We’ve learnt that the key to tackling stress, like a lot of things, comes down to managing our wellbeing! There are many ways we ladies do this, perhaps catching up with friends, taking a bath or enjoying a glass of wine at the end of a busy day.
While we love all those things (and do them often!), one of our favourite stress-relievers here at Bliss has got to be yoga!
Yoga is a mind-body practice that combines physical poses, controlled breathing, and meditation or relaxation. It is this unique blend of actions that gives yoga the enchanting power of reducing stress, lowering blood pressure, lowering our heart rates, and best of all - anyone can do it!
We don't wait until we feel stressed out to do yoga at Bliss, those of us who practice yoga on a regular basis often find we're more able to handle things when life gets a little crazy as it enables us to remain calm, focused and channel positive energy.
Because of its benefits, yoga has become a huge part of the Bliss experience and the road to rejuvenation! We’re so blessed to be able to offer our guests unlimited sessions with our team of experienced yogis.
Here are yoga poses to help relieve stress that we can all easily do at home.
Warrior II
This pose is a powerful stretch for legs, groin and chest. Warrior II increases stamina, helping to relieve backache whilst stimulating healthy digestion. The pose opens up the hips, chest and shoulders all while strengthening the muscles in your thighs (and bottom!).
With a wider chest we are able to improve our breathing capacity and therefore our blood circulation. This pose is more than just a physical posture, it increases our concentration, allowing us to channel our energy more effectively and in turn, helping to reduce the stress that may be clouding our minds!
Lord of the Dance Pose
This enchanting position requires and builds full body strength, flexibility and co-ordination. As well as opening the shoulders, chest and hips it also develops greater flexibility in our spines and hamstrings. It’s a real heart-opener, recognised only by the feeling of uplift as the day’s worries and troubles melt away!
Upward-Facing Dog
Upward-Facing Dog stretches the chest and spine, while strengthening the wrists, arms, and shoulders. By strengthening and opening the upper body and chest, it improves posture and can be therapeutic for asthma sufferers.
Upward Dog creates suppleness in the back, torso and abdomen, which stimulates the abdominal organs and improves digestion. It also firms the buttocks and thighs.
The backbend energises and rejuvenates the body, providing relief from the day’s stresses and fatigue.
Easy Pose
Easy pose strengthens the back and stretches the knees and ankles. It also opens the hips, groin, and outer thigh muscles. Sitting upright with your spine aligned has been known to reduce stress and anxiety, it also calms and centres the mind.
Yoga has many physical benefits, but this isn’t solely what the practice is about, it’s about focusing our minds and breathing to channel different energies in a more positive way. It’s this increased level of focus on our inner self that allows us to escape from the worries of everyday life and begin to mend and understand what is getting us stressed.
By using the tools yoga provides us, it’s easier than ever to make life less stressed and more Blissful!
We wanted to share our Bliss experience as far as it can go and so we created Bliss News. Even if you can’t go on a beautiful personalised Women’s Retreat right now, we hope you can take the time to add a bit more bliss to your life in whatever way you choose. Self love comes in all different shapes and sizes but the one thing it has in common is that it starts with you. We hope some of our ideas and laughs and wellness retreat additions are something you can incorporate into your everyday life... love Zoë xxx
Here’s what some of our amazing guests had to say about their personalised bliss experience and why they want to come back.
