Advice on Yoga

(September 3, 2010)

Hi,I want to practice Yoga on daily basis but i dont get time to do that in the morning due to my work schedule. Is it ok to do Yoga half an hour after dinner? Is it fine to sleep after Yoga? Kindly reply ASAP

With the hectic schedules that bog us down, there are a lot of people who like to exercise at the end of the day and unwind before hitting the bed, which is why there are a lot of queries about the practice of yoga after dinner. Early morning before you eat your breakfast is considered the best time to perform any yoga exercises. If your hectic morning schedule prevents you from practicing in the morning, early evening before or after sunset is the next best time. It is most important to do yoga based on the interest you have for it. Keep your timings a little flexible or it will prove very difficult to practice regularly. The problem with practicing yoga after dinner is with regard to the small interval most of us maintain between dinner and bedtime.
You must always remember to maintain a gap of at least two hours before you practice yoga after dinner, leaving your stomach with as little or no food remaining in it. Whenever you practice yoga you should see to it that the food has travelled far enough along the digestive tract leaving the stomach empty. Performing forward bends and inversions will be more comfortable. Energy also moves much more freely through the body when the digestive tract contains little food and the bowels are cleared.
If you want to practice yoga after dinner on a heavy meal, the time gap given before practicing the exercises must be further increased to at least four hours. People who have a weak gastric system must wait for an hour or two longer before doing the exercises. Several problems can arise if you practice yoga immediately after dinner. Practicing the yoga exercises immediately after dinner doesn’t give time for digestion and you may suffer from acidity and an upset stomach. Instead of the digestive acids going down to the intestines, they are pushed upwards.
Performing inversions immediately after having dinner can cause you a lot of uneasiness and you may even throw up the food. This will make you even weaker as the food doesn’t get digested and no energy is absorbed, which you will need for the practice of the yoga positions and exercises.
To practice yoga in the evenings you could follow a plan which will allow you to have a smooth session. Eat your biggest meal in the afternoon. You can eat some light food two hours before you begin your class so that by the time your exercises start, your stomach will be empty. Vegetables, fruits, and soups are digested easily so look out for these foods. Meat and fried foods should be avoided as they are dense.
Adjust your lifestyle so that the conditions of the body are just right prior to doing yoga. It will enhance the benefits of yoga and enable you to perform the exercises with more comfort and ease.

Submitted by A on September 3, 2010 at 07:03

Health Advice on Yoga

The best time to do any yoga exercise is early morning before having your breakfast, but if time constrains is a matter then the second most convenient time to do yoga is early evening before or at sunset. The most important thing is to do yoga is you are interested and have inclination towards it, don't get too rigid for the timings or else it would never be possible to perform.

Any yoga asana or positions should be performed after 2-3 hours after a meal. Keep in mind to avoid any over stimulating postures just before bedtime. Also do not practice yoga asana when you are too tired, clumsy or sleepy. For a perfect yoga routine asana should be followed by pranayama and meditation. Both pranayama and meditation can be practiced at any time of the day but within 2-3 hours after a meal. These can also be done when there is no sufficient space in the room to perform the asana. For a successful meditation pranayama is a necessary pre-requisite. Yoga Nidra can be done directly after meals or at any time of the day, but keep in mind not to fall asleep while performing a nidra. You can definitely sleep after completing the asana, nidra or meditation.

Submitted by S M on May 23, 2008 at 04:47