new tastes, the feeling of the beverage on your taste buds + in your mouth. Slosh it around. Stay present to the sensory experience happening now, inside you. Gently focus attention on the felt experience. If you notice your mind wandering to thinking about drinking, or about anything at all, try to come back to mouth-land. The aftertaste + finish of a beverage can be drastically different than the initial bring up to the nose, so where’s the party at now?
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COMBINING ALL SENSES, TAKE ANOTHER SIP + EXPERIENCE THE FULL AFFECT!
Notice how the smell, the feel of the beverage in your mouth, and the taste can work together to create a total sensory experience! The best part about this mindful drinking business is that each sip + observation leads you to learning more about that drink, which is also leading you to become more present in each moment, which is therefore helping you to become more of a relaxed + centred individual.
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GIVE GRATITUDE.
When it comes to drinking (eating, or really anything) I like to take a moment either at the end or the beginning to acknowledge how this drink came to be enjoyed in my present moment. Being grateful for the farmers, the natural resources required, the labour to transport, the brewers, the process to brew, packaging + distribution…the list goes on until it arrives in your hand + you contemplate your gratitude for life!
Mindful drinking or mindfulness cannot be learnt by reading. You must be bold enough to go out + experience it for yourself! Even if you can only stay present of this experience for one second; that one second will become minutes, then hours, then days! Before you know it, you’ll be living a life of mindfulness in all areas!
YOGA ON TAP BEER TASTING SNAPSHOT
Use this handy cheat sheet as a guide when learning the art of beer tasting or when looking to rate a new beer! Great for beginner to expert beer lovers!
