By Raheelaa Ahmad

The wedding process requires you to tap into your inner reserves of patience and strength. If stress and anxiety begin to creep in before the ceremony, it might be a good idea to hit the mat and give yoga a try. This 5,000-year-old discipline was designed to help practitioners navigate into peak emotional and physical health. It is an excellent form of exercise because it is an overall body workout that builds strength and flexibility, while maintaining a balanced body. Yoga builds a strong core, which is essential for good posture and no bride wants to be slouching in her wedding pics. Not only this, being the only form of exercise that works on the physical, mental, emotional and spiritual level, yoga is a must for every bride not only to look good but to gain inner strength and balance. The glow that all brides crave for can be achieved as a natural by product of a complete yoga practice. Breathing exercises, meditation, and relaxation techniques are all components of a yoga practice that can help alleviate wedding worries.

Carve out an hour to yourself before the festivities begin and you will emerge a glowing Zen bride instead of a frazzled, stressed bridezilla. These routines are excellent for stressed out moms, housewives and working women alike. I even advise the family of the bride to take a yoga nap as it helps immensely to cut the stress and bring a smile on everyone’s face.

The beauty of yoga is that you don’t need any equipment or large space for it. All that is required is a yoga mat and an instructor that can guide you through the poses. If you are not at all familiar with yoga and can’t get hold of a yoga class or instructor, there are many DVDs available in the market.

In this article I will briefly describe a few styles of yoga. If you are seeking a vigorous workout and your goal is to lose weight, look for descriptions like: Vinyasa yoga, Ashtanga yoga, power yoga or vigorous flow yoga. What you should not be trying is perhaps a yoga class or if you are a beginner sticking to a gentle yoga is a safe option. No bride would want to get an injury before her wedding day.

For destressing, try restorative yoga or gentle yoga.  If you are looking for a more spiritual or meditative class (which also works the body physically), you might try Kundalini yoga, or Yin yoga.

Do’s and don’ts of Yoga

First of all, you should know that you do not have to be flexible or experienced enough to enjoy the benefits of pre-wedding yoga. Flexibility is something that you develop from practicing yoga, just as you develop strength from lifting weights or endurance from running. So never be afraid to try yoga, no matter what your current level of fitness or flexibility. As long as your doctor says you are healthy enough for exercise and you work with a qualified instructor, you will get all the benefits from yoga whether you are a beginner or experienced.

Yoga should be done ideally in the morning on an empty stomach or atleast three hours after a full meal or one hour after a light snack. Make sure that the temperature of the room is normal, wear loose clothes to allow full movement.

Don’t drink water during the practice; you can however sip in some water during the Asanas. Never do a yoga pose, Asana without breathing property.

You may experience a level of discomfort in your muscles when you begin your yoga practice, this is natural.  Be very careful not to strain, however, use your breath to help you relax deeply into any uneasiness. Please stop immediately if you feel any sharp pains and consult with a physician as soon as possible.

Many brides wear sleeveless wedding gowns with their stunning earrings, and toning their arms and shoulders can be a major concern. The classic yoga posture Downward Dog is excellent for developing slim muscles in those areas. A great thing about yoga is that you never have to worry about getting the bulky muscles which can come from weight lifting. Any poses in which you bear some of your body weight on your arms will help to tone that area, including postures like planks or side angles. Even postures in which the arms are engaged in space will tone the biceps and triceps, like the Warrior poses.

Looking to trim your waist to look more slender in your wedding gown? To get a firmer tummy, feel the burn with Boat pose. Many of the balancing postures like Eagle also require you to engage your core muscles to hold the pose. Unlike conventional sit ups or crunches, yoga has a number of poses which are effective at tightening the muscles down the sides of the waist. Holding a side bend will do wonders to whittle your waistline for your wedding. Side angle is great for slimming the sides of the waist as well.

Don’t forget your back when you are trying to trim your waist. Losing the back part of a “muffin top” is a definite wedding “do”. Any back bending poses will help tone up your back muscles. Good options include Cobra, Wheel, Bridge, and standing back bends like Dancer. Your teacher can help you adapt the back bends appropriate for your level of experience and flexibility. A healthy strong back also aids in creating a tall elegant posture.

You can always recognize a yogini by her “yoga bottom”, so if losing the junk in your trunk is one of your pre-wedding fitness goals, then I will advise you to do sun salutes. This twelve series of postures can give you all the benefits that you require to look good on your big day. Twenty five rounds of sun salutes take thirty minutes and burn a total of 300 calories.

Along with it adding ten minutes of breathing practice including the alternate nostril breathing, the bumble bee breath and my special one minute beauty breath can bring a radiant glow to your face and relax your mind completely.

After the breathing practice you must relax in Shav Asana for ten minutes to reap full benefits of your entire yoga practice and rejuvenate your body, mind and soul.

Try all of the above from downloading procedures via internet on your own or join my thirty day yoga challenge especially designed for special brides like you. After all, you are worth a million.