Tips to Relax on Your Wedding Day with Yoga
At Wedding Photojournalism by Rodney Bailey, we LOVE when people want to contribute to our blog! This week, we are honored that Clarrissa Fonseca from FitnessTrainer wanted to offer her advice for how to relax on your wedding day with yoga. This is great wedding advice for the wedding couple, bridal party and parents. Check out her great tips below and bring a little (or a lot) of zen into your wedding day!
Tips to Relax for the Big Day with Yoga
By Clarrissa Fonseca
You have survived the stressful wedding planning and it is now the big day. There is the pressure that everything will go as planned, the excitement of starting a new phase of your life and reaching a pretty big milestone. On an emotional day such as your wedding, a brief disconnect with peace and quiet will reap benefits.
Health experts agree that yoga is a fantastic way to give your mind and body some repose. Yoga will challenge you to concentrate on your breathing and guide you towards achieving a state of relaxation.
Now’s the time to trust that everything will go as planned and try to give yourself a few moments to relax. So get your wedding party together, your significant other or enjoy the following poses in solitude and quietness:
1. Mountain Pose
a. A great pose to bring awareness to your breathing and get into the right mindset for some time to relax.
i. Start by standing up straight (you can close your eyes) with your feet together, making sure your weight is distributed evenly.
ii. Slowly roll your shoulders back, first going up towards your ears letting your arms hang by the sides of your torso with palms facing forward.
iii. Tuck your chin in slightly.
iv. Slowly inhale and exhale while being aware of the air entering and exiting your lungs.
2. Standing Forward Bend
a. This pose will help you rest and stretch your hamstrings while getting some extra blood flow to your head. One of my personal favorites for relaxation and loosening up the calves as well.
i. From Mountain, move your feet hip-width apart and bend forward with your fingertips touching the ground.
ii. If your hands do not touch the ground feel free to bend your arms by grabbing at the elbows (I find this a lot more relaxing).
iii. Feel your torso lengthen with each inhale and deepen your bend with every exhale.
3. Seated Meditation
a. An easy way to just take a few moments for yourself if you are in a hurry. You can use this pose as part of a sequence or on its own.
i. Find a comfortable spot, place your yoga mat or a pillow if you would like, whatever makes you feel comfortable.
ii. Sit with your legs crossed one on top of the other, close your eyes and breathe.
iii. Let joy and calm in with each inhale and all your worries and stress out with each exhale.
iv. You can switch the other leg on top if you would like and just keep breathing while you let the stress and float away.
4. Seated Side Bend
a. A little bit more active than the previous seated meditation, the seated side bend will soothe you while stretching your neck, shoulders and back.
i. From your seating position place your right hand down next to your right hip and bring your left arm up overhead.
ii. Start to slide your right hand out to the side with your forearm, then your elbow touching the ground.
iii. Breathe while you look at the open palm of your left hand overhead
iv. Repeat on opposite side
5. Downward Facing Dog
a. One of the most well-known poses, the downward dog will help you stretch your shoulders, hamstrings, calves and hands while relieving stress and bringing a lot of awareness to your breathing.
i. Starting from plank pose, push back, raising your tailbone to create an inverted “V” shape.
ii. Push into the soles and heels of your feet to get a good calf stretch while making sure to evenly distribute your weight.
iii. Make sure to push your shoulders away from your ears and keep your spine elongated.
iv. Take a few moments and breathe in and out slowly, being aware of the air flowing in and out and letting any worries go with each exhale.
You can do all of these poses, a combination of some or just one as long as you make sure to block time off for you to relax the day before and morning of your big day. It’s best to hold each pose for several deep breaths while you concentrate on your breathing. Even five minutes of nice meditation and stretch will make a difference to a stressed bride and groom!
Clarissa Fonseca enjoys running and yoga as her holy grail for relaxation. Clarissa works for FitnessTrainer DC.
Credit: FitnessTrainer.com
These Yoga Moves Enjoyed and Approved By Washington DC Photographer Rodney Bailey
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