Ayurvedic Post-Workout Tips
Keeping the body in balance is a daily practice. Exercise is important to maintaining balance in the mind and body, but the act itself can create imbalance without proper post-workout care. Vata Dosha is ruled by the air and ether elements and is responsible for all bodily movements and nervous and circulatory system impulses. Therefore you can expect Vata Dosha to be provoked after a workout. In the body, this can create a sense of instability, sleep disruptions, indigestion, and anxiousness.
Exercise activates the sympathetic nervous system, which increases heart rate, breathing rate, blood pressure, and circulation to the limbs. Our bodies evolved to be able