Before & After Yoga: the Best Routine for You
© Stephanie Greene
What you do before and after your class, however, can be just as important to your personal growth.
If you’re considering yoga, you aren’t alone. It has become a go-to discipline for people seeking a more holistic and healthier lifestyle. In yoga, students perform various movements or poses under the direction of an instructor (called a Yogi in more traditional styles). Depending on your chosen path, the focus can be on physical development, mental well-being, spiritual enrichment, or any combination thereof.
Before Yoga
If you want to create the perfect pre-yoga routine, you should understand your goals and what makes you feel the most prepared. Is there a concern you’re facing? Or do you just need a few moments to make sure you’re ready for class? Here are some popular practices to get you ready for the asanas.
1. Dealing With Anxiety
Yoga has been proven to help people deal with stress, depression, and anxiety, but you have to make it through the door first. Natural anxiety support like meditation or CBD can be the perfect answer to calming your mind and letting you push through.
2. Feeling Unbalanced
Yoga helps to center your mind and spirit in your body. But if you’re having problems letting go before class, you may be missing out on some important benefits. Mindfulness activities like active breathing or guided meditations can be just what you need to enter the studio “empty” of the outside world.
3. Promote Positivity
Some new students can’t get over not being great at yoga right off the bat. Before class, affirming yourself and your progress is a great way to open yourself to your own personal journey and to relieve stress. Face a mirror and encourage yourself, just as you would any other student.
After Yoga
A great yoga session has the habit of leaving you feeling enriched but exerted. Make sure your recovery starts the right way by giving yourself a little TLC.
1. Nutritional Support
Feed your body and mind with the right nutrients. Make sure you’re getting a balanced diet with plenty of good carbs to replenish tired muscles and protein to help them grow stronger. Consider a plant-based meal with plenty of veggies, fruits, and plant protein. Serve with a nutritious matcha tea, and you’ll be ready for your next session right away.
2. Have A Cuppa
Matcha isn’t the only tea you can use for recovery. Kratom and CBD are both popular for achieving a better refresh. While neither is recognized by the FDA for providing pain relief, independent research shows that both have a long history of helping people live healthier, happier lives.
3. Keep Keeping It Positive
You made it through. Visit yourself in the mirror again and admit that you’re getting the hang of this. You’re doing it.
Finding the right routines to support your yoga habit is very much a matter of personal preference. With a little self-evaluation and experimentation, you’ll find the path that’s right for you in no time.