by Sue E

Created on: January 22, 2009   Last Updated: January 26, 2009

There are several flavors of yoga with varying degrees of intense stretching to restorative postures. As a general rule of thumb, yoga is most beneficial on an empty stomach. Sometimes stretching can interfere with digestion, so its better to do yoga with as little as possible to digest. Inverted postures on a full stomach feel uncomfortable.

Many Yoga teachers in India (the origin of yoga), preferred that students follow this eating schedule

* If you eat a complete meal, wait 4 hours before doing yoga. * If you eat a snack, wait 2 hours before doing yoga * If you happen to drink a beverage like coffee or tea or a fruit juice, wait for 1 hour before doing yoga.

What to Eat Before Yoga? Yoga is a great way to maintain good physical health and a healthy immune system. To enhance the therapeutic effects of doing yoga, yoga teachers recommend that foods rich in 'prana' (translates to life energy in Sanskrit) or sattvic food be consumed. These foods are neither too spicy, salty or greasy. They are easy to digest, wholesome and rich in nutrients.

Whether you choose to eat a complete meal, or a snack to satisfy between meal urges, remember to include more foods from vegetables, fruits, whole grains, beans, nuts and some diary. Yoga teachers also recommend slow eating and enjoying the food being consumed.

Eating a healthy meal or snack also helps the body gain strength and mind be clear, a big advantage to make the most of your yoga practice. Greasy foods make a person lethargic. Foods that are too high in carbohydrates and deficient in protein and vitamins, make one sleepy. So, these are food groups to avoid if you plan on doing yoga in a few hours.

Consuming a lot of fluids, in the form of water, throughout the day is recommended for good health, but its better to have a 1 hour gap after drinking tea or coffee and doing yoga.

Exception to the Rule

As there are exceptions to every rule, there are a few yogic postures that can be done on a full stomach, to ensure proper digestion. Vajrasana or the posture where one sits on one's knees, is beneficial for digestion, as the posture aligns the stomach, intestines and other organs involved in digestion at the right angles. If something you ate doesn't seem to sit well, try vajrasana for 10-20 minutes. It helps relieve feeling of being too full and symptoms associated with indigestion.

Eating healthy food complements Yoga. Its important to eat foods laden with nutrition and plenty of water, not just a few hours before yoga, but throughout the day as well, to ensure several more years of enjoyable yoga practice.

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