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It was eight or 10 years ago when I first saw a “Yoga and Wine” workshop advertised. My eyebrows climbed halfway up my forehead and a very un-yogic phrase beginning with “what the” ejected itself from my mouth.
I had been presenting workshops at MAHEC (a continuing ed training center for healthcare professionals here in Asheville), teaching yoga practices to clinicians to support folks who are struggling with mental health and/or addiction challenges, and interest was slowly growing.
But how was I supposed to get yoga taken seriously with this sort of stuff going on?
The yoga and wine craze just kept getting crazier. And then other substances hopped on the crazy train too. Yoga teachers began holding workshops in breweries (brewga), and “420 yoga” became a thing. Lots of studios…ahem…experimented.
One teacher told me that yogis have always used substances so it was just another version of the tradition.
True some ascetics in India, living in caves or ashrams, perhaps covered in ashes, dreadlocked and loinclothed, have traditionally practiced highly ritualized, contextualized use of substances, as part of their completely-committed-to-self-realization lifestyles.
I’m not sure that toking up before, or sipping Chardonnay after, a vinyasa workout falls into the same category.
(And, to be fair, during my travels in India I also met more than one sadhu stoner, more interested in the ganja then the Ganges – I mean humans have always liked to alter their minds.)
I get it, substances are an accepted, and promoted, fact of life in many cultures.
It’s really hard to make it as a yoga studio. High rents, lots of competition, hard to get folks to commit. Studio owners need to bring people in to survive – and substances bring people in. Done tastefully, these workshops can create feelings of connection and community. Also, it’s important to realize that use and abuse are different things. The focus is not about getting wasted, but rather promoting a social, relaxing atmosphere.
Still, I think there are some things to take into consideration including: Is a liquor licensed required to serve whatever substance and if so, do you have one? What about liability insurance – someone gets in a car after a couple of glasses of wine and has an accident? Even for a BYO, are you liable should any mishaps occur?
Frankly, as someone who has worked with many people in recovery from addiction, I think the yoga + substances trend is a problem. I moved to little hippie-town Asheville 20 years ago when it was full of crystal shops, drum circles, and you couldn’t throw a massage therapist without hitting an astrologer.
Now the landscape is covered in micro-breweries, wine bars, and pub-cycle tours… and, ironically but unsurprisingly, there are lots of treatment centers here.
And when someone gets out of rehab, it’s really hard to stay sober anyway, but that much harder in a town that so loves to party.
Substance-free yoga studios can be a refuge for people in recovery – one of a very few public places where you don’t have to worry about feeling triggered and fighting urges to use.
Perhaps it’s useful to consider why you teach yoga, what is the point? It could be argued that yoga practice is about the expansion of consciousness – does serving alcohol or promoting marijuana use achieve that desired effect? Are the repercussions of such events worthy of some ethical rumination? Are they non-harmful? How do they serve students? I’m not saying there is one clear-cut answer here, but perhaps it’s worth thinking about.
Yoga has become a business and I think teaching yoga is a noble (though often challenging) profession. And, I would suggest, that perhaps there are more creative ways of staying in business than bringing substances to the studio.
I couldn’t agree more. Yoga is a healthy, nurturing refuge from all the ways we assault our minds and bodies on a daily basis.
I wince to think of yoga and wine being offered together. I ache for the addict looking for a safe place to be with people and really connect with herself as well.
In terms of business, it’s such an obvious profit-motivated pandering that I could not see such an establishment as a ligit place to learn or practice.
Thanks for your thoughtful contribution.
Thank you Kaoverii for presenting this topic is such a non-judgmental way. Your intelligence, writing style, common sense and humor always prompt me to read your blogs. You present important points to think about from many angles. I much prefer hearing from you rather than from an authority or someone who believes he/she has it all figured out and knows the perfect, right answer to everything.
