Yoga Before Or After Workout: When’s the right time to do yoga?

Having a good workout routine can have a positive impact on your wellness. However, you can’t always hit every muscle group, even if you’re doing cardio and strength training. A great way to complement your workout routine is by incorporating yoga.

Yoga can be pretty beneficial in adding strength and tone to your body. However, it is essential to schedule when you’re doing yoga carefully. Depending on your type of workout, yoga can sometimes be counterproductive if not appropriately scheduled.

So the question is, is it better to do yoga before or after workout? When should you do yoga before or after a workout? In this article, we’ll look at the benefits and try to give an honest answer.

Yoga Before Or After Workout

Benefits of Yoga

It is a fact that yoga is an excellent addition to your gym workout routine. Both men and women can enjoy the benefits it offers as it can have a massive effect on your body.

  • It can help your muscles heal after a workout injury
  • It can improve back pain and balance
  • Improves the flexibility of your joints and manages arthritis symptoms
  • It has been shown to reduce stress and improve sleeping issues

Yoga Before Workout

Doing yoga before a workout can have benefits on its own. Due to busy lifestyles, many people simply don’t have the time to go to the gym and do the necessary warm-up for a challenging workout. Doing yoga before hitting the gym can be very beneficial.

You can do yoga to see whether you’re in the right mood for a more laborious exercise later. If, after the yoga session, you don’t feel like working out, then you can comfortably put an end to working out.

Yoga can be a great alternative to traditional stretching. Many strength workouts require your muscles to be at their complete flexibility. And yoga offers just that. Dynamically moving your body can gradually prepare your body to endure weight without experiencing any injuries.

Yoga After a Workout

Generally speaking, many yogis prefer doing their yoga after a workout. I must admit, it might sound excruciating at first to start doing asanas after cardio or weight lifting. However, doing yoga after a workout can offer even better benefits than doing yoga before an exercise.

We all know that you should never stop your workouts abruptly. It is essential for your body to gradually transition from high-energy exercises to exercises that will calm your body and heart rate.

When practicing yoga, you’re also focusing on taking deep breaths. Breathing in deeply helps stimulate the nervus vagus in your body. It lowers your heart rate and conserves energy, which is ideal for your parasympathetic nervous system.

This is especially important as exercising causes your sympathetic nervous system to be triggered. Stimulating the parasympathetic system works against the sympathetic and thus results in lower blood pressure.

 Aside from your nerves, yoga can impact your body’s well-being. Going straight to the shower can cause dizziness and mess up your heart rate. Cool down for 30 mins before washing away the sweat. This will prevent blood accumulation in your legs.

Doing yoga for several minutes can help your muscles relax as well as prevent them from getting injuries. Studies have shown that yoga can help with DOMS (delayed onset muscle soreness).

This is because many asanas can bring just enough blood to your muscles so that they can be nourished. This causes the muscles, tissues, and bones to repair even faster.

Yoga After a Workout

Poses to Cool Down After a Workout

Pigeon Pose

The pigeon pose is ideal for stretching your glutes, hips, and lower back.

  1. You can start with a Downward Facing Dog and bend one of your knees. For example, bend your right knee while the left leg is straight.
  2. The next step is to lift your left leg and bring it towards your back.
  3. Lift your left arm and bend it upwards so that it is like your left leg. Then all you need to do is grab your left foot and hold it for several seconds.

Child’s Pose

  1. The child pose is one of the best poses to stretch your back and hip muscles. To do this pose, you must kneel and sit on your heels. Keep your butt on your heels and push forward with your upper body.

Cobra Pose

The Cobra Pose is suitable for your spine as it improves flexibility and strengthens spinal support muscles. Not only that, but it also opens up the chest and provides relief.

  1. Start by laying flat and your palms under your shoulders. Your elbows should be parallel to your sides.
  2. Push your torso upwards while your hips and legs are touching the floor.
  3. Your neck should be in a neutral position while your ribs are lying low.
  4. Hold for several seconds.

Yoga As a Workout

If neither of these two works out for you, perhaps your only solution is to practice yoga as a workout. You don’t have to do anything different except hold the poses for a bit longer.

It has been to be even more effective than exercising, as it tones the body and improves flexibility simultaneously.

You can choose all yoga intensity levels depending on your physical needs, endurance, and preference.

Summary

In conclusion, many practices have shown that doing yoga after working out can be more beneficial in the long run. There are several reasons why this is the more appropriate thing to do.

Yoga increases blood flow to the muscles, which helps them recover even faster. Yoga also allows the muscles to stretch to the maximum, something no amount of exercise can do.

It has also been shown to reduce blood sugar and cortisol levels.

If you’re unsure what is the right thing to do, you can always try experimenting with different poses and intensities. Only you can decide what’s best for you!

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