How soon after eating can I can do yoga?

As a teacher and a blogger, I hear this question a lot, so here is a quick post on the food & drink before (and after) yoga question!

Mmmmm….

You have probably heard that yoga is ideally practiced on an 'empty stomach.' Anyone who has accidentally tried to do a vigorous yoga class after a big lunch can relate to the truth in that!  But that is more or less where the advice begins to diverge.

When considering this question, remember above all that in the yogic worldview, everyone is different. While yoga teachers often try to give simple and straightforward answers, because we think that is what people are looking for, the truth is that every individual has a unique ayurvedic constitution, meaning that there are no 'hard and fast rules.' Rather, think of these as guidelines that you then need to explore to see which is the most appropriate for you.

There are so many variables here (ayurvedic type, climate, season, diet, lifestyle, what else is going on in your life…) that I think the 'ideal' answer requires a solution that is tailored to your unique needs. One way to think about it is to keep a journal detailing what you ate before practice, when you ate it, and how you felt. Over time that may help you to hit upon the right solution for YOU.

Remember also that your needs are going to change throughout your life, depending on what else is going on - so just when you think you've got it figured out, you may have to change it up again!

If you practice in the morning:

Many schools of thought teach that yoga should be done first thing in the morning, before you eat or drink anything (other than room temperature water). Some people find this pretty comfortable, but I know others who feel light-headed or even faint if they so much as attempt a sun salutation on a completely empty stomach.

If you wake up hungry (which in ayurvedic terms is a good thing!), if the length and intensity of your practice requires a bit of fuel, or if you struggle with low blood sugar in the mornings, try the following:

• Have a glass of room-temperature or warm milk 15-30 minutes before practice. Milk temporarily buffers stomach acid, so it can be good to tide you through your practice. However, once the milk is digested your stomach will produce even more acid, so if you are in the habit of drinking milk, make sure you eat a nice alkaline breakfast after your yoga. 
• Have a (small) cup of milky coffee or tea 15-30 minutes before practice. Yoga guru BKS Iyengar began all of his days like this, and, well, he's going on 96 so it must work for him! Coffee also helps to empty your bowels which is another (less often quoted in a public yoga class!) recommendation for before you start practicing asana or pranayama.
• Have a small piece of fruit about 15 to 30 minutes before practice. It should be something light, like a peach or an orange, not a banana, and if possible, something fresh, not tinned.  I prefer solid fruit to fruit juice because with solid fruit you get fibre as well as just liquid and sugar, but then, that's just me!
• You don't have to wait too long after practice, even an intense practice, to head straight to a nice big breakfast. Wait about 15 or 20 minutes (just time for a shower and to get dressed) and then tuck in!

If you practice in the middle of the day:

If your favourite class is in the middle of the day, it's going to be a bit of a balancing act to figure out the right times to eat before and after practice. In the middle of the day, your energy is high and your digestive fire is at its peak. You might find that this means you are able to eat a light snack before practice and burn right through it, or you might find that you do better eating a big meal after practice. Try some of the following and see what works best for you:

• Have a light or normal breakfast followed by a high-energy mid-morning snack. The usual advice would be not to snack on anything within an hour of practicing.
• Have a big breakfast and don't eat again until after your practice.
• If you are hungry right before your class, try having a piece of light fruit about 15-30 minutes before class.
• You may find that you need to leave a bit of time after practice in order to be able to digest a big meal. If you are hungry right after practice but when you eat, you feel like it doesn't digest well, try having a light snack (fruit or a granola bar) right after practice and waiting about an hour before having a meal.