Thanks Margaret – that means a lot to me. You are doing some really important work – I’m honored and grateful! ❤️
I’m so with you Kristine! I coincidentally just a week and a half ago I got a call yet again looking for do I teach hot yoga no click! It’s spurred me to write a post on social media about do you teach at yoga do you teach goat yoga do you offer yoga with CBD do you do you do yoga with ganja it’s spurred a bunch of comments which was very enlightening amazing how many people were like yeah it’s OK to smoke pot and come to class , what’s wrong with that ? Seems like the pose just opened a can of craziness and I had created a monster on social media. Having taught in rehab clinics and in mental health settings to help folks get off substances and rely on themselves for their own physical and mental well-being I completely agree with you there honestly isn’t a place in my class for that. I have no problem if someone wants to do that on their own in their own time just that is not to me what yoga is about! I know that my students understand the genuine yoga that I teach which is very akin to your’s, over the last 24 years , is about genuinely , as you said , feeling Comfortable in a social setting where everyone can find peace without substances~is using their own consciousness. Kristine thank you for being a beacon of sanity in a sea of craziness !I’m with your sister~24 years and counting!
THansk so much for sharing your thoughts and experience Pamela. Pot has come to be as acceptable as alcohol. And many claim it is much healthier, which may be accurate. The conspiracy theory part of my mind is concerned that it’s a bit like Soma in Brave New World – use it to block out the psychosocial abuse and control that we are forced to endure in modern culture. Yoga can be a revolutionary, subversive practice, getting people up and active in creating personal and social change.
All so very profound🙏
Thank you for this! I love the line “Perhaps it’s useful to consider why you teach yoga, what is the point?” Living in a world where addiction and recovery is a battle, I want people to come to yoga as a safe haven. A place where they can rest their mind and thoughts and let their body/the asana take over. I would never want my classes to be a stumbling block to those who come or trigger them. And as yoga teachers, we are called to practice Ahimsa and I fear some of these marketing ploys are doing the exact opposite.
Thanks for sharing your thoughts and experience Jennifer. I think many people appreciate your efforts to provide a safe space.
I would like to share my feelings. Yoga is about going inside in an open and accepting way. It’s about having a more *subtle* attention to our inner ups and downs. When we are using substances we are not courageously facing what’s inside. We are avoiding what’s inside. Our ability to feel gets more gross and less subtle. Our ability to feel gets clouded. As someone who was drinking regularly for quite some time, and then stopped, I can see how alcohol was directly interfering with my ability to feel the subtlety of being human. It didn’t improve my ability to be aware and awake. That’s not what we, as yoga instructors or teachers, should promote if we want to get to the true depth of yoga and be agents of change in our society.
Eloquently and succinctly expressed Marla. As to the original post, the function of yoga studios as substance-free zones promoting real wellness should be celebrated in our communities as oases. The spiritual path always goes against conventional thinking though.
Thanks for commenting Jenni – and that’s a good point – yes often the spiritual path is not the path of least resistance and goes against the tide.
Your point about subtlety is well taken. Also Ayurveda classifies substances as tamasic, which is the opposite direction. Thanks for sharing Marla
As an occasional pot smoker, and former heavy pot smoker, I love the idea of a 420 class but there are none in my area. As a part-time yoga teacher in a conservative area, I’m unlikely to start one. The highest good in my life is Friday nights with friends and mood-modifying substances. My daily morning yoga and meditation starts with coffee. Otherwise, I eat a mostly macrobiotic diet of grains, greens, and beans. I empathize with friends who have addiction issues and I used to attend a 12-step program. When I started tithing a monthly yoga class, I realized that, for me, the answer to addiction is to get out of my own head and help others.
Thanks so much for sharing your thoughts Yogi Sue the Artist!
Agreed. I also think a studio combining yoga with alcohol or drugs goes against the yoga principles of saucha and ahimsa (non-violence toward yourself).
Thanks Leah.
That is exactly what I was thinking, Marla, as I was reading Kristine’s post. In fact I even before I read the post I was thinking about my own wine habit and how it may be affecting my ability to go deeper in my practice. Thanks to you both for illuminating!!
Thanks for your thoughts Jayne and I’m glad you enjoyed the post!
IMO, substance use is ubiquitous and always has been, across cultures. The challenge for people who indulge is distinguishing between purposeful use to enhance or focus their experience, and reflexive self-medication to dump difficult energy rather than manage it. The practice of Yoga is so helpful in developing our capacity to manage our own energy that the study deserves its own space and attention. I do not condemn the combination of yoga with weed or wine but acknowledge that it will occur, and concentrate my own efforts on offering yoga for the raising and management of energy, versus yoga that merely provides a “workout”, and hope that this lands with my students. Less can be more, similar to determining right effort in asana practice.
