As someone committed to yoga as a vital lifestyle component, every yogi should know about some of the do’s and don’ts of yoga. This helps to avoid any injury or bad experiences and lets you gain the best advantage from your yoga classes in Mumbai or wherever else you may be. In my yoga class I get a lot of questions from my students and I often share some of these yoga rules to live by.
When to practice yoga
It is recommended that you do yoga every day. If this is not possible, do it at least three times a week. The duration of each yoga session could be anywhere up to an hour and a half. It this is not manageable on some days at least devote 20 minutes of the day to your yoga session. While early morning on an empty stomach is supposed to be the best time for yoga, this is sometimes not possible for people. Yoga is beneficial at any time of the day.
Before or after eating?
Empty stomach is best for the practice of yoga. There are no hard and fast rules as such, however experts suggest that yoga is to be avoided for at least three to four hours after a heavy meal and for a couple of hours after a snack. It is also recommended that you wait for about an hour after yoga to have your next meal.
Yoga after a bowel movement
It is best to evacuate the bowels before starting on yoga. If you’re doing yoga in the morning each day, this may require some amount of adjustment to begin with. Many yoga positions help to massage the digestive system and speed up the whole process. So as you start to perform yoga regularly, you will find that your bowel movement becomes regular and you will be able to evacuate your bowels early in the morning without any effort.
Yoga during menstruation
The traditional view is to avoid doing yoga when a woman has her period. However a more modern view is that this is neither practical nor desirable. Some experts simply recommend not doing certain aasans during those days of the month; particularly those that require one to hang or position the body upside down (a precaution to avoid reverse flow of energy and prevent any blockage problems), what we call Inversions. Others actually recommend that certain yoga poses must be done during one’s period because the stretching and other exercises can help relieve some of the discomfort of cramps, bloating and so on. A woman must listen to her body and go light on the intensity if she feels weak or low on energy.
Yoga when you’re ill
The rule of thumb that I tell my students to follow is this: if you’re feeling too ill, skip your yoga session (and see a doctor to rule out anything serious). If you’re feeling well enough, just do what you’re comfortable with. Don’t push yourself. If you feel like doing yoga, you may find that it actually makes you feel better. Some poses are thought to stimulate the immune system. Certain breathing exercises could also help clear the sinuses and nasal passages; actually making you feel less ill than before.
Yoga during pregnancy
Here as well, there tend to be different views: some feel that yoga during pregnancy is a no-no, others feel that some gentle poses will have a positive impact. In my view yoga is fine for pregnant women so long as poses that need one to lie on the stomach, squeeze the stomach and poses that carry a risk of losing balance and falling are avoided. Pregnant women should also take care to remain cool. It is important to avoid getting overheated as this could have a negative impact on the developing baby. Pre-natal yoga is a distinct branch where yoga exercises that are good for the mother and baby are taught and encouraged.
Follow these basic rules of thumb and remember to avoid Instagram yogis and you should be fine!