If you practice in the evening:

Personally, I find evening practices the most difficult to schedule healthy eating around. Eating too late is bad for my digestion and sleep, but so is a vigorous practice late in the evening. If you have similar issues, try the following:

• Try swapping your biggest meal of the day to lunchtime. Make sure it is a balanced meal that will give you enough 'fuel' to make it through the rest of your day and through your yoga practice. Then, have a light meal for dinner after practice (a soup or a salad for example). Remember that if you usually eat with your family you might have to warn them in advance on those days, too!
• If your class is too late for you to have dinner afterwards, try mixing and matching your breakfast and lunch quantities and timings (e.g. big breakfast, medium lunch, or small breakfast, big early lunch) so that you can eat an early dinner of something small and light. Try to leave at least 2-3 hours between dinner and your class for ideal digestion.

Quick Tip: How to check your knee alignment in Warrior II and similar poses

Knees are delicate joints, which is why yoga teachers tend to go on (and on!) about correctly aligning the knee in yoga poses. Unlike hips, which can move in many directions, knees are designed only to move in one direction. So when we do yoga poses, it's important to respect the way that knees are designed to move, otherwise we risk injuring this relatively delicate joint. Knees are hinge joints, designed to move on a single axis, just like the hinge of a door. And just like a hinge, they are especially vulnerable if you twist them away from that axis.

In standing poses where the knee is bent, correctly aligning the knee is especially important because the knee joint is bearing weight. In poses where the hips are facing forward, the body finds a safe alignment fairly naturally, just as it does every day when we walk or run. However, in poses such as Warrior II and extended angle pose (and Warrior I to a lesser extent), we put the body in an un-natural stance, with the pelvis facing sideways and the front foot facing forwards. When we then bend the knee, our body often comes out of its safe alignment, for a number of different reasons (stiffness in the hips, short adductor muscles, distraction…).

You'll often hear teachers cue "bring your knee over your ankle" to try and correct for this. But we all know that bringing the knee directly over the ankle in these poses can take years of practice! Instead, don't worry about how far forward your knee is: check the alignment of your knee by thinking about lining up two straight lines. The first (in pink) is a line that goes through the middle of your foot: approximately from the base of the second toe to the middle of the heel. The second (in blue) goes from your hip socket in the middle of the upper thigh to the middle of the kneecap. When those two axes are in line, you are good to go!

The pictures below hopefully makes it pretty clear. In 1) and 2) I've shown two common mis-alignments that I often see in class, just to help illustrate the point. 3) shows what it should look like.

(PS: You usually can't see your foot from standing in Warrior II, so lean forward to check your alignment, and then straighten up again).

My cat has recently been taking a renewed interest in disdainfully watching me do yoga, so you also get a bonus of some cute little cat feet off to the side!!

Yoga Tip Tuesdays: Lizard Pose

Happy new year! Yes, readers, I'm back at the blog. The final 3 months of last year for me were very intense work-wise, and blogging just didn't fit in. But now all that is behind me and I have lots of time for all things yoga - hurrah!

Now, we bloggers tend to start the new year with deep, reflective posts, but I'm going to skip that step and launch straight into a post requested by a reader a little while ago, on a lovely but challenging hip opener called Lizard Pose. Also, stay tuned for the sequel on how to use Lizard Pose as a starting point to work towards a challenging arm-balance: eka pada koundinyasana (sage pose) II.

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A little while ago, a reader contacted me through Facebook and asked for advice on modifying Lizard Pose. She commented: "My thigh can't seem to stay straight - it wants to poke out to the side. Then I am having problems with my shoulders. Even getting to where my shoulder is by my knee is troublesome."

First of all, from my perspective, it's totally OK for your front thigh to be angled outwards. After all, your femur sits side-on and forward of your hip joint, as shown in the picture below. As you can also see, this is more exaggerated in women than with men.

The way that the femur and the hip are aligned means that in forward-facing hip-openers (like Warrior I, lunge and lizard), you should always set up for the pose with the feet at least hip width apart on your mat. For women, aim for shoulder distance. This means that the right foot is to the right side of the midline, and the left foot is to the left side. This alone might alleviate any discomfort you're feeling by creating more space for the hip joint to move through.

