Looking flawless is only the cherry on top of the ornate, seven-tiered wedding cake. This is where a detox becomes necessary, and what better way than India’s very own medicine to its madness—Yoga.

Having sustained itself through Western influences and the test of time, Yoga has gained immense respect from global audiences for its technique and effectiveness. However, beyond its physical benefits, the practice has garnered a special interest for its central focus on balancing both —the body and mind. 

Subsequently, Yoga’s growing popularity in the West is due to its wholesome understanding of health. One that doesn’t define health in the absence of disease, but instead in the balance of mental, physical and spiritual elements. This is a concept that even the World Health Organisation verifies as the official definition of health—synonymous with Ayurveda’s philosophies.

Adding to the list of advantages is Yoga’s bare minimum requirements. Unlike most exercise regimes, all that’s needed is a mat and a few minutes, to indulge in simple, stress-releasing stances. Poses such as aligning your legs parallel up against the wall provide the same benefits of breaking into a headstand. Elevating the legs above the heart allows tension and stress to de-escalate. It calms the nervous system, aids circulation, and takes the pressure off the spine and neck. Even simpler are forward bends, which calm the nerves and assists digestion. 

Planking, though slightly more strenuous than free-flowing poses, works all major abdominal muscles, while also strengthening your shoulder, chest, neck, quadriceps, and back muscles. The ‘child’s pose’—bending forward with arms stretched out, is another easy to achieve asana. For a bride restricted to hectic schedules, breaking into a 15-minute asana can go a long way in equipping the body and mind to take on the rest of the day. 

What goes often ignored is stress and its influence on the mind—which inevitably heightens leading up to the wedding day. Brides often start looking forward to their D-Day not so it happens, but because they want to be rid of the tension. Yoga simply eases the same tension. Its teachings allow the practitioner to equip the body and the mind, instead of simply losing weight. Come to think of it, dealing with family drama, and last-minute shopping during the wedding season is really no different than moving through difficult asana practice. The practice endows us with the strength to embrace the challenges, rise to the occasion, and to conserve the mind-body equilibrium through it all.