Amidst the whirling frenzy of planning your wedding, imagine a place where you can calm your mind and tone your body—a place to get in touch with your biceps and your bliss. Such a place exists, and it’s called a yoga mat.
People practice yoga for many reasons, but two stand out for the bride-to-be: Not only do the centuries-old poses, or asanas, help define muscles and create a long, lean look, but the focus on breathing brings instant calm. “If you have a consistent yoga practice, it’s inevitable: Your body has no choice but to get stronger. You’ll get long, lean muscles. But what’s more, the focus on breath brings amazing mind benefits, and stops the clock to help you focus on yourself,” says Haley Picotte-Stozek, owner of Haleybird Studios in Wauwatosa and a registered yoga teacher.
Yoga literally means union, a joining of body and mind, and that holistic approach to health can be especially meaningful during the exciting time between saying “yes” to a proposal and saying “I do” in front of a crowd. “A yoga practice lowers blood pressure, eases anxiety, improves digestion and can help with those bride-to-be butterflies,” adds Angie Lucas, owner of YogaBella in Appleton.
If the spiritual tradition of yoga seems a little daunting, fear not. Hatha yoga (hatha = physical) classes can be found at many gyms and studios, most catering to beginners with little experience. Picotte-Stozek recommends seeking out a vinyasa-style class, in which poses flow from one to another in connection with the breath. “With vinyasa, you know you’ll get your heart rate up and get a workout,” she says.
With the myriad styles of yoga classes available, it might help to shop around to find a good fit. Lucas suggests a one-on-one session with a teacher with whom you feel comfortable to learn correct alignment and to get you started on your yoga journey. If you’d prefer to explore a home practice, all you’ll need is a yoga mat, a quiet space free from distractions, and an instructional DVD.
Have a computer near your workout space? Picotte-Stozek suggests looking on YouTube for videos of Sun Salutation, a series of poses designed to build heat within the body and which targets the arms and shoulders, muscles any bride wants to show off on her big day. The Sun Salutation is a staple of most vinyasa-style classes. The moving meditation typically begins in mountain pose, or tadasana, the pose in which one stands tall and balanced with arms at the side and, when practiced alone, helps develop good posture (an easy trick to instantly appear taller and slimmer). The series warms up the body, stoking that “inner fire,” according to Lucas, as the body moves from standing to poses that use your own body weight to build strength and work deep into the muscles.
The upper body is the first place the benefits of yoga often show themselves, and Lucas says it takes only two weeks of a regular yoga practice to notice a difference in strength and flexibility. Picotte-Stozek suggests starting with one yoga class per week, and squeezing in a few rounds of Sun Salutation on your own as often as possible. And don’t be surprised if you’re drawn to the mat more often: according to Picotte-Stozek, yoga can be addicting. “One thing people love is the chance to turn life off and hit the reset button.”
Doing yoga alone or with your love can help bring about presence of mind. Christi Andringa teaches vinyasa-style classes at ANiU Salon, Spa and Yoga in Middleton, and she says that the experience of a yoga class can be “peaceful, yet powerful. Yes, you’ll sweat, but you’ll also be reminded why you’re there. Yoga brings you back to what led you to the mat in the first place. Love brought you to this point as a bride-to-be, and as yoga teachers, we remind you to lead with love.”
And if the fiancé is feeling left out, search for a partner yoga class. According to Lucas, “couples yoga is a good way to get in touch with each other and to deepen the relationship.”