Next, you can create even more space for the hips with one simple movement: turn your forward toes outward, towards the front corner of your mat. This reflects the natural alignment of the femur, so when you come deeper into the pose, bringing your hands to the mat, you should feel more spaciousness in the hip joint. You can walk your foot further out to the side to get even more room.

When you can comfortably hold the pose for 5 breaths with your palms flat on the mat, you can play with coming a bit deeper into the pose by bending your elbows. Another way to explore this pose is with the back knee on the ground. This takes some of the weight off the hip joint and can be a great variation for those with especially tight hamstrings.

Eventually you might place your elbows on a bolster, block, or on the floor. However remember that this pose is not about how far down you go. It's totally fine if your shoulders never go lower than your knee - as long as you are feeling a good stretch in your hips, glutes and hamstrings. Be respectful of your body: since hips are joints, there is no joy to be had in straining to push your limits. Rather, let go of your ego, breathe deeply and work on holding the pose longer while staying relaxed through the breath, allowing your body to slowly change old patterns of movement.

Lizard Pose is a big hip opener, so before coming into this pose, do some warm ups like hip circles, supine pigeon, and lunges. Enjoy!!

 

Readers, what are some poses you'd like to see featured on Yoga Tip Tuesdays? And yes, I know it's not Tuesday today, but whatever! ;) The name is catchy.

Arjuna and December (in which I manage to bring Jesus, Arjuna and Harry Potter into the same blog post)

Well, yogis, it's December, which means a lot of things. Firstly, I will be returning to regular blogging soon since my assignment in East Timor is nearly done! Secondly (and a bit more universal), it's hard for most of us not to notice that Christmas is coming.

Which makes me think about Arjuna. (Oh yes, it's one of those posts).

'Uhhhhhh, what?' I hear you asking. Well, let me explain. It all started last year when my partner and I had Christmas with our five-year old niece. By the end of the holiday, after a week or so of "brush your teeth or you'll be on the naughty list" culminating in a paper-shredding-present-opening-crazy-fest, we felt pretty spiritually disenfranchised. The pop-culture-materialistic version of Christmas, as you may have noticed, is pretty hard to avoid these days, whether you are a Christian (my partner is) or not (I am not). So we reflected a bit on what the deeper meaning of the season is for us, and how we could create new traditions for ourselves that possibly wouldn't involve quite so many plastic toys discarded moments after being torn out of the wrapping paper. We reflected on the transition to a new year, marked by the solstice and the calendar. The commemoration of another year of life on this planet shared with people that we love. The commemoration of the birth of a man who tried to teach those around him the values of love, generosity and a moral life.

Which, ironically, every time I come to the christmas season, feels like more of a battle than usual.

Which is what brings me to Arjuna. For those of you who haven't read the Bhagavad Gita (on which I am no expert), Arjuna is a prince who, on the eve of a terrible battle, has a crisis of faith. Paralysed by the realisation that he must fight against his own uncles and cousins to win back his rightful share of the kingdom, he freezes, confused, and his bow slips from his hand. He calls upon Krishna (who happens to be his charioteer, sweet!) for guidance. Krishna responds by introducing Arjuna to Yoga, a practice for self-realisation. Krishna goes on to say that through Yoga he can gain control of his mind and liberate himself from the 'false reality' of the senses. In this state, the yogi can perform actions without any mental or emotional attachment to their consequences. So he can fight because it's the right thing to do, and not be distraught by the result of his actions.

Now, wait, says Arjuna, surely if I become all enlightened, there is no need to perform action at all? Shouldn't I just withdraw from the world and contemplate it all from a cave somewhere? But Krishna points out that abstaining from action is an action in itself, but not a very constructive one. Better to continue consciously performing actions, because as an enlightened person you can do actions for the good of the world. Krishna tells Arjuna that each person should do his duty according to his nature, performing actions without attachment. This is the Yoga of Action.

