Folks: once a week I drink 2-3 glasses of red wine.
What is your opinion on Yoga and alcohol.
[QUOTE=Layman;37592]Folks: once a week I drink 2-3 glasses of red wine.
What is your opinion on Yoga and alcohol.[/QUOTE]
I love good wine, in moderation, although sometimes I have one too many. 
I do no harm by drinking wine, I relax and simply enjoy.
So in my opinion there is nothing wrong with it, unless you feel there is? The fact that you have posted this question leads me to believe perhaps you think/ feel there might be? It is really for you to decide, can’t imagine you will enjoy it as much if you feel guilty about it…
Also, there have been other threads on this topic before, perhaps you can have a search for them.
It’s not enough.
siva
Drink (or don’t drink) as much as you feel comfortable drinking because you [I]want[/I] to (or don’t want to), and not because of what “yoga” thinks 
Is the consumption a divergence from or adherence to your path?
Is it part of the problem or part of the solution?
Does it move you toward spirit or is it an escape that is rationalized by the very proficient mental force?
On the path of yoga it is only a matter of what is appropriate (not “right”) for YOU.
For this reason no one can make the determination except YOU.
No one can tell you what you should or should not do. And this is a two-way street.
That means that just as no one should tell you you cannot do it no one should tell you that you can.
For me, I do not drink alcohol (though using it as a medicinal once or twice a year would feel appropriate, if required).
And this is a conscious choice I made 13 years ago. I did not have a “problem” in any way, shape, or form.
My Yoga practice is about becoming a more feeling human being.
I find alcohol to interfere with the authenticity of that ability and the growth of organic feeling (for me).
In other words if it facilitates a feeling for me then I want to cultivate the ability to have that feeling without a reliance on cabernet.
Generally the consumption numbs my overall ability to feel and sense.
To me it feels like an easy escape and therefore (for me) it is not really coping but more of a flavorful hiding.
And we know, of course, there’s a difference between something that tastes good and something that’s good FOR us.
For these same reasons I avoid drugs and narcotics and restrict intake of sugar and caffeine (until I’m mature enough to avoid those too) except as the occasional exception to enjoy them and not root in dogma.
So it depends on what the substance does for you AND the intention of your path (Yoga).
If the latter is only to stretch muscle, then it’s likely the former is not much of an impediment.
If it is something deeper then perhaps the consumption is a divergence from your path?
My personal philosophy is everything in moderation, and within reason.
If medical findings are to be believed, moderate consumption of wine is very beneficial to the health.
I drink at least 3 pints of beer a week…
Beer is full of minerals, and it relaxes me in the evening, sometimes help me sleep better!
When I started doing yoga I could still drink my favourite vodka and soda and a few glasses of wine a week. But as I deepen my yoga practice more and more each month, week and day and as my mind, body and soul changed with my practice i found myself less attracted to the next glass to a point where I get violently ill from alcohol now. For me it wasn’t a specific day that I said this is the end, but it was a gradual move and push towards a point where I have no desire to partake of any alcohol and I am happy with that.
I drink and I drink loads when I am out with my friends. The record has been 25 pints of beer over a weekend. Recently, however, I have gone through some very intense introspection on my drinking habits. I realised that I do not really need it, that I function much better without it and my state of mind is more at peace. The flipside is, I have inhibitions. So I have not been drinking for a few weekends now. I am not sure if I have stopped altogether, but so far I have felt no need to drink. Perhaps it is better to stop altogether.
In the end if you are serious about your spirituality you will not do anything that will compromise your consciousness. Alcohol is one of the biggest compromises.
I believe care has to be used in touting benefits of alcohol consumption in order to rationalize or justify the consumption - which is why I love suryadeva’s reply. Incredibly frank and insightful on this topic). Most people are not consuming alcohol for nutritional value.
Frankly, nutritional justifications aren’t particularly sound and typically aren’t very honest - though there may in fact be someone actually watching their mineral consumption.
The benefits accrued through wine can often be mimicked by eating a handful of organic red grapes. Most beer is not in fact “full of minerals” but merely has traces of calcium, magnesium, and phosphorous. However it also has mycotoxins (aflatoxin in beer) not to mention yeast which can, in some people promote candida overgrowth in the duodenum.
I would say that if you’re seeking liberation, then you probably want to divorce yourself from any desire for material enjoyments. But what good is a spiritual path if you can’t stop to smell the roses along the way? Kleshas, or addictive behaviors, or disturbing emotions that cause suffering are a much different animal.
If you can lye on the floor without hanging on, your sober
I also believe everything in moderation. When you over indulge you cloud your senses and perception. I drink several glasses of red wine per week and have an occasional beer or mixed drink. I have never been one to drink much, as I am a wimp. So for me all is OK.
I also admire your honesty Surya. Took courage.
[QUOTE=Layman;37592]Folks: once a week I drink 2-3 glasses of red wine.
What is your opinion on Yoga and alcohol.[/QUOTE]
my opinion that you are an alcoholic. For me Yoga and THAT* amount of alcohol is not acceptable for my way of yogi.
You asked for the opinion, not appreciation, right?
Plus desire for the alcohol and that “make me hight” feelings is not good for yogi.
If you continue practicing you will find out one day a strong aversion to alcohol … what is the body asking for more purification.
*(By THAT amount I mean 2-3 glasses. We can not avoid alcohol in NATURAL living. Actually the body needs alcohols. Some foods especially fermented contains [U]traces[/U] of “right” alcohol…but not 3 glasses!! )
Namaste
I don’t think you can make an assumption that someone is an alcoholic based on drinking a few glasses of red wine a week. Alcoholism is a disease and the person suffering from it cannot control how much they drink. It affects their life in every aspect. They are dependent on alcohol.
With that being said CityMonk, I can respect that you choose not to drink because you feel it prohibits you from being a good yogi.
Folks: Thanks for the kind replies.
Moderation is the summary I get from your answer which ofcourse make sense.
I do not do asanas the day after I drink. I found it tiring. That is me.
It is all what balances well in your life. There are even benefits to drinking some wine in moderation. The old adage “everything in moderation” runs all the way back to Aristotle. But in this modern age, so many activities and social engagements revolve around a glass or two of this or that. It may be a challenge you want to test for your own boundaries, and see what it takes to not drink anything for a certain length of time. See what it feels like to be a complete non-drinker, but no need to make a blanket statement that you will never drink again. Best of luck on your journey, you will know the way you need to proceed!! Zesa Yoga
[QUOTE=lotusgirl;37724]I don’t think you can make an assumption that someone is an alcoholic based on drinking a few glasses of red wine a week. Alcoholism is a disease and the person suffering from it cannot control how much they drink. It affects their life in every aspect. They are dependent on alcohol.
[/QUOTE]
Here is my mean answer. I apologize in advance.
I don’t think that you can make and assumption that I can not make an assumption. :)) Drinking on the regular basis is considered an alcoholism in the contemporary medicine regardless of whether one like it or not. Drinking [U]every week[/U] is a regular basis. “every week” is a key word. An alcoholic is not just the one who drink bottle a day and beat up wife and kids. There are different types of alcoholism and most of alcoholics can control the amount of drinking, their desire and behavior.
This is not my assumption, this is my knowledge based on 30 years life experience and observations as well as on medical references.
If you read in the “Luxury Life” magazine that the wine is good for you health, blood pressure and… blah…blah…I can tell you in case you don’t know that this is an advertisement and it was paid for. As well as these researchers were paid for by the vine-making companies.
Original post asks for opinion. Here is my opinion:
Alcohol is a poison. Point
[QUOTE=Layman;37740]Folks: Thanks for the kind replies.
Moderation is the summary I get from your answer which ofcourse make sense.
I do not do asanas the day after I drink. I found it tiring. That is me.[/QUOTE]
And you, man, just hear what you wanted to hear… 
I like your bluntness. This calls for one
Thanks CityMonk!