Several months ago, I did a post on this blog about yoga and vegetarianism/veganism. The question was, “Does a yogi need to be a vegetarian/vegan?” This time around, I want to address the issue of whether or not a yogi ought to abstain totally from alcohol.
Certainly, there is something odd and maybe even a little contradictory about being a yogi who drinks alcohol regularly. A yogi, after all, is supposed to be the model of someone who has achieved (or is working towards) transcendence of the senses and even the mind. Most people drink alcohol, however, to relax, to feel good, to get “a buzz”, etc. In other words, the whole purpose of alcohol seems to be to artificially induce a pleasurable physical and mental state of some sort. At least this seems to be the case with most social drinking. Of course, there are other instances where a person may drink in order to “dull the pain,” and this seems even more out of line with what we might call the yogic way.
But what about having, say, one or two beers? Is that really such a horrible thing to do as a yogi? Well, I think this is a really personal question, and one that really depends on a person’s state of mind. If addiction to the “buzz” of drinking alcohol is the main motivation behind drinking, then, of course, this seems to be out of line with yoga. Non-attachment is an important aspect of yoga, and addiction is pretty much the paradigm case of attachment.
I’ve found, however, that certain motivations for abstaining from alcohol seem not to be really genuine (in the yogic sense). For instance, in the presence of friends and associates at bars or parties, I have often refused to drink any alcohol, partially, I think, in order to make a show if it. In other words, my abstinence was partially performative. What was I performing exactly? The role of a yogi, I think. In other words, it is possible for a person to become so attached to a certain self-conception — e.g. “I am yogi” or “I am athlete” or “I am American” — that he becomes blinded by this, and, as a result, conducts all or most of his behaviors to reinforce this self-conception. In order to elevate a self-conception from mere fancy to actuality, a person may find himself constantly performing, so to speak, certain behaviors in full view of others in order to reify this self-conception.
In the end, I do think that drinking alcohol is somewhat inconsistent with the so-called yogic lifestyle. So I’m not suggesting here that we ought to forget about ourselves as yogis and run out to the bar. Rather, I want to suggest that a genuine reason for abstaining from alcohol is a lack of interest in it. A not so genunie reason is the desire to maintain a certain identity, in your own eyes and in the eyes of others. Merely playing the role of a yogi does not make one a yogi.
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I first googled yoga and alcohol because I am both a yoga teacher and a party girl. I love dancing, clubs, and yes, drinking and drugs. I am a musician and the more yoga I do (I have had a daily practice for three years) the more I feel absolutely certain that making music is my calling in life. And not the daytime kind of music. Club music. But I absolutely love teaching yoga as well. Yoga has taught me so much about myself, all the good and the “bad”. Now, of course, in both worlds that I am living in, there is a lot of skepticism and doubt about my alternate reality. But I´ve always enjoyed crossing borders and I think it is a foundation of non-judgmentalness. So, first let me say that I really enjoyed reading all of the comments on this blog. Everybody is so thoughtful and eloquent, I was really impressed by the discourse, and it inspired me to try to articulate what I really feel about this topic.
I first looked up “yoga and alcohol” because I felt I needed to be aware of the physical affects of drinking and doing yoga, and so I appreciate learning that it is not good for your heart, nervous system or subtle body, and I fully understand anyone´s decision to not drink because of these reasons. But I would like to add something. Yoga is not about preserving your life, but understanding your life purpose, your true self and fulfilling that. Think about Gandhi: going on a hunger strike is not good for your health, but it is where he felt he needed to take a stand. Now before you chastise me for comparing this to Gandhi, I would like to add something else. I´ve found that within the yoga community there is generally an implicit judgmentalness towards club culture and party people. It is assumed that you cannot be both spiritual and participate in nightlife. But I completely disagree with this assumption.
Two reasons: one is that I do not follow Patanjali´s yoga sutras. I read them and find much wisdom in them, but they come from the classical, rather than tantric tradition of yoga. Tantrism was a later development in India. Classical yoga assumes that one ought to transcend the body and the desires, and it opposes with a binary opposition the body and the soul (the soul is better and higher — in addition, the masculine is considered more holy than the feminine). Tantrism believes the body and soul should be threaded together and that the desires of the body ought to be respected and engaged in.. with nonattachment. I don´t follow any doctrine and I believe that everyone has an inner guru that is available to guide them. But I do explore and research different doctrines so that I can think about and consider the approaches and see if they are suiting for me and what I want to do in the universe. I am also interested in how those doctrines are affecting other people, consciousness, the world in which we live.
My personal belief is that reality is a void, and that it is the collective unconscious beliefs, imagery and spirits that create the illusion we live in. Because I want everybody, including myself, to experience the bliss and joy of existence, I feel that both yoga, and music, and performance, are ways to heal people.. and healing them means to me that they are open to the void within, the infinite possibilities (1000 petaled lotus) of their character, and do not become attached to one definition of who they are. I also practice astrology, but it is to reveal to people the ways in which their actions are shaped by collective unconscious, and to help free them from this. Being open to all of the possibilities within yourself means knowing the shadow as well as the light.
