Yoga for Pre-Wedding Nerves
So, a few weeks back we introduced you all to Abbey. Abbey looks after all of our wonderful brides & grooms and all things wedding! However, you are unlikely to know that she also teaches yoga. Abbey tells us more;
‘My first interactions with yoga were purely for the physical benefits. I quickly fell in love with the postures and flows and slowly began to realise there was a more subtle transformation taking place. After several years the scheduled classes migrated into a consistent home practice then eventually a strong desire to teach and share my yoga journey.
Yoga has played a big role in shaping my life. Through the practice I found strength, gratitude, acceptance and a tool box for coping with life twists and turns. I completed my 200 hour teacher training in September 2018 with Green Yoga International in Mallorca. I am a Registered Yoga Alliance teacher’
This week’s blog from Abbey is about taking time to relax and is something slightly different. I hope you enjoy it and also manage to practice it.
Clearing the Fog!
As far as planning and organisation for weddings go there are millions of individual resources with varied offerings. Every detail of a wedding is thought out, timed and premed to perfection. This blog is hopefully going to give you a few tools to use in these ‘monkey mind’ moments!
- Don’t Forget to Breathe
Perhaps the more obvious of the tips but definitely the most valuable. Breathing consciously in any way is an excellent tool to quiet the mind. One method is simply counting your breath. Exhale fully through your nostrils then begin to count to 5 seconds on your inhale. Don’t rush the counting. It’s best to stick to the old ‘1 Mississippi 2 Mississippi’ to ensure you’re not shortening or quickening the breath. Once you’ve reached the 5 second counts for your inhale hold the breath for just a moment and begin to count your exhale for 5 seconds. You’re exhaling through the nose however it can feel very therapeutic to exhale through your mouth (imagine you’re trying to fog a mirror) making a ‘haaaaaa’ sound. Exhale fully and allow your body to release any tension further and deeper with each out breath. The breathing is balanced here with equal inhale and exhale; we’re trying to bring calmness and balance back to our mind by drawing the focus inwardly to our breath. PRO TIP: Extend your exhale for a second longer than your inhale to really empty your body and allow for a deep and full inhale.
.
- Savasana
If you’re familiar with yoga you’ll know Savasana as the final resting pose of all yoga sequences. Although Savasana marks the ending of each class, when I teach, I also make it the very first posture. Lying down is an excellent way to centre in and find stillness. Putting it as a starting posture allows us to detach from the things we’ve left outside of our practice such as thoughts of what’s for dinner or in this case the momentous day in front of us. Our bodies are fully supported in a laying down position and we can use our breath to release any tension from the tips of our toes to the crown of our heads. Here is how to get into a perfect Savasana. Lay on your back with your feet hips width apart, allow your feet to roll out to the sides. Arms are straight alongside your body, palms facing up. The chin is slightly tucked to create length in the spine and the head is comfortably resting on the floor. Close your eyes and observe your natural breathing. Feel the breath entering your nostrils and trace its whole journey through your body. Feel the lungs inflate and chest rise, the abdomen fill with air then the reverse. Feel the body empty and become heavier allowing yourself to fully release into the surface beneath you. PRO TIP: Add a visualisation of your happy place. My personal favourite is lying on a beach with the warm sun radiating down over my whole body. It helps to use the glow of a candle or natural sunlight to visualise this one.
- Restorative Childs Pose
Now this is not one to do in your glamorous full wedding makeup and styled hair. It’s one to do in comfies with your favourite chill playlist on. My favourite music to do yoga to is Bonobo or acoustic instrumentals but I encourage you to put on your favourite music even if it’s fast paced heavy metal or progressive rock if it calms your mind then do it! The ideal time to do this is after you’ve woken up to get your day off to a calm and peaceful start. To get into child’s pose you kneel on the ground, allow your torso to fold forward onto your legs connecting the chest to your thighs or knees. Rest your forehead on the ground and allow your arms to be heavy alongside your body. In this pose we still want to allow ourselves to breathe fully into the abdomen this compression between abdomen and thighs aids digestion. PRO TIP: Grab some pillows and place them around you to support the pose. One under the head, one in-between your legs and torso and one under your knees for a softer base.
If you have suggestions, feedback, or want to share anything wedding related (or yoga related) drop me a line at abbey.ferguson@buckatreehallhotel.com
See you next week for more wedding planning tips.
