It’s hard to believe that you can feel sick after doing yoga, but unfortunately this feeling happens more often than you think. If you’re just starting out with yoga, you may be wondering why does yoga make me feel sick? Or you have been doing Yoga for a long time and still feel sick. In this article, we will explain some of the reasons why you might feel this way and how to deal with it when it happens to you.
Before we move on, did you know that walking can significantly improve your mental and physical health? Read more on walking 2 miles a day and its 6 key benefits!
What Causes You to Feel Sick After Yoga?
It’s normal to feel a little out of sorts after your first yoga class. Or even if you’ve been doing it for years! Yoga is an ancient form of exercise that involves holding poses, which can leave muscles sore and joints stiff. But what if you’re feeling nauseous or getting dizzy during a class? Or right afterward? Here are some reasons why.
Too Much Heat
Hot Yoga is a very common type of yoga that is performed in a room that’s about 105 degrees Fahrenheit. It’s not uncommon for people to experience a range of symptoms after practicing hot yoga, including nausea, dizziness, and even fainting. Of course, performing yoga in this temperature increases the risk of dehydration and heat strokes. So, make sure you stay hydrated and take breaks if necessary!
Eating before class Can Make You Feel Sick After Yoga
When you enter a yoga class and begin to practice, you will sweat by doing all those poses and stretches. If you’ve eaten something heavy or greasy before your class, that food must pass through your digestive system during your practice. The mixing of these opposing forces can result in an unpleasant feeling during and after yoga class. To avoid feeling nauseous or getting a stomach-ache during class, it’s best to eat lightly at least an hour before heading over to a studio. Drink plenty of water (not too much though) so that you stay hydrated and be sure to eat foods like fruits (for example apples or blueberries), protein bars or nuts.
You’re Removing Toxins!
If you feel sick after yoga, it might be a good sign. Let me explain. While many people turn to yoga for its stress-relieving properties, it’s also quite effective at removing toxins from our bodies. These benefits are all tied to a process called detoxification, which releases toxins and impurities from different parts of your body—and in a number of ways.
Like most exercises, yoga can also help for the bodies detoxification process. According to Yoga U Online, the body’s lymphatic system collects and delivers waste to your kidneys, liver and the digestive organs. This waste and toxins are eventually removed from your body through urine, sweat or feces.
There is also this idea in yoga that twisting can help detox our body. This is called the “squeeze-and-soak” theory that suggests when pressure is applied to organs and muscles during twists, you’re preventing blood flow. When you relax from the pose, blood flows back with lots of nutrition and helps in circulation. This theory however has no scientific evidence.
Inadequate Ventilation Can Also Make feel Sick after Yoga
If you feel sick after yoga, it might because of the yoga room itself. It is vital for a yoga class, especially Bikram or hot yoga to have proper ventilation. As we exercise, our body starts breathing faster and we tend to exhale a lot more carbon dioxide. According to Aristair, proper ventilation is needed to remove excess carbon dioxide and bring more fresh air. So, make sure your yoga class has proper ventilation especially if you do Hot or Bikram Yoga.
You haven’t done yoga in a long time or its your time!
If you were once a dedicated yogi and haven’t touched your mat in years, you may experience some stiffness when you first step back on it. This is because yoga can be an intense workout that stretches every part of your body. Even if you don’t have yoga-related injuries, coming back to it after an extended absence can be difficult and even painful.
How To Prevent Yoga from making your feel Sick?
When you first start going to yoga classes, it’s easy to assume that if you push yourself, as hard as you can, every time you go to class, then eventually your body will get used to it and all of that sweating and exhaustion will no longer bother you. But unfortunately, that’s not true. The truth is that while most people find some benefits from their yoga practice—including improved strength and flexibility—there are also many who don’t enjoy because yoga can make them feel extremally sick. Fortunately, there are several things we can do to prevent feeling sick during our practice. Here are a few of our best tips for making sure yoga doesn’t make us nauseous.
Eat Lightly Beforehand
Just like with any other strenuous activity, eating lightly beforehand helps reduce feelings of nausea following yoga class. Don’t eat slow-digesting foods and instead eat things like fruits, nuts, and seeds. Even a smoothie might help!
Meal Timing
To prevent feeling sick after yoga, try out different meal timing strategies to figure out what works best for you. According to The Yoga Institute, generally you should eat a heavy meal 3 – 4 hours before class. You should also have light foods like fruits and vegetables an hour before. However, our bodies are all different! Some might even find eating 30 – 60 min beforehand or sticking with regular meal schedules helpful. So, Experiment with different timing methods to find what works best for you!
For most people, eating heavy meals 3 -4 hours before and eating light meals 1 -2 hours before works best.
Not Taking Breaks Can Make You Feel Sick After Yoga!
Pushing your self to hard and avoiding taking breaks can make you feel sick after yoga. When you do Bikram Yoga or Hot Yoga you tend to push yourself a lot which lead you to feel dizzy or nauseous. Instead, take breaks when needed!
Stay Hydrated
Water is extremely important when practicing yoga. Especially when you do hot yoga, it’s easy to feel sick because of the heat which can lead to dehydration. Make sure to drink plenty of water before class to help keep yourself properly hydrated throughout your practice.
Although you might have heard or read that you should avoid drinking water during a session, if you do feel thirsty, take a break to hydrate yourself. Be sure not to chug large amounts during or after yoga class. Instead, sipping small amounts is better and will maintain healthy levels and help flush out toxins.
Proper Breathing Techniques
If you feel sick after or during yoga class, observe your breathing patterns. Yoga involves physically demanding activities which often leave students drenched in sweat and out of breath at times. When practicing Yoga, it’s easy to forget about proper breathing techniques. So, be sure that you’re maintaining control over your breathing by consciously focusing on extending each inhale and each exhale throughout the duration of a pose or sequence of poses.
Practice Seated Meditation Before Class
Another technique which can help eliminate sickness after yoga (or even just daily life) is pre-class meditation. While yoga instructors typically suggest arriving 15 minutes early so that you have enough time to relax in Savasana (the lying down position), it may be worth experimenting with arriving earlier and taking a moment to meditate or simply sit quietly and breathe before starting your yoga session. By doing so, you’ll help ensure that your mind remains focused on what’s happening within rather than outside of your body while performing physical exercises which involve deep breathing and/or rapid heart rate.
Maintain your practice
The most important thing to remember when you start feeling sick during yoga is that it doesn’t matter how long you’ve been practicing if you aren’t consistently practicing. Yoga is an ongoing journey that begins as soon as our feet touch our mats and doesn’t end until we lie down in final Savasana at class’s end. The key to overcoming nausea during yoga is to stay committed and consistent!
If you continuously feel sick after or during every yoga class, it is best to seek professional medical advice.