I found it very interesting that the one person who spoke for the mixture of drinking and yoga was also a musician. Yes, this person spoke with a certain violence, and there was a response that considered that violence to be judgmental. Much as I can understand why you feel that way, I disagree. I have learned through history and observation that most of the times people act out in violence, it is in response to a structural violence that is invisible. The structural violence in this case is a belief in the yoga community that invalidates his/her manner of living as non-spiritual, suggests that the longer s/he practices yoga the less s/he will drink, suggests that s/he is acting from attachment and low vibrations rather than trying to follow his or her soul purpose as best s/he can. Structural violence can be seen all over the world, when economies are oppressed, democratically elected leaders are overthrown in coups and replaced with dictators, stereotypes are propogated. I don´t feel that revolutionaries should respond with violence. Gandhi was the one who figured out how to deal with his emotions, something yoga can help with, and to oppose peacefully. He recognized that the inner and outer batterfield are one, that harming others is harming yourself. But, I also appreciate any other viewpoint on that matter and I can see that when a person responds in an angry way, it is usually out of some sort of trauma that has to do with being oppressed, being unable to voice themselves properly in the language of the conquerer so to speak. Well, I´ve gotten a bit out of topic. I really feel love for all of you and appreciate so much the way this discussion caused me to search my soul and try to articulate my beliefs on the matter. But now to address the real topic, which was drinking and yoga. I´ve also spent long periods of time where I did not drink, I continued partying and called myself straight-edge. However, I found I was outside of the chaos and beauty of existence. I grew up in a highly repressive situation, in a fascist country (USA) — we are absolutely manipulated and controlled by false images. Part of my work as musician and yoga teacher is not to make everyone feel at peace with that. I want them to feel at peace with who they truly are, infinite possibility and infinite bliss. But I would like them to also see the truth about being manipulated and to stake their lives , possibly their health, to change it. Why? Because I don´t believe innocent people should die and suffer because of our illusions and self doubt. To me, chaos is a beautiful thing. It is life giving and generative. Making music really does require that you journey into the deepest areas of the underworld and unconscious, experience the full range of emotions and find the way to communicate those to people.. that is freeing to people.. to hear their repressed emotions expressed by someone who understands. The shaman was supposed to engage in this journey into the underworld, and the shaman was not expected to be considerate about their health when they faced shamanic death rituals or took hallucinogenics. They needed to explore these areas of consciousness to truly heal people. Because, most people are not willing or able to confront those matters in their psyche, yet they still need to have them heard, released, empathized with. This is why my personal feeling is that the current way of the yogic community is often actually counter to people being able to express their traumas, their feelings, their experiences, and then to understand why they´ve had those experiences and in what way they should act to address these deepest wounds within their souls and bodies, to heal not merely themselves but others.
I am sorry if this is slightly incoherent, i am currently living in Indonesia and communicating mainly with non native speakers, thus my English, which was once impeccable, has embraced every kind of pidgin imaginable. I hope what I have said is helpful to some people or at least makes some sense. Thanks for listening. Writing with much love from the depths of chaos, which is the fount of creativity and bliss.
Hello Child of Chaos, where exactly do you live in Indonesia? I live in Indonesia too, 2 years of practicing and still partying once in a while.
Glad to see varieties of point of view on this interesting subject.
I am of Indian origin. I practice a little Hatha Yoga and some Bhakti Yoga. I love to drink. I know I should cut down but I feel it is not necessary to quit altogether. Just don’t do asanas if you’re drunk. Make sure you are not doing anything important the next day like teaching a yoga class, or working. Drink lots of water and everything is fine. Once or twice a week isn’t bad. Abstinence from alcohol and sexuality alone doesn’t make us purer. There are people who love to drink and they are kind hearted and there are also some who, when they drink becomes belligerent but that’s another issue. Most of the vegetarians are not free from lust, anger, pride, and greed. Same goes with alcohol. So non-drinkers should not think themselves to be more superior to drinkers. God is not that cruel. i think the reason why many spiritual teachers warned us against drinking is because of the possibility of doing something wrong like driving under the influence, getting into a brawl, being loud and obnoxious and offending people around us, using it as an escape to drown our sorrows. But these things can be controlled if we know when to stop drinking. And there is the health issue which is true for excessive drinking. It’s like what the French say “All in moderation”. I really enjoyed reading the blog. Thanks.
Ananda (Simon Syed)
Wow I have just read all these threads and I am so pleased I did. I am a yoga teacher and love my practice I am not however obsessed with it. I also like a glass of wine or two and when I over do it I feel like death like I do now it makes me think why do I do it? I am healthy with food and doing yoga then I go out and have too much to drink and end up feeling crap and guilty for it. So I am not gonna give it up as that would be unrealistic but I am gonna do a de-tox for a month so I can reap the benefits of yoga and be moderate when I decide to have a drink again. Yes, everything in moderation is the key ! Thanks people for your wisdom – I have really enjoyed reading all this.
namaste JoJo xxx
I’ve heard that baking soda (Aluminum free) and water before bed will help keep your body in an alkaline state, and prevent all the negative oxidation of the cells. Try it and report back if it works!