When I was getting married someone told me the best day of my life would be the day after my wedding… Upon hearing this (from someone who had obviously had really stressful nuptials) I made a commitment to enjoy every moment leading up to my big day and every single second of the actual wedding. I decided to kill the cliché of the crazy bride and truly enjoy the experience.
That was all well and good until I found out, two weeks before the wedding, in a foreign country, that the fabric I had used to make my bridesmaids dresses was actually children’s toys clothing fabric and ripped when any slight pressure or tension was put on it. No sitting, walking down the aisle or moving of any kind for my eight bridesmaids then! Of course my stress levels hit the roof. Among the million other things I had to do I now had serious exposure problems on my hands…
I’m not going to lie. I lost it. I had to get eight dresses remade and none of my bridesmaids arrived until two days before the wedding so I didn’t know if any of them would fit. I was seriously stressed and a yoga practice seemed like the last thing I wanted to do. Thankfully coming back to my yoga mat daily really did help to chill me out and put things into perspective.
Sometimes you literally have to go upside down to see things in a different way! Try to practice plenty of inversions (poses where your head is lower than your heart) daily combat stress and tension leading up to your big day.
Benefits of inversions (upside down yoga postures)
- Stimulate the thyroid gland boosting metabolism
- Activate the pineal and pituitary glands
- Balance the endocrine system regulating hormones
- Bring blood flow to the face nourishing the skin & preventing wrinkles (hurrah!)
- Calm the mind
- Improve lung function and rest the heart
For brides to be, all of the above benefits are excellent but the main benefits that we want to access is balancing our hormones and calming of the mind through these poses. Here we will focus on one pose that is particularly effective as we spend more time in it.
Sarvangasana (Shoulder Stand)
In India this posture is known as the queen of poses so vast are the benefits! You can hold this pose for up to two minutes if you have done so before or 10-25 seconds for beginners. Try to do it in the morning on an empty stomach.
To get in to the pose
Firstly- never move your head from side to side in this pose.
Lie flat on your back, inhale and bend your knees bringing them towards your forehead whilst bringing your hands to either side of your spine above your sacrum to support you in the pose.
When you feel stable, on an inhale begin to straighten the knees and raise your legs above your head.
To get out of the pose
After 25 breaths exhale and draw your knees towards your forehead. You can stay here or straighten your legs out behind you into halasana.
Place your hands on the ground beneath you and roll out of the pose very slowly, vertebra by vertebra using the hands as breaks bringing the legs back down onto your mat.
Contraindications
- Always check with your doctor before starting any new practice.
- Do not practice the full version of this pose under the following circumstances:
- You have any neck issues especially any disc issues
- You are on your menstrual cycle
- You have high blood pressure or glaucoma
- You can still get plenty of benefits by practicing “legs up the wall pose” instead of the full pose. Simply lie in an L shape with your the backs of your legs straight up against a wall in a straight line.
Himalaya Yoga Valley Centre is an international training school established in India over a decade ago by Yogachraya Lalit Kumar. Their centre on Academy Street Cork is open 7 days a week with up to 6 classes a day for absolutely all levels! They have a free class every Saturday at 12.30 for complete beginners if you would like to try yoga. Find out more at Yoga Ireland or 021-4279696