Thanks so much for sharing your insights Laura. I would add that when use become addiction, choice is no longer on the table and that’s the issue for about 10% of the population. I appreciate your focus on using yoga to manage energy.
I am all for anything that lowers the barrier to entry to yoga. So many people are intimidated by yoga – and this may make it feel more approachable and social. People find their way to a deep yoga practice through many avenues – there is no one right route that will get everyone there.
Thanks for your thoughts Charlee!
Working at an addiction center, I hear this story too many times…yoga and wine/beer.
The sad truth, many can no longer even go to a ‘safe’ yoga class because it has become a trigger. Yoga without alcohol can can truly help those with addiction issues. We go inward, we face our fears and demons and no longer numb the empty hole in our hearts and spirits with drug/alcohol abuse. Thanks for writing about this .
Oh yeah, that’s a really good point too – once yoga has become associated with the substance, that’s very difficult. Thanks for sharing Jilda.
I work at a studio that is very keen on building community through regular fun Friday night events that involve various styles of yoga including partner yoga, music themed practices and discussion groups occasionally. We find that even with these events it’s hard to find a chance for students to get to know each other. We started offering once a month trips to the wine bar (which also has kombucha on tap) a few doors down after class. The connection that happens at these gatherings creates so much joy for our community and it then continues on in class as everyone is so much friendlier with each other before and after class. Some come to the wine bar and only drink water or kombucha. My point is it’s not about the substances but about the chance to connect which humans are really needing more and more as everything is getting so tech oriented and isolating. Especially here where we live in Silicon Valley. Cheers to more opportunities to connect! Also I love your subtle yoga program. 🙏🏻
Yes this is the real issue isn’t it Robin. And if it happens at a wine/kombucha bar down the street, that’s the appropriate venue for it. Thanks for sharing your thoughts!
Drunk yoga isn’t my thing, as balance is a big enough challenge! I would not allow alcohol or drugs in my teaching space, but I like that the party nearby, but not in the same space as the yoga. Part of our tradition is non-judging, and this could be a healthy practice to accept our fellow yogis who fall while in tree pose and burst into laughter. Why not now and then?
Have the Uber/Lyft apps open…
Love this stuff – thanks for the blog, Kristine!
THANK YOU!
So glad you addressed this issue. It raise my eyebrows as well.
I’m not a big fan of kitten or goat yoga either!
Ha! Well, I do cat yoga everyday – but not by choice LOL!
I agree with you wholeheartedly…and am faced with differing opinions on the matter. Just don’t think using substances promotes the health practices we are striving to establish.
Thanks Angie. It’s really that simple isn’t it.
I agree with most all of you, that Yoga and substances are NOT an appropriate mix. I do believe in community, letting people get to know each other, sharing how yoga helps them become centered and strong, finding clarity of purpose or of beauty in the body…let’s offer chai, organic coffee, tea, healthy treats or pot luck that encourages students to gather and commune with one another. I’ve been to yoga sharing circles, giving each person a chance to share (if they want) while being fully and compassionately listened to, seen and heard by the rest of the circle, no one gets to respond or try to fix anything, or commiserate/compare. This is very helpful for healing.
There are Yoga /Cacao ceremonies in my area, which are different and more healthy and positive.
200YTT Yoga of Energy Flow, & LoveYourBrain cert. instructor
Such nice alternatives Lori, I really appreciate your thoughts!
This is a great conversation to have initiated. A substance free yoga practice is what I am for and promote too. I am glad to see this dialog. I think in yoga we need a clear mind in order to effect those neuropathways. I wonder if any the mindfulness studies or yoga studies have looked into the effectiveness of classes while high, whether that be alcohol, marijuana or even hallucinogens.
As someone in recovery who has practiced and taught yoga for over 20 years. I can say the last ten years clean and sober have been the best and most growth producing and satisfying.
Thank you so much for sharing your thoughts! Yes, how do we effect neuroplasticity when substances are part of the mix? that’s an interesting question. thanks!
