How To Reduce Muscle Soreness After Yoga

For such a low-impact exercise involving stretching and mindfulness, you wouldn’t expect muscle soreness after a yoga session. Yoga engages various muscles when stretching, some of which you don’t usually access daily, hence the pain. Read on to understand where the discomfort comes from and how to avoid it.

Causes of Discomfort Following Yoga Practice

Yoga has many benefits, but it can challenge your body, just like other exercises. It strains your muscles, leading to microscopic tears in the fascial tissues. The body then naturally reacts with its inflammatory response, where the blood vessels expand, allowing more healing blood to travel to the affected tissues. That’s why you feel pain or muscle soreness after yoga or any other exercise.

If you are a first-timer reconsidering whether to keep going, know that there is a positive side to the pain. Feeling sore means that you effectively stretched and engaged your muscles, so you had a great workout. The more you exercise, the more the body’s inflammatory response is triggered, the better the body repairs itself, and the stronger the muscles grow. You will no longer feel as much pain in the coming sessions.

Wear comfortable yoga clothes during class to stretch effortlessly. If you feel any sharp pain, rest and wait it out; if it persists, you may have pulled a muscle and will need immediate medical attention.

Tips To Avoid Post-Yoga Muscle Soreness

You want to feel rejuvenated after a yoga session, but expect some soreness, especially as a beginner. Luckily, this pain usually goes away the more you keep practicing; the benefits are worth it. You still can’t help but wonder, what can you do to reduce the muscle soreness and speed up recovery?

Stay Hydrated Before and After Yoga

You can start by making it a habit to drink a lot of water before and after a yoga session. The more you hydrate, the better the balance in your body. You are more energized to take on anything, and your mental focus improves so that you won’t feel as much pain. Normally, you should take more than 2.5 liters of water daily, but considering how strenuous exercise can be, you need much more. Try drinking 1-2 glasses an hour before and after the session for the best results.

Use Ice and Heat Alternately

Heat and cold are known for relieving pain, which you can use to your advantage. Choose a heating pad or a hot water bottle to help loosen up the muscles and improve blood flow, which is perfect for speeding up healing. In addition, alternate that with ice every 5 minutes, as it helps to reduce the swelling and relieve pain.

Incorporate Gentle Stretching

As with any other exercise, light stretching is one effective way to reduce discomfort. Start by walking for a few minutes or gently exercising to warm up before stretching out your legs, arms, and other sore parts after yoga.

Consider Getting a Massage to Relieve Muscle Soreness

Getting a massage is one of the best ways to leave your body feeling reenergized. It increases blood flow to your entire body, vital to speeding up your recovery. Inflammation will significantly reduce, and you will relieve the tension in your muscles.

Prioritize Quality Sleep

Sleep is your body’s natural healing remedy. Pain and stiffness go away after a good night’s sleep, and all the damaged tissues heal faster while resting. Always aim for at least 8 hours a night, and if possible, consider taking a nap after class to be safe.

Optimal Nutrition for Post-Yoga Recovery to Alleviate Muscle Soreness

Did you know that nutrition goes a long way to help relieve muscle soreness after exercise? First, consuming the right food before the session gives you energy. Secondly, the right food choice helps replenish your lost nutrients and gives you an energy boost to help with recovery.

Here are some tips for choosing the right foods for post-yoga recovery.

Eat Protein-Rich Foods

You already know that proteins are the building blocks of muscles. Since you feel muscle pain, you need high-quality protein foods to help with repair, speed up recovery, and make your muscles stronger down the line. Your post-yoga diet should include eggs, seeds, nuts, use nut butters, Greek yogurt, protein bars, or any other protein-rich meal or snack.

Include Carbohydrates

Carbohydrates, on the other hand, are known as energy-giving foods, a vital component for any exercise. There is a lot of stretching and turning during yoga classes; as expected, you will feel physically exhausted. You need the energy from carbohydrates to rejuvenate your muscles after the session and boost your brain. The best food option to provide this is slow-burning whole grains, but you can add simple carbs like fruits and vegetables.

Don’t Forget Healthy Fats

If you are trying to lose weight and want food options that leave you feeling satisfied or need an excellent source of omega-3 for protein synthesis, consider healthy fats. You need options like coconut and olive oil, nuts and avocados for more energy after sessions, and fatty fish and flax seeds as excellent omega-3 foods.

Conclusion on Managing Muscle Soreness

It is common for people to feel discomfort or muscle soreness after yoga, especially during their first sessions. When this happens to you, take it as a sign that you properly engaged your muscles during class and did everything perfectly. The more you try, the faster your body will adjust. Remember to try various remedies to help reduce the pain, like getting good sleep, hydrating, stretching, and massaging your muscles. Also, try to eat more proteins for faster muscle healing and carbohydrates to boost your body’s energy.