Stress-Busting Yoga for Busy Brides
As a bride-to-be, you’re no stranger to stress. The antidote? A relaxing yoga sequence from Sadie Nardini for some calm during the storm.
Preparing for a wedding is one of the happiest times in a woman’s life. But it’s also one of the most stressful. On top of your already frenetic life, you’ve added planning a life-altering event, shopping for the perfect wedding dress, and—quite likely—losing weight. So if you’re just a wee bit tense, well, we understand. To the rescue is this relaxing yoga sequence by NYC yogini Sadie Nardini, founder of Core Strength Vinyasa Yoga and a Huffington Post blogger.
Yoga is hands-down one of the best ways to lower stress. It’s also been shown to reduce anxiety and depression. All that, and it’s strengthening too. “Yoga gives you long, lean muscles,” says Nardini. “And it brings you back into the present moment, so you’re not worrying so much about the future things you can’t control.”
To achieve the maximum stress-busting benefits of yoga, be sure to breathe slowly and deeply through your nose throughout the sequence. Also, it helps to read through the poses at least once before going through the sequence. Even better, record the instructions and use your own voice as a guide in your relaxation journey.
Let’s begin!
Seated Cow Pose and Cat Pose
Benefits: Provides a gentle massage to your spine. Is an instant way to break a reactive, worrying mindset and bring you back to the present.
Seated Cow Pose/Cat Pose
1. Start in Easy Pose, sitting cross-legged on the floor, hands resting on knees.
2. For seated Cow Pose: Inhale, arch your spine and draw the shoulder blades down and towards the center of your back, while your head and neck lengthen and rise towards the ceiling.
3. On the exhale, round in, pulling your navel towards your spine, and allowing head and chin to relax towards chest. This is seated Cat Pose.
4. Repeat five to 10 times with slow, even movements: Focus on taking 3-second inhales and 5-second exhales.
Fierce (or Chair) Pose with Breath of Freedom
Benefits: Frees your spine, releases serotonin (the calm-inducing neurotransmitter), reduces belly bloat, tones the lower body.
Breath of Freedom
5. Fierce Pose: Stand at the front of your mat, feet slightly separated. On the inhale, raise your arms straight above your head. On the exhale, bend your knees, draw in your belly and take your thighs as close to parallel to the floor as possible while lifting your upper body and arms towards the ceiling. Be sure you are lifting from your center.
6. On the inhale, lengthen your spine, float your arms behind you and arch your back.
7. On the exhale, draw your navel in, round your spine, cross your arms and hug yourself so that your hands rest on your shoulder blades.
8. Repeat five to 10 times.
9. After your last hug, inhale, clasp your hands behind you with fingers interlaced and proceed to the next pose.
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