When can I eat before my yoga practice?
We get many times the question in the yoga studio and during our yoga teacher trainings; what to eat for breakfast if we come for a yoga class in the morning? Or When should I eat at latest before class? And what should I eat after class? All these are good questions and most of us found out by our own experience what is the best for us… Sometimes through not so comfortable experiences 🙂 So we want to help you to find out what works for you with some tips. First of all, we are all different, so you really need to sense and feel what works for you.
In general we can say that vinyasa flow yoga or a yang yoga class can be rather intense on their own. So you definitely don’t want to eat right before, as for your body it is already a quite a job to keep up with the class. This means that having to spend energy on the digestion at the same time would be way too intense and uncomfortable.
So, if you are coming for a morning class at 9.15 or even at 7.00 we would recommend to drink some fruit juice before, or a nice tea, and not eat… Assuming that you have just woken up not too far away in time from the class start.
What if I am somebody who needs to eat when I wake up?
If you know that your blood sugar level can drop down, or that you really need to eat something before you start your day, we would recommend a banana and some dates before class or a protein bar. Preferably at latest half an hour before class. And have your proper breakfast AFTER your class.
In general we say have greater meals 3 hours before a yoga class, and you can eat something light, fruit or snack or some nuts 1 hour before the class.
Have a comfortable belly not a full belly…
What should I eat after yoga class?
You can always eat after class. But we recommend that you first start with drinking, some life filled fruit juices, smoothies, etc. Then wait a bit, give your body some rest and relaxation and then sense and feel what is your body really asking for. After yoga our senses are more open, so use that moment to consciously connect to your body and feel what would be really good for you. Maybe have something else then your habits, or what your mind would say to you.
You might notice on longer term, if you start to practice yoga more often, that in general your eating habits will change. You will be longing for healthier, lighter meals and will turn your back to artificial foods and sugary stuff…. TRUE STORY
Great things to eat and drink after class:
Juices like grapefruit, orange, coconut, cucumber, celery, lemon, pineapple, mango, etc… Dates, fruits in general, Salads, vegetables like avocado, everything that is juicy, not very dry…like soups, or a vegan protein shake. Or some nuts, or nut milks, cereals. You can also eat some rice or rice crackers with some Himalayan sea salt on it, to refill your minerals.
We recommend that you eat consciously and feel what is enough.
Listen to your body and your body will be so grateful for that!
It will put a smile on your face 🙂
