Food plays a pivotal role in your yoga practice. Here are some of the top tips that we offer guests at our Surf and Yoga retreats to help them properly fuel their bodies for yoga.
You should drink around 8 ounces of water half an hour before a yoga session. If you’ve picked evening classes at the yoga retreat, try to keep your liquid intake during the day to half your body weight. You can drink herbal tea and add fruit to your water from time to time instead of drinking plain water throughout the day. The latter is of course an option, if you are up for it. If you take your yoga lessons in the morning, drink about 8 to 16 ounces of water before you take to the mat. While coffee can give you energy to practice well, it tends to dehydrate the body. Avoid drinking caffeinated beverages before class. But you can enjoy a cup or two of coffee during the day.
If your yoga class is in the evening, eat well balanced meals throughout the day and opt for a snack an hour or so before the session. If you are going to practice in the morning, eat a small banana or some berries half an hour before the session. For your pre-yoga breakfast, have a smoothie with plenty of fruit, nuts and protein powder. You can add some spinach to your smoothie to make it more nutritious. Refrain from eating a large meal before practice. If you are full, you won’t be able to engage your core properly and you may even end up with an upset stomach later. Take your last pre-yoga full meal at least an hour before practice.
Drinking coconut water or electrolytes can help your body recover faster and better after a strenuous session of yoga. You need minerals such as sodium and potassium in your body to prevent dehydration. Avoid alcohol right after a yoga session, allow time for your body to recover before you relax and unwind with a cocktail or two.
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If you enjoy morning yoga sessions, you can tuck into a plentiful and nutritious breakfast afterwards. Grab a scrumptious omelet with tomatoes and spinach or avocado toast and perhaps some oatmeal. Don’t forget to finish your meal with some fresh, tropical fruit from Sri Lanka like papaya, banana and pineapple. As for dinner after an evening yoga session, you feast on some grilled salmon and sautéed vegetables. Don’t give into your sugar cravings right after class.
At Nirbana, we provide our guests with plenty of healthy and appetizing meal options to help them deepen their yoga practice, of which, healthy food is an integral part.
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Nirbana
Duwa Estate, Henawathatha
Talduwa, Ahangama,
80650, Sri Lanka
Tel: +94 (0) 777 456 555
Email: [email protected]