Yoga Before a Big Event–How It Can Help You Look And Feel Beautiful & Confident!
1. EVENTS AND PARTIES ARE SUPPOSED TO BE FUN, SO WHY DO THEY ALWAYS END UP STRESSING EVERYONE OUT?I think people get too focused on themselves and self-conscious. A great pose to get rid of all the nerves and take the emphasis off of yourself and to just totally let go of everything is Lions’ Roar! Stand on your knees, make tight fist with your hands and gather them in towards your belly as you round your spine. Then lift up arch your back stretch your arms out, stick your tongue out, and “ROAR!” as loud as you can. You’ll end up laughing and realize it’s ok to be silly and just go have fun!
2. HOW CAN WE AS GUESTS BRING MORE ZEN TO THESE GATHERINGS? BOTH FOR OURSELVES AND THE PEOPLE AROUND US?We can stay present and be fully available for our guests and ourselves. When we are concentrated on the other person we truly take them in and we get more out of our connections, meetings and experiences; and the other person feels truly appreciated.
To get in the zen zone anchor yourself in Tadasana (mountain pose) and feel yourself rooted in the present moment. Also take 5 deep full breaths in and out through the nose before entering a party or engaging with someone to remind yourself to stay present.
3. BEING SURROUNDED BY A TON OF PEOPLE CAN BE OVERWHELMING, HOW DO YOU KEEP RELAXED WHEN YOU’RE IN THIS SITUATION?
Take a mini break go to the bathroom and practice Alternate Nostril breathing to recenter yourself and calm the parasympathetic nervous system. Keep your attention and focus on one or two people at a time and truly connect and engage with them instead of making a lot of superficial chatter. You can also clasp your hands behind your back and take a nice shoulder stretch to open up your chest and breath deeply to let go of feeling overwhelmed.
4. IF YOU’RE NOT FEELING GREAT ABOUT YOURSELF THE DAY-OF…WHAT ARE SOME TIPS FOR GETTING US FEELING GOOD, AND LOOKING GOOD FOR OUR NEXT BIG EVENT?
Turn upside down and take a standing forward bend, sway side to side let all the negative energy release in to the floor. Open an imaginary door at the top of your head and let all the junk go, then round up to stand with a fresh, new perspective. Your cheeks will get a nice flush too, and you’ll look healthy and alive. Flipping upside down changes our mood and our perspective, as do twists. When you twist yourself around you see things from a new perspective, you also stimulate sluggish digestive organs and release negative toxins.
5. HOW DOES YOGA HELP YOU BOTH FEEL AND LOOK BEAUTIFUL BEFORE A NIGHT OUT?Yoga is an inside out and outside in job! It connects you to your inner beauty and potential when you feel the link between your breath and your movement. Deeper fuller breaths oxygenate the entire body; and the largest organ of our body is our skin, so yoga makes our skin glow. Yoga stimulates lymph and keeps everything moving inside so we feel healthy and strong, which is beautiful. Yoga also opens up our posture and having great posture gives us confidence and looks sexy–our waist looks slimmer, our necks longer and our shoulders broad and beautiful. Fish pose is a great posture to do to open up the throat and relax the wrinkles in our face. Downward dog is a great move to do as well before getting dressed.
6. IF YOU’RE FEELING STRESSED RIGHT BEFORE AN EVENT, DO YOU HAVE ANY EASY MEDITATIONS WE CAN DO TO CALM OUR MINDS?
I like the lake meditation. Sit or lie comfortably and envision your mind like a mountain lake–calm and clear. When you get nervous or a thought comes up, it’s like a peeble being thrown in to the water, which disrupts the clarity of the water and brings sediment up from the bottom. Try and concentrate on your breath, let the peebles stay on the side of the bank and allow the ripples to dissipate so the mud falls to the bottom of the lake and the water is crystal clear.
If you feel you can’t sit still, take TREE pose on each side. Just focusing on your balance will help you release your nervous energy and stress. Tree pose will ground you and help you feel steady in your trunk; but loose in your branches, so you can learn to go with the flow without losing your true authentic self.
Kristin McGee is a celebrity yoga and Pilates instructor in New York City. She is currently teaching yoga with Peloton. She is the star of over 100 videos, seen in several magazines and tv shows and is a spokeswoman for many brands and causes she believes in. A proud mom to three, she sure keeps herself busy!