There's more to the story, but we've come to my essential point. I remember reading the BG for the first time and struggling immensely, as Arjuna did, with this concept. How could it be right to go to war, to kill his kin for a kingdom? What kind of spiritual teaching is that? And how did this text become an inspiration to Ghandi, the man who led India's peaceful revolution?

But I was missing the key point, which is that it's a story, a metaphor, not to be taken quite so literally. In the story, Arjuna is a warrior. It is what he is born to, it is his destiny, and therefore it is his duty to fight. It is the right thing to do, and nobody else can do it. He's basically your ancient Indian version of Harry Potter (who after all, could have just hopped on a Thestral and flown off to Australia, right?).

What the BG is saying, then, is that yoga is really about is doing what's right, according to our own individual nature. Now I am not a warrior (maybe some of you are, readers, or wizards!). But I am many other things: a friend, a daughter, a sister, a partner, an employee, a teacher. And with each of those 'destinies'  comes a set of 'rights,' a set of choices about how I live my life (horcruxes or hallows?). The path of yoga is the path that leads me to choose my actions wisely, to do the right thing in each set of circumstances not because I am seeking personal gain or seeking to please others, but because it is the right thing to do. Not to put off doing something because it is hard or because I am afraid, but doing it because it is the right thing to do. The right thing according to me, to my true self, to my true nature, not to what others tell me to do or want me to do.

And the practice of yoga, the practice of inquiry in order to gain self-knowledge, of course, is there to help me to make those choices based in true wisdom, free of attachment or ego or self-deception.

So, readers, if you are still with me, that is what I will be reflecting on this December. On who I am, and on doing Right Things For Me because they are Right Things For Me, and not for any other reason. On what my battles (choices) are and how to 'fight' them with wisdom and integrity.

Happy new year everyone!

La Gitane

On remembrance, action and typhoon Haiyan

Yes, I am still out here in the universe, and very much alive. Although you wouldn't know it from reading the blog of late, I have been soaking up life like a sponge, and I can promise you that many new posts and other things are in the pipeline. Patience, and all is coming! As you may remember, I am currently back in East Timor, which I called 'home' for many years and apparently is not finished with me yet.

On Remembrance

Yesterday was a big day here: the 22nd anniversary of the 1991 Santa Cruz massacre, when occupying Indonesian troops opened fire on a crowd of several thousand unarmed civilians. The people, mostly young, had come to demonstrate at the grave of a young man who was shot in cold blood by Indonesian soldiers. It was an act of resistance for which many paid dearly: when the crowd reached the large cemetery in the centre of town, the troops opened fire. At least 250 people were killed in under an hour.

This horrifying event also marked a turning point in East Timor's fight for independence, as it was witnessed by several foreign journalists including one who managed to capture the massacre on film and smuggle the footage out. When the footage was released to the world, it sparked an international solidarity movement for East Timor's self-determination, and brought the governments who were supporting the Indonesian militarily under strong criticism - including the US which had trained the Indonesian military and sold them the weapons they used to invade and force the country into submission. Many regard it as the first step on East Timor's path to independence, which they would finally achieve 8 years later.

Each year the massacre is marked by a national holiday, and the day closes beautiful tradition: after sunset, every household goes out into the street and lights candles in memory of those who died. Children play in the streets and adults sit and remember the past as they watch the future generations frolic with a lighter spirit than in the days of occupation or colonisation. Wherever you are in East Timor on 12 November, the streets will be lined with row upon row of lit candles. In the years before independence, it was a brave thing to do, a sign that the spirit of the East Timorese could not be quashed by intimidation and violence. Now it is a holiday of particular, poignant beauty, all the more so when the post-independence road is rocky, and national unity feels fickle and evasive.

As a foreigner, I can't help observing the contrast with the traditions of my own country, which by contrast feel trite and commercialistic. Tinny christmas carols in shopping malls and chocolate Easter bunnies feel pretty empty compared to such a powerful, simple thing as an entire nation lighting candles to remember. It makes me realise how much my heart cries out for more meaningful traditions, how much I hope to create those for my present and future family.