I felt the same way when I first saw “Yoga and a Glass” advertised by a yoga teacher in conjunction with a local winery. I always told my students that I don’t agree with that, and it defeats what we experience in our yoga practice. Yoga makes us feel so good. Alcohol will have a revere effect and counteract what I have heard called the “yoga buzz”. The yoga buzz is how we feel after doing yoga, so nothing else is needed. People think it’s cool, and love talking about going the winery, and breweries to do yoga. On the other end of the spectrum, I have seen “Holy Yoga” which I don’t agree with either, because yoga, to me, should remain non-denominational Of course that’s a subject for another time. Maybe you already addressed that somewhere?? I’m an E-RYT 200, thanks for letting me share.
OH MY GOSH, You nailed it. Thank you! I couldn’t agree more! My reaction was similar to yours the first time I heard about Yoga and drinking at the same time in an established Yoga studio. People laugh about it and think it’s cool. I roll my eyes and say don’t get me started on this issue! I had to make a tough decision once and ask a few students not to return to my class. I had to figure out diplomatically how to ask them not to come in STONED every time they came in. I knew I’d be taking a risk at losing these two. Sure enough, I was called every name in the book. But hey, I did it for their safety and for mine. Maybe they’ve thanked me by now!
I’ve been teaching Yoga for the past twenty something years. Way, way back years ago, one of my students ran into me at a brew pub. I like an occasional beer once in a while, and he said to me, “what are you doing in here,” I thought Yoga teachers didn’t drink?” My face couldn’t have looked more surprised and I was actually astonished. I felt like hiding my beer glass, “what beer?” Yoga teachers are stereotyped for sure, and maybe teachers who hold these Yoga and drinking “things” want more acceptance. It’s true, YT’s are already placed on a very tall pedestal. Maybe another topic for discussion at a later time perhaps! 🙂
I, too work a lot with people in treatment and in recovery. Changing playmates and playgrounds are huge factors in maintaining sobriety. Part of the attraction of yoga is the opportunity to leave the stresses and influences of society outside and enter a new space. Bringing in substances brings in those stressors and makes the new playground no different from the old.
Good point Robin. thanks.
When we delve into yoga at the deepest level possible for each individual’s current state of awareness, we find the desire to eliminate any possible action that will lower awareness and vibration. This can range anywhere from non-vital food to alcohol or other false stimulant. Introducing any substance that has addictive potential into a vessel that has newly opened spaces and awareness creates possibilities of deepening cravings which can be harmful. As teachers and ambassadors of yogic philosophy I feel it important to strive in every action to keep our vessel as vital and pure as possible.
Thanks so much for your comment and your perspective Cathy.
I myself do not think it is an appropriate avenue for my studio teachings, but There are so those, dare I say that are of a certain younger age then myself who do not wish to come to an environment such as what I offer(beginner gentle Yoga and Yoga for people with Multiple Sclerosis as well as other afflictions and (their) caregivers) I offer a quiet and safe area for people to learn about themselves through Yoga and create a sense of community. Some of my younger yogi friends are happy to jump on the bandwagon of the last latest greatest. They follow the money and the hype. When I see the cash roll in for them Im okay with that but I would prefer to be a Yoga teacher who is taken seriously bc in the end my desire is to help those that need help in whatever way that I am able. P.S. I have a small farm with horses and border collies and no, I will never do goat yoga!!
Thanks for sharing your thoughts Robyn, I’m sure your students find a great yoga sanctuary with you and your farm!
I have been in recovery (drugs/alcohol) for 20 years and a yoga teacher for 2 1/2 years, so I write this from my own experience. Yoga provides an avenue–sometimes it’s uncomfortable–to access our deeper selves. It’s almost like an excavation. Once I started practicing 10 years ago, my life changed–whether I wanted it to or not. (I have simultaneously been in the 12-step Recovery program for 20 years and it works for me.)
Yoga class was a safe place to go deeper back then. I try to provide the same in my classes today and would never dream of adding on wine, beer or whatever…it is human nature to try to avoid the rough spots….we often are afraid/unsure of the feelings that come up and we don’t know how to navigate them. (Who here was given a class called “Your Feelings 101″ when you were growing up?” Me neither.) So we subconsciously find something to reach for when the going gets tough….shopping, sex, sugar, food, working out, drugs, alcohol….observe yourselves and watch you may reach for.
