What to Eat Before and After Your Yoga Sessions

Are you a yoga enthusiast? Or are you new to yoga practices? A beginner, intermediate, and advanced yoga practitioner should know about what to eat before and after your yoga sessions. Keep on reading to understand the benefits of knowing yoga practices, including diet habits, well here!

Introduction

Yoga integrates body and mind. It is not only for the body but also for the mind. Yoga is an active lifestyle that helps connect your mind with the body while establishing peace. Yoga philosophy, asanas, and practice are essential, but you need to give importance to your diet and eating habits.

What to eat and when to eat should be regarded as essential questions. Giving the right fuel to your body at the right time keeps you healthy and motivated. Meditation, flexibility, and strength can be tremendously increased with the help of a proper eating plan. The overall well-being is your responsibility. 

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Understanding Yogic Nutrition Principles

Your food is your energy. The sattvic diet is what the yoga philosophy prefers for yoga teachers to maintain health and focus. The purity and clarity of the mind can be easily established when one resort to the sattvic diet. The sattvic diet embraces both the Ayurvedic and yoga philosophies. The yoga emphasis is eating based on the following criteria:

• Plant-based food
• Non-harming food products 
• Eating in moderation

The core elements of the yogic nutrition principles are as follows:

• Sattva
• Ahimsa
• Mindfulness 

A nutritious yogic diet should include fresh, plant-based fruits and vegetables. It promotes less harm to the environment. The food should be eaten with gratitude in moderation.

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What to Eat Before a Yoga Session

If you are a yoga practitioner, your post- and pre-meal should revolve around the yogic nutrition principles. You have to activate the body and absorb the nutrients out of it to remain healthy and stable. 

Eat delicately while you start practising yoga. You can choose either the sunrise or sunset time to practice your yoga based on your personal preference. Yoga is an experience. To experience yoga with a calm mind, you need to facilitate the flow of energy throughout your body.

You have to keep your stomach half empty. Knowing your digestion pattern is very important. Based on the time taken for digestion, try to consume food one or two hours before the yoga practice. Here are a few suggestions that you can try out before practising yoga:

• Soaked nuts 
• Soaked seeds 
• Banana with almond butter
• Fruit blends
• Oatmeal
• Smoothies
• Fruits, especially apples or pears with cinnamon

The above-mentioned food provides you with energy by avoiding dullness. This will promote more focus and concentration. 

Foods to Avoid Before Yoga

Here is the list of food items that you should avoid before your yoga practice:

• Greasy meals
• Heavy metals
• Meat
• Cheese
• Caffeinated drinks
• Raw vegetables like broccoli or cabbage 
• Spicy food
• Salty food

Avoiding greasy and oily food items helps you save your body from bloating, indigestion, and overstimulation. 

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What to Eat After a Yoga Session

After your yoga practice, you need to give your body the hydration it requires along with the energy for recovery and relaxation. Your body is now in a state of reception. It is important to support the body after the yoga session. Here are a few suggestions to replenish your energy after yoga sessions.

• Vegetable soup
• Smoothies
• Steamed vegetables
• Brown rice
• Soaked oats
• Chia pudding
• Warm water
• Herbal tea 
• Coconut water

Maintaining a healthy food practice is essential for you to grow healthy. Keep yourself hydrated and restore the energy after each yoga session.

Tips for Maintaining a Balanced Yoga Diet

Drink plenty of water to keep yourself hydrated for the entire day. Know your body before you apply the yogic nutrition philosophy in practice. Understand and listen to the body to know the energy it requires along with the digestion time.

Knowing the body will guide you positively. You have to avoid distractions while eating. Slow eating is preferable. Keep your body your top priority. Consistency is the key to happiness and peace. Be consistent in what you are doing. 

Here are the tips to maintain a balanced yoga diet.

• Know your body.
• Focus on fresh, plant-based meals.
• Follow a sattvic diet plan.
• Eat 75-80% of your stomach. 
• Eat slowly.
• Avoid screens while eating.
• Follow the yogic nutrition philosophy. 
• Stay hydrated.
• Know your digestion time. 

Conclusion 

Remain consistent. What you eat and when you eat are important while you practice yoga. Resort to a sattvic diet to avoid eating unhealthy food and ruining your purity and purpose. Choosing the right food before and after your yoga practice is important.

You have to eat food to support your body and connect it with your mind. Your mind’s clarity automatically comes when you have a healthy body. You have to find better nourishment for your body. The way you keep your body nourished defines you!