A father and his children light candles in remembrance, Baucau, East Timor, 12 November 2013

What does this have to do with yoga?

Well, nothing and everything honestly. When I reflect back on the Santra Cruz massacre and the thousands of other, un-rembered acts of resistance (whether noble or stupid), I am reminded of Arjuna in the Baghavad Gita gearing up to fight. Knowing that the consequences would be terrible, but acting anyway because it was for the greater good.

Yoga is action - and this, we must not forget. It is showing compassion to those in need, it is speaking for those who cannot, it is a thousand nameless acts of kindness or one single act of bravery. Each of us is called to act in different ways, each day we are presented with dozens of opportunities to do something good, something right, something that challenges our apathy. Something that stills the vicious tongue of our ego-self, the voice that fills us with scepticism and doubt, the voice that says "I can't make a difference, why bother, someone else will take care of that, it's not my problem."

Through action we change our karma and purge our samskaras. Through action we put our fundamental beliefs to the test. Through action we open up to our true natures.

A post-script: Typhoon Haiyan

This post was not intended as a call to action on Typhoon Haiyan. But it is in the news, and as someone who has worked on humanitarian issues and responses, I shouldn't be surprised to have found myself here.

If you are distressed by what you see, if you wish you could help but your ego-voice is telling you that you can't make a difference, why bother, other people will take care of that, it's not your problem, please know that your donations, however small they may seem to you, really do help. Forgo your weekly coffee and donate $5, or your weekly lunch date and donate $25. It's not about how much you give - it's about taking action if your soul is calling for it. Because it's the right thing to do.

Marianne Elliot has put together a wonderful post with some advice on what kind of help is most useful - I encourage you to read it, but don't stop there. Take action, however small. If you are called to help, listen to your true, compassionate nature.

Finding relaxation in a busy life: a guest post

A few weeks back, Alisa won the Barefoot Yoga silk eye pillow in a giveaway here on this blog! I asked her to review it for us so you all can hear about it, and I love what she has written: an honest story of a mom, student and yogini trying to find relaxation in a busy, multi-tasking life. Thanks for sharing your story Alisa, and keep remembering to relax!

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Hi, my name is Alisa.  I am a wanna be yogini. I have been doing yoga for 2 years, and am in love with not only practicing yoga but reading about yoga!   I am a new mom and wife, and a full time student in a demanding program.  I am really so lucky I won the silk eye pillow give away, because my life can be very stressful (as I’m sure most of yours are) and this eye pillow has given me the desire to meditate and relax more!

The day after I received my new amazing silk eye pillow I was walking and slipped on some liquid and fell right on my tailbone. It HURT really bad for a couple of weeks.  I couldn’t practice yoga like I wanted to, and I knew my body needed lots of REST!  Sometimes these bad things happen for a reason, to remind us to slow down and rest, something I am working on!!!! 

The silk eye pillow is the perfect accessory for my resting! After I hurt my tailbone, I would lay down in bed with lots of pillows and support for my poor tail bone, and put the eye pillow over my eyes.  Breathing in deeply, I immediately loved the light lavender scent (which is not too strong, but strong enough to enrich my nostrils with calming lavender with each inhale)  I continued to breathe deeply and relax my stressed, sore, tight body...

After a few minutes I realized that I LOVE the slight pressure the silk eye pillow puts on my eyes and surrounding area. It wasn’t too light or too heavy, but the perfect amount of pressure to help remind me to relax my face and all of the tension I hold there.   I feel like sometimes we are so used to relaxing the rest of our body in savasana and meditation but we forget to relax our face!!

Some other things I love about the silk eye pillow are: the silk case it comes in – perfect for storing it, and the beautiful pattern and silkiness/softness of the fabric that feels almost cool on your eyes.