Some actually feel compelled to have classes in yoga today called “Yoga and Recovery,” or “Phoenix Yoga,” or “Yoga and the 12-Steps” etc. My hat is off to them.
Anyway, thanks for opening up the possibility for discussion here.
“Your Feelings 101” LOL! and I think we also need to have Your Feelings 201 to talk about the shopping, sex, sugar, food, etc. I appreciate your thoughts Kathy!
Hi Kristine, one of my students told me about you last year and I am so glad, enjoying all of your wisdom and insights. It’s nice to know that I am soooo not alone with my beliefs and path that I am on with my yoga studio and students. Yamas & Niyamas anyone???? It’s exhausting at times trying to run a yoga studio with all of this crazy nonsense going on. If it’s not broke, why are we trying to re-invent yoga. Everyone looking for that quick fix. Yoga is a life long journey. When students ask me when we are going to host wine, weed, etc. I too remind them of the liability and tell them (nicely) that if that’s what they feel they need, then go to XYZ yoga studio, but as long as I am the owner here, it’s not going to happen! Blessings and keep up the good work.
Thanks for sharing your thoughts Theresa!
Having been to Ashville, and spending lots of time in Austin Texas, I loved this sentence the most ” I moved to little hippie-town Asheville 20 years ago when it was full of crystal shops, drum circles, and you couldn’t throw a massage therapist without hitting an astrologer.” 🙂
Thoughtful musings. I do believe sometimes you need to make yoga just plain fun and less intimidating so that people feel comfortable enough to try it. Whenever I have seen an event like this advertiser in Dallas, it is a one-off class. It is not presented as an on-going class. I agree it isn’t what we want to promote and so many ways the exact opposite but if it works to lure someone in who can try yoga with no pressure, just maybe they will find a reason to return that doesn’t include alcohol…or goats. 🙂
Thanks so much for your thoughts Shannon – and thank you for resisting the urge to throw massage therapists around. heehee.
Echoing loads of other comments… I enjoy your blogs tremendously for the thought-inspiring nature of them… original and fresh. In regard to this subject… I’m near the end of reading Michael Pollan’s book called ‘How to Change your Mind: The new science of psychedelics’. Michael is not talking about taking the whole range of ‘party’ drugs that are out there, but goes deeply in the historical (mainly in the US in the 1950s-60s… Timothy Leary, Aldous Huxley, Richard Alpert aka. Ram Das) research and exploration that blossomed regarding the use of LSD and Psylocibin (magic mushrooms). These drugs were used for a time, and very successfully, in the treatment of all sorts of addictive disorders, and more. The reported experiences of those taking the drugs (including the researchers) were of accessing a state that went beyond ordinary human consciousness into a kind of mystical connectedness with the oneness of it all… poor description of Michael’s very erudite writing but I’m paraphrasing. The research was all shut down in the early 70s for a variety of reasons, and in recent years has started to gain momentum again. These drugs affect the mind in different ways than marijuana and the aforementioned ‘party’ drugs. It seems that once the experimenters gained a glimpse of that ‘greater dimension’ of life, the universe and everything, rather than becoming addicts many of them changed their life course radically, the old imperatives of material achievement and success not as important as deepening into the mystery and potential of being here, being human, and expressing more through qualities of empathy, love and kindness, in whatever pursuits they created. Experiences these people had are similar to those of long-term meditators… I’m not sure if I would ever try either LSD or Psylocibin, but it’s very interesting to think of why anyone wants to alter their consciousness. I know there are avoidance strategies in place quite often, dulling the pain of various aspects of existence. But I also think there is a strong ‘homing’ instinct in us humans … a knowing that there is a freer and more connected with the all-that-is to be had… somewhere, somehow. We seek it in our relationships, in our work, in our play, in our faith… yoga has been a beautiful part of this exploration for me, it’s deepened my awareness on so many levels. For Richard Alpert (a contemporary of Timothy Leary of ‘tune in, turn on, drop out’ fame), his explorations with psychedelics led him to India where he met his guru and became a devotee and was renamed Ram Das. He spent the rest of his life (drug-free) spreading his messages of love, and offering service to the world as it is, seeking to inspire people on their own journeys. So… yoga and wine? yoga and marijuana? People have to try and find their own way… as we all do. My path is to offer what I offer as truthfully as I can… at this stage anyway, not offering those kind of yoga classes!! 🙂 I’d have to have a reason that springs from my own integrity for offering such a class, not just the economic imperative.
