the view from my mat

When all you really want to do is sleep until 12pm then maybe eat a breakfast of 1,000 pancakes, some toast, 4 eggs and a beer?

Well, those mornings happen when you’ve been out until 1am getting to know your new coworkers over several buckets of beer. But here’s the thing about that hung over kind of morning: You can’t give into it. Not at first, anyway.

Maybe around 1pm it’ll be nap time, but if you don’t get to working off that hangover then there goes your TGIF day off – and who wants to spoil that?!

Here’s my recipe for a successful post bender kind of day: 

Wake up at 8am and get ready for yoga. No, I’m not kidding. Make it a hot yoga class so you can really flush out those toxins.

Only drink half as much water as you want to drink before class. Nope, not kidding about that either. I don’t know the science behind it, but I do know that if I consume as much water as I want post drinking binge and pre yoga postures I’m going to throw up at the bottom of my first forward fold. Sip on some water before class. Key word: sip.

Before the teacher walks in commiserate with your buddy. If he/she is hung over too, you won’t feel nearly as alone.

Two words: Child’s Pose. Yes to start the class, but then throughout when everyone else is rocking it through another vinyasa and you feel like you’re going to vom. Child’s Pose is the yogi equivalent to curling up into a ball. No one can see your face so you can feel free to look miserable if you want to without offending all the peaceful people surrounding you. And pressing your forehead lightly into the mat actually can alleviate headaches. Plus whenever I feel sick to my stomach Child’s Pose makes it all better.

When you’re not in Child’s Pose try to keep up. You got your hung over ass out of bed, so don’t just wallow in your own sweat – get an actual workout in. Don’t be OCD about it and don’t push yourself to the point of passing out (otherwise you’ll have to find a new studio and change your name because the yoga world is a small, small place). But once the waves of nausea pass, hop back on that asana horse and ride it through the rest of those sweaty 75 minutes.

Don’t be afraid to skip bow (or any other pose). Personally having that much pressure on my stomach after a night of living it up makes me want to die. Also don’t be afraid to add in a couple twists for ultra-detoxification.

Don’t be afraid to take savasana early. Just get into it and let yourself relax while meditating on how bomb awesome you are for practicing yoga even with a hangover.

Next up head to a grocery store and get whatever you want. Eat what you crave because 1) you probably just burned between 300-600 calories (depending on how hard you worked) and 2) your body needs some love after the abuse you put it through 12 hours ago. Try to toss some healthy brunch options into your cart as well as plenty of fluids (feel free to drink as much aqgua as you want now), but if you want some ice cream, crackers or chips I say – go for it, dude.

Find your favorite way to relax at home – maybe with a book, maybe with last night’s tv show that you missed while you were boozing it up, maybe by sitting quietly with a large glass of water close by – whatever chills you out. Eat lunch and relax.

Nap time. I told you it was coming. This is your lazy Friday (or Saturday, Sunday or whatever) so you’ve earned a little R&R. If that means falling asleep on the couch, then indulge yourself. You’ve already taken a yoga class, seen your pal and procured lunch. I’d call that a well planned morning.

Wake up from your nap at 2pm and enjoy the rest of your day. Maybe that means shopping, more yoga, registering to vote (ahem) and running other errands, or simply taking yourself to a movie you’ve been wanting to see. If it’s a nice day, get outside and enjoy it. If it’s gross out get back under the covers.

Don’t let a hangover totally stop you in your tracks, sure it’s bound to make you a little sluggish, but push through the pain with some yoga and you’ll be amazed how much better you’ll feel than if you’d just started your day with a breakfast fit for a lumber jack.

Happy TGIF, yogis!

XO,
Heather C