The Middle Path

Yoga & Wellness

As part of SOMM360 in 2018, I taught the sommeliers - all competition winners in their respective countries, most of whom went on to compete in the Best Sommelier of the World competition a few months later–simple yoga poses and meditation techniques. I wanted to make the yoga and meditation accessible. One doesn’t need a mat or fancy clothes to practice yoga; if you have a chair, a wall, a scarf or a belt, and the willingness to take a few minutes to move your body, then you’re off to a good start. Meditation doesn’t mean you need to sit in a cross-legged pose for an hour; if you have five minutes to be still, then you’re meditating.

Yoga: The “Middle Path” or “Middle Way” is actually part of a Buddhist teaching that recommends the middle way to go through life by following a path of “middle way of moderation, between the extremes of sensual indulgence and self-mortification”. I prefer to use the term in a light-hearted way because I do move between the “extreme” of life working in hospitality (with alcohol!), and yoga. Although the practice of asana (yoga poses) can be part of a spiritual practice, one does not need to be flexible, religious, or vegan in order to practice and reap the benefits of yoga. In fact, I believe that if it wasn’t for yoga, I would not still be able to do the work–the long hours on my feet, the lifting of boxes, the fast pace, the ability to meet the constant demands of guests, clients, colleagues–after over 30 years in the business. In recent years, I have offered yoga classes to many of my peers. These are restorative in nature because I believe that we all need to slow down, get off our feet, get out of our heads, and move in away that is restorative to body and mind. The classes are slow moving, and are often made up of soothing stretches and twists, or supported poses (using props like a blanket or a chair) that can undo the knots that no doubt build up in our muscles. As an added bonus, these poses may also help us with posture, create better body awareness (where we are in space and in relation to other things and other people), and calm our breathing and our minds. This means poise and elegance in our movements, ability to be calm under pressure and manage our words and actions, and longevity in our day and in our careers. What we want is functional movement, so that we can do our jobs well, and still move through life.

Meditation: You can find a lot of information online about the benefits of meditation. Among these are increased grey matter (you can continue to learn!), better retention of information and better recall of information learned, clarity of thinking, calm mood, less impulsive and reactive, and less incidence of heart disease. Your meditation practice could be something as simple as taking five minutes out of your day and watching your breath. For those studying for exams or competitions, yoga and meditation can help you stay focused during the studying and perform well during the event.

If you are interested in a session for your team, or a private session for yourself, contact me. I would be happy to create something specific to your needs that is accessible for your body and your schedule.