Hangover Yoga

Can alcohol and Yoga mix? Absolutely. Just not at the same time. Can Yoga cure your Hangover? Yes it can!

In general, I advise students not to eat for at least an hour before his or her Yoga practise. An empty stomach allows you to pay attention to the positions and breathing techniques without being distracted by digesting something you ate. Many of the postures involve twisting, laying on the stomach, and constricting the abdominals -  so being on an empty stomach makes for better comfort in general.

Last week one of my students asked me if he can be a Yogi and drink alcohol. Apparently some schools of Yoga do not advocate drinking alcohol at all. If this is your decision, awesome. But, I do not advocate purism in any form. So, to answer this question, I repeat something one of my Yoga teachers once said: Yoga may interfere with drinking. But the two are not mutually exclusive.

As we often find ourselves in circumstances that involve an alcoholic beverage or three, be it a dinner party, a vacation, or relaxing at home. Do not panic. Just because you have had a glass or two of something, does not mean you can not practise Yoga.

While I do not advise bringing a beer into the Yoga studio. It is perfectly acceptable to have said beer, wait an hour, then practise.

A Yoga class after a glass of wine = Advanced Yoga (insert laughter here).

As an extension to this line of thinking. Here we present Hangover Yoga. Relevant this weekend  after dinner at Alan Wong's in Honolulu, Hawaii. The Sake was really good.

My first advice to cure a hangover is simple:  drink 2 litres of water and consume some protein (in this case macadamia nuts). If you have a cold ocean or shower nearby, get wet.

Afterwards, even though your body does not want to work out. Do it.

I have a Chiropractor friend in Calgary, Canada who swears by sprinting off his hangovers. You may not achieve record time, but you will rebound to normalcy.

Sprinting is really hard on your body. Therefor, I recommend trying a little Yoga practise that emphasises standing postures. Standing postures require balance. Your balance, after a cocktail or an evening with a bottle of Sake, is off. Finding balance when you feel off is an amazing challenge. The act of trying =  succeeding.

Wobble fearlessly my friends!

For your amusement here is my "Hangover Yoga."

Whether or not you were getting into the Sake, whenever your life seems to lack in stability -  create balance through a standing Yoga practise.

xoxo
Laaila
The Yoga Bunny