After having the silk eye pillow for a couple weeks, and testing it at least a few times a week, I realized that consciously relaxing my face really helps me a lot with relaxing my racing mind!  Which in turn helps me relax my whole body too. 

This being the first eye pillow I’ve ever used.  I was surprised by how much I love it. The silk eye pillow has definitely took my savasavas and lying down meditations to a whole new level J

I also have a little advice with using the silk eye pillow:  Make sure you have some time to ease back into reality after using your eye pillow. The eye pillow blocks out light completely!  So I found it rewarding to take a couple of minutes to keep my eyes closed after I took off the eye pillow ……slowly easing back into the bright world eased the transition!

I think the Barefoot Co.’s silk eye pillow would make a good gift for anyone really, but especially for those women in your life!  I feel like a lot of women these days worry too much, or stress about everything, trying to carry the world on their shoulders.  I know that ALL women have those days, and life is busy!!! But our lives would really improve if we took the time to settle down and relax our bodies and minds!  The silk eye pillow could benefit both those who are already familiar with savasana and meditation, and those who have never done it before!  I ordered my mom and mother in law a silk eye pillow for Christmas, and I’m going to include with my gift instructions on how to do a full body scan, relaxation meditation.  I’m hoping it will help them!

The yoga of connecting; simple is enough

Hello dear readers,

Technically a blog has no obligation, but every time my life gets away from me and keeps me away from my blog, I always feel the need to apologise! So readers, I'm sorry for the long absence from this space, and I'll do my best to keep the posts coming for the next little while.

True to my gypsy name, I am traveling at the moment, this time a long work trip that will keep me away from home for 3 months. I'm once again visiting the half-island nation of East Timor - long time readers will remember that I used to live here. It seems that my fate is entwined with this place, for life keeps drawing me back. With a whole world out there, incredibly I am sitting in an office that is only a few doors away from the very first office I sat in 9 years ago when I first came here. Perhaps some places are truly magnetic to our souls, or there is some karma that I have with this place that I have yet to work through.

Morning commute ;)

This time I have the wonderful opportunity to be spending most of my working hours traveling around the country and talking to local people. I will be on the road a lot and my yoga physical yoga practice will most certainly suffer from it, but there are other kinds of yoga. The yoga of connecting to people is one that we so often neglect. The yoga of getting to know other human beings, of asking for their perspectives and listening to what they have to say. We get so engrossed in our personal practice that we forget that the real practice is how we live our lives, minute by minute, day-by day.


Being back at a desk job is also a shift for me. Gone are the long, leisurely morning practices that I have had over the past few months. Now, I am rising in the hot, humid darkness, stepping on my mat still half asleep, swatting mosquitoes. Every step between bed and the mat is a struggle with myself, trying to keep the fire of tapas, discipline, burning long enough to get me to the first breath. But once I am there, everything flows. One breath turns into another and before long a thin sheen of sweat has sprung to my skin, and my body moves into life.

These mornings feel like a homecoming, an echo of years worth of morning practices. To do them (and still be at the office by 8am!), I have stripped back my practice to the basics, trying to get the most out of my limited time on the mat, and it has surprised me how well this simplified practice "fits." It's as if I have stripped away everything that was not serving me, and am left with a practice where every breath, every asana, meets a need. Nothing is extra, no energy is wasted, no thoughts or emotions flung into attachment to "goal poses" or the length of my practice. The reward: I am calm, focused, and (I think!) pleasant to be around. I can go about my day of listening to people with ease and relaxation. I notice a huge increase in my productivity at work on the mornings I do yoga, and a huge loss of focus on the mornings when I trade my practice for an extra hour of sleep. It's nice to be reminded of the transformative power of a simple practice and to remember, in the midst of our complicated lives, that simple is enough.

Dear readers, I promise shortly a return to our regular programming, with some highlights from trips around East Timor thrown in as a bonus.

For now, go on, get on your mats - or get off them - and see what happens. :)