Eating, Drinking, Showering, Clothing, etc
How long do I have to wait after eating before practicing yoga?
The recommended amount of time to wait after eating before practicing yoga is 3 hours. As yoga stretches, pulls, contracts, and expands the body, especially the abdominal region, the stomach needs to be as empty as possible before practicing yoga. If you want to eat a light snack such as an apple or banana, it’s best to wait 1 hour before practicing yoga?
What is the best time of day to practice yoga?
The best time to practice yoga is two hours before and two hours after sunrise and sunset. This time in sanskrit is referred to as Sandhya, which means in between. This time of inbetween has very good cosmic energy. My favorite time to practice is two hours before the sun rises, the world is very quiet. There is less jangling energy in your environment to disturb you as the majority of people are asleep. This allows for a more peaceful energetic experience for your yoga practice.
When should I shower after yoga?
Wait at least 15 minutes after you practice yoga to shower because you need to let your body temperature settle. If you assault your body with either hot or cold water right after a practice, it greatly disturbs your prana and your energy. Most yogis that I’ve met in India actually shower with cold water before their yoga practice as an act of purification and cleansing.
Can I practice yoga in an air conditioned room?
It is not recommended to practice yoga in air conditioning. My yoga teachers have taught me that this cause illness and is destructive to the energy you build in a yoga practice. To have artificial and processed air being blown on you is counter productive to the natural state of grounding that yoga engenders. Air conditioning is not healthy to practice yoga in. That being said, during yoga practice my yoga teachers in India would even turn off the fans. There would be no artificial air movement allowed during even the hottest of days. Doing so, forced me to overcome my discomfort and to accept the present moment as it was. It strengthened my concentration and my will. Of course, the best place to practice yoga is in a natural space with fresh air.
What should I wear to practice yoga?
In India, they recommend cotton for its breathability and its natural properties. They do not think you should wear any synthetic materials as it allows the artificial into the practice of being one with reality. Synthetic materials stops the flow of energy and almost clogs it up as it cannot allow either oxygen or energy to flow properly. In fact, yoga teachers in India recommend wearing loose fitting clothing. They do not think that yoga practitioners should wear the skin-tight yoga clothes that have become popularized in the West. Again, this is because it is unhealthy for your prana and restricts the flow of energy. Of course, there is also a level of modesty that the teachers in India would like to uphold.
How long should I hold a yoga pose for?
In Hatha or Vinyasa Yoga practices, it is believed that a single asana should be practiced for between 12 seconds to 3 minutes. Remember, in yoga there are no jerking movements. Of course, in other types of yoga, such as yin yoga, an asana can be held for much longer. However, generally speaking, the asanas in yin yoga have been modified from hatha yoga poses so that they can safely be held for longer periods of time.
Can I drink water during my yoga practice?
That’s a frequent question I get, “Can I bring my water bottle with me into yoga class?” And unfortunately the answer is no. Unless you are sick and suffering from a sore throat or bad cough, you should not drink water during your yoga practice. This is because it takes your attention away from the yoga practice and puts it on the water bottle. You start to crave the water. If you think you need a break, you reach for your water bottle. In yoga, there is no break, no chance to stop and break the flow of movement. Having a water bottle next to your mat is only temptation. Lastly, you shouldn’t give your body anything to process during your yoga practice. By putting water into the body, the body has to begin moving that water through the body and processing it, so that takes energy. One hundred percent of your energy should be available to you to use during your yoga practice. If you drink water, this makes some energy unavailable to you.
Can I practice yoga on my period?
That’s a tricky question, and there are a lot of different answers out there. When Ashtanga was began with Pattabhi Jois in Mysore, you were not even allowed to be in the presence of the teacher if you were menstruating. You could not even enter the yoga hall. Generally, what I have been taught is that you should not practice on the first two days that are the “heaviest,” and you can practice the rest of the days if you feel well enough. However, you should not do any forceful breath holding, advanced poses, or asanas that put too much force on the abdomen, especially twisting poses. Across the board, no matter who you ask, during the menstrual cycle you should not do any inversion poses. You should not force your body to be upside down. This is because you are reversing the flow of blood in your body, which is detrimental to your health and prana during the menstrual cycle.
Why do we close our eyes when we meditate or when we chant?
We close our eyes to open up our third eye and so that we can better visualize energy. As we are focusing our energy inward, we look inward. We shut the external world out as we gaze inside.
More Questions?
Do you have any other questions that you wished were answered here? Comment below and I’ll see what I can do 🙂
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