Landscapes, vineyards, wine and mindfulness? How do you imagine that?
If you are a Buddhist practitioner, you may be wondering when meditation and wine can combine well.
But in our Western world, beyond the confines of religions, a quality glass of wine doesn’t seem to be harmful. Rather, it seems like a very satisfying experience, especially when guided by an experienced sommelier and they also teach you mindfulness. Is that possible?
Paula Tripicchio, psychologist, mindfulness practitioner and formerly part of the Ineco Mindfulness team, begins to provide that experience in a Rio Negro winery, and this tells us, “A winery and vineyard undoubtedly provides an ideal environment, not just to to enjoy the charm of its nature, but also becomes a unique space for it connect and explore our senses. The aroma of the wine, the texture, the color and the movement that slips into the glass clearly connect us to the multisensory experience that comes with tasting and tasting a wine with full attention. That is why we find it interesting to be able to link the practice of mindfulness to the natural context of a winery and its relaxing environment ”.
The natural environment promotes connection with the senses. Photo Shutterstock.
Obviously, the practice of eating or drinking can be alleviated by one full consciousness. It is an applied form of this way of connecting with the present.
Mindfulness of Mindfulness, Paula continues, is a scientific meditation practice that helps us become aware of what is happening in our body, mind and around us, in the present moment. more attention to what we do while doing it and connecting with how we feel, instead of always working on ‘autopilot’. The exercises and techniques of mindfulness meditation were adapted to the scientific field by biologist Jon Kabat-Zinn, from the University of Massachusetts Medical Center and the latest research shows us that programs using this form of meditation are effective in controlling mindfulness . stress, anxiety and depression. “
An exquisite experience
“Tasting a wine is an experience that clearly requires full attention, says the professional – when we taste a wine, we perform a series of steps similar to when performing a mindfulness or sensory mindfulness practice. see how it falls into the glass, we observe carefully and we determine its color. Then we bring it closer to our nose, we perceive the primary aromas, we move it into the glass to take in oxygen, we bring it back to the nose, we will see what happened when it took that oxygen and we will see how the wine opens and its aromas are transformed. We look at the glass and as we turn the wine we see its tears and its different textures falling. Then we take a good sip so that the flavors flood our mouths and that’s when we we connect with the sensations that happens to us. “
Tripicchio continues, “We all have a different morphology in our mouth, so everyone will experience different sensations, we will notice the sweet tannins, astringency, acidity and bitterness. And the last step is share the experience that everyone has been experimenting with the rest of the people who accompany us, helping us to find and perceive new flavors and aromas in this tasting ”.
If to this we add the option to be in a natural environment and being able to do some meditative exercises, isn’t that an excellent combination?
Meditation and mindfulness, a wellness experience. Photo Shutterstock.
“In several wineries in the La Rioja area, Spain, they already apply this practice and report numerous benefits,” concludes Paula.
This experience is undoubtedly enjoyable and motivating and increases the use of mindfulness in our lives, allowing us to continue to train our senses. Of course, with maximum balance and equanimity, recognize the limit of our clarity, so as not to lose ourselves in the excessive pleasure that disturbs our mind.
* Martín Reynoso is a psychologist, director of Train Your Brain Argentina and author of “Mindfulness, Scientific Meditation”.