I am the younger end of the generation that did experiment with psychedelic drugs and also yoga and meditation. We were seekers looking for that mystical connection. But my experiments with drugs were very limited due to the fact that although drugs are a quick path to certain states of consciousness, you are often not in control or prepared for them like you are when you take the much more gradual path of yoga and meditation. I saw a lot of people freak out. Some are permanently damaged. I support opening up medical research and do think in proper dose and setting that some psychedelics on a temporary basis could be helpful to people in some situations. But recreational use and high dosage is just plain dangerous. We saw that in the 70s.
I think if one is a brewery offering a yoga class, hurray! If one is a yoga studio offering happy hour, um, no. The purpose of this practice is to know ourselves. The studio should be a refuge, a place to pursue this practice in a focused and sacred way, offering as few distractions as possible. I love to get high and do yoga in my living room. I love to get high and dance, at home or parties. I do not get high and go to class, either to teach or attend. I pursue my art and my entertainment differently, but that’s just me. And there are many paths to enlightenment… Thanks Kaoverri for providing a safe online space to vent it all!
I have seen a rise in this sort of offering in Australia too. It does not sit well with where I am coming from with my class offerings.
In my tradition of Japanese Yoga, the teachers usually offer a cup of (Japanese) tea & sometimes little crackers. Students stay & socialise for 20 – 30 minutes or so if they so desire. Sometimes people may continue on elsewhere afterwards if they wish. I find it a rather lovely thing to do.
Thank-you all for your wonderful, thoughtful insights.
I have always been against events where mind altering substances are offered during practice. It really takes the Yoga out of the practice because the whole point is to be mindful and work with what arises because that is where the change happens. That said I have attended several yoga events that offered a modest glass of wine along with non alcohol options AFTER a not particularly ‘deep’ flow class during a socialization time. These never bothered me as it was optional and NOT during practice and I just saw it as ‘fun’ and not really part of a more serious practice of Yoga. But after reading all these great comments about safe spaces for those in recovery, I have a new view. Thanks for giving me that new perspective. That is what I love about this group!
Such an important topic, Kristine! My best friend’s son is battling addiction and associated mental illness. It is truly devastating to watch how drug and alcohol is damaging his 20-year-old mind. My heart goes out to his mother who has very limited options at her disposal as society, the government and the law fails her and her son over and over again in so many ways ( they live in western Europe).
I keep on saying “he needs meditation, he needs yoga!” But sadly, that could be the salvation to one is only a joke to another and, conversely, what is mere fun for one, is straightout dangerous to another. We have to be so careful to say that yoga heals people, yet others stop at nothing to make false claims just to attract the crowds. Freedom is nice but at what cost? If the advocates for substances could just fan the smoke away from their eyes they would be able to see what they are missing out on: yoga has the potential to save lives!
In the meantime, until these folks wake up from their artificially altered states of mind, the rest of us need to keep a rasor sharp focus on what we know and believe in and spread the word around.
Thank you, Kristine for another great post and may your work be blessed as we all line up behind you❤️
As a yoga teacher and yoga therapist I would not teach a student who is substance affected, for philosophical, safety and communication reasons. I find stoned people hard to connect with let alone take seriously. Drunk people can lose control quite quickly hence potential safety issues. Also, safe space sanctuary is important for everyone at the class – and people drinking gives many non-drinkers a deep sense of unease especially if there has been abuse in their past which involved substance abuse. So many reasons why I don’t like the idea at all, I don’t even think it’s yoga, does Patanjali mention having a beer, a joint or a vino with practice? I don’t think it brings union. A caveat, I think that very experienced dedicated yogi’s on a ritualistic path, yes, no problem. But just having a drink and a laugh and doing some yoga is insulting to the sacred path of Yoga.
Substance free yoga studios are a great idea for people getting out of rehab. They need some place to go to where there mind can relax and experience peace and inner joy.