Hair of the downward dog: why you should try hangover yoga

Usually, you booze, you lose — but new hangover yoga will help work off your alcohol sweats, says Susannah Butter
Let it go: with the right regime, you might recover in time for another evening of debauchery (Picture: Alix Minde/PhotoAlto/Corbis)

OHM, OMG. When you wake up full of alcohol-induced self-loathing, compounded by a headache, it feels a stretch to consider even the most gentle yoga poses. Somehow, though, here I am attempting a downward dog, breathing away my hangover. Steffy White (steffyoga.com), my yoga teacher, helps. She is nicer than I deserve, saying: “The fact that you have decided to do yoga today is pretty awesome. Don’t batter yourself with guilt. Let it go. Just make sure you have a glass of water near your mat.” White has many good qualities but the best one is that she is in my bedroom — on YouTube. If the urge for a fry-up and a black coffee or hair of the dog becomes too overwhelming, I can pause her.

White made the Hungover Yoga video as part of the Tonic YouTube channel’s Useful Yoga series and says: “Let’s face it, when you are hungover, the reality of you heading down to the gym is pretty unlikely. Then you spend the whole day feeling guilty about the fact you haven’t done anything. Turning on your laptop and rolling out of bed to do some gentle stretching is far more achievable.”

After all, a slight derailing in your health regime should not put you off course for the whole week.

Although exercising may seem like the least enticing option when you are in the dark zone, it becomes easier once you start.

Pip Black, co-founder of Frame studios, says: “Dragging yourself out of bed and into a class could be the best thing for you. Alcohol acts as a depressant to your body, slowing your brain activity, but by exercising you’ll encourage the release of endorphins, getting you back into a positive state of mind.”

Rhian Stephenson, a nutritionist and managing director at Psycle, adds: “Since cardiovascular exercise increases circulation and metabolism, it can help eliminate the toxins we accumulate from drinking more quickly. It also boosts endorphins which will combat the effects that alcohol has on mood.”

If you had a judgment lapse the night before, now is the time to prove yourself again by selecting your regime wisely. Black says: “Depending on the severity of your hangover, you’re wise to stay away from intense exercise. Choose something low impact that doesn’t make your brain feel like it’s banging against your skull every time you jump. At Frame, a class such as Reformer Pilates, Frame Method or even a dance class is going to help get you back on track without killing you for the rest of the day.”

The advantage of making it to a class is that you can concentrate on your practice because the person leading the class does all the mental work for you — instead of steeling your mind and giving yourself a stern talking to. Black adds: “Let your instructor do the motivating.”

White says this is not the time for hot yoga — you don’t want to make yourself more dehydrated. “The last thing you want to do is torture yourself any more. Remind yourself that by doing a relatively easy vinyasa flow class you will feel much better in no time.” If you are practising via YouTube, find a place in your house that feels relaxed, “so it feels like a special retreat just for you”.

What if even standing up feels like an insurmountable challenge? “Getting there is the hardest part,” says White. “That’s why home yoga videos are made for hangovers — you don’t have to get on a Tube, it is right in your living room.”

Some gentle stretching will put you back on the right path. Black says: “Being in a happier place will mean you’re more likely to make wise decisions over what food and drink you put into your body to help with your recovery. It’s important to make sure you stay hydrated and replenish your electrolytes (Nuun tablets are great for this) and also try to eat something small before your class so that you’re not running on empty. Bananas are great as they’re packed full of potassium.”

Stephenson recommends sulphur-rich vegetables — artichokes, asparagus and beetroot — along with vitamins B and C.

Once you make it to a class, do try to shower first. Then it is up to you whether you confide in the instructor and your fellow exercisers that you are in a delicate state. With the right regime, you might recover in time for another evening of debauchery.

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