Why yoga, wine and the wild is the wellness blend you you need
Barefoot beach walks and salty swims. Laughter echoing over a shared glass of wine. Tears shed in a circle of women who just get it. A deep exhale in the sauna after a long, long week. This is VINOYASA – a wild-hearted, nature-rooted way of coming home to yourself, even when life feels full, messy or overwhelming.
And this is the first in a four-part series designed to introduce you to (or, if we’re already friends, deepen your relationship with) VINOYASA – and me, Abi, the woman (and general silly goose!) behind it all. Over the next few articles, I’ll walk you through what these sessions are really about: a more grounded, alive way of being. Together, we’ll explore how ancient, nature-based practices can integrate into modern life and help you navigate your everyday with just a little more flow.
In this first article, we invite you to imagine for a minute the life-affirming essence of the VINOYASA experience, whether you’re with us for a South Devon yoga session, a Bantham wine tasting or our Loire yoga retreat.
Welcome to the wild side of wellness
Imagine this: you’re under an open sky. Your feet are bare. Your body is stretching and softening, remembering how good it feels to move. Your breath is in sync with the breeze. Your to-do list feels very far away. There’s birdsong in your ears, sun (or rain!) on your skin — and later, you’ll raise a glass of something delicious. Perhaps you’ll take a cheeky sea dip with a load of people you’ve never met before but feel connected to because you’re all jumping around freezing your tits off. Maybe you’ll opt for a loooong, soothing flop down into a sauna, and share a fireside giggle.
Yes, it’s yoga and wine. But it’s also something else entirely. For me, it’s a true embodiment of how I live my life. I’m someone who goes until she drops. Who wakes up early, cold swim ready, after a night sleeping out under the stars. Who dances between holding these sessions, discovering new wines and countries, and reinforcing my belonging to the wilderness. Who has a body that’s sometimes tired, sometimes radiant and always shifting. VINOYASA is my way of coming home to myself – and it’s my joy to share it with you.
So… what is VINOYASA?
VINOYASA is a space, a community and an invitation to return to presence. It’s about gathering with others to move, breathe, laugh – maybe even shed a tear – and above all reconnect to yourself. Because you deserve to feel seen, heard and supported.
At its heart, VINOYASA is a joy-fuelled practice – a playful, potent blend of yoga, wine and community – that invites you to reconnect with yourself through ancient, nature-based rituals that feel doable in real life. It’s about dropping into what’s real. That means coming exactly as you are – messy, marvellous and totally welcome. It’s self-celebration.
It’s for those of us who are juggling a hundred different roles, passions, pressures and plans – and who are ready to feel more present in the middle of it all. It’s not about slowing down for the sake of it (though sometimes, that’s nice too). It’s about that call to connect with nature to anchor into something deeper. A way of being that can hold you, even in the eye of the storm.
How do we practise VINOYASA?
Through many years of learning about movement, nature connection, breathwork and ritual, I’ve discovered how to give myself the tools to feel more “flowy” in the moments that matter. Not by escaping my life, but by entering it more fully. I’ve created a series of mini-rituals that reconnect you to your body and help your busy mind soften, even just a little.
This is about building presence into your life – not squeezing something else into your calendar, but creating space within it. And that shift? It changes everything. You’ll still be doing all the things you do, but with more clarity, connection and calm.
What you’ll experience at VINOYASA
Yoga that meets you where you are
Nature that nourishes your nervous system
Wine that’s savoured
Connection that’s honest, deep and nourishing
Sauna chats, sea swims, fireside circles and space to just be
A rhythm you can carry home with you
Why it works: the VINOYASA trio
At the core of VINOYASA is something ancient – and beautifully human. We’re talking about the good stuff our ancestors have been doing for millenia: moving our bodies, gathering in a circle, sipping something sacred and bowing to the wild world around us. These timeless rituals are food for the soul. I’ve just repackaged them into modern life, and they’re stitched lovingly into everything VINOYASA offers:
Yoga for the body
The way we move in VINOYASA is a way to tune into your body with kindness and curiosity. We flow, we wobble, we sweat a little and, sometimes, we surprise ourselves. It builds an appetite (for food, for life and for the wine to come), as well as some pretty magical behind-the-scenes work, too. Studies have shown yoga helps you reset your nervous system, drop your cortisol levels and rewire your stress response.
Wine for the senses
This south Devon yoga wine session is about tuning in. We notice the swirl, the scent, the first taste. We sip slowly. This kind of mindful drinking connects you to your senses. When you truly taste what’s in your glass, something shifts. You naturally slow down and savour other parts of your life. Pair that with a yoga practice that invites presence and intention, and you’ve got a recipe for something surprisingly powerful. Both invite you to slow down. Pay attention. Be in your body. Let the moment land.
WILD for the soul
Why yoga outside? Because there’s something wildly affirming about moving your body under an open sky – whether you’re bathed in golden sunshine or being thoroughly blown off balance by the wind.
We practise whatever the weather. Not because we’re gluttons for punishment (although a Sufi-style whirling meditation in a rainstorm is a bit of a character builder), but because nature has this magical way of reflecting our own aliveness back to us. The wind reminds us we’re still standing. The rain says, you can soften now. The sunshine? Well, that’s just the icing on an already delicious cake.
Practising outside isn’t always tidy or predictable – but neither is life. And when we roll out our mats among trees, birdsong and the occasional well-meaning insect, we remember: we’re part of this big, beautiful mess too.
A little bit of VINOYASA ‘wildfulness’
You don’t need a forest to feel the benefits – just pick a ‘sit spot’. Find a corner of your garden, a favourite tree in the park or even a sunny patch by the window. Visit it regularly, sit quietly and notice the micro stuff that is happening in nature. By having no stimulus or sense of time, you feel at one with or ‘of’ the wild. Even five minutes a day can calm your nervous system, sharpen your senses and remind you that you’re part of something bigger.
Beyond the mat: the magic of the afterglow
Imagine being met exactly where you are – grief, joy, overwhelm and all. Imagine feeling heard, held and gently guided. That’s the essence of VINOYASA. It’s not a class or a retreat or an event (though it’s also all of those). It’s a community. A practice. An invitation to be exactly who you are, and a gentle nudge to return to the parts of yourself that feel most alive.
At the end of each session, you’ll share time with people you’ve already flowed, stretched and sweated next to. People you instantly have something in common with. Research shows that strong social ties can boost everything from your mood to your longevity. Whether you’re chatting about the wine, jumping in the sea, warming up in the sauna or simply lingering in the afterglow of a shared journey – this is what integration looks like. We don’t rush off. We let it land. We sit, sip, swim and sweat it all out, together.
You’ll leave with a felt sense of “I’ve got this.” You’ll leave with tools to bring more flow into your life – whatever season you’re in. You’ll leave with the beginnings of a relationship – with yourself, with the wild, and with me.
Curious to feel it for yourself?
If you’re yoga-curious, love wine or just need some time to yourself with like-minded, open-hearted people, you’re invited. Whether it’s a soulful south Hams yoga flow, playful Devon wine tasting, a Mothecombe Beach day retreat or a deeper yoga retreat in the Loire, come try a VINOYASA session and see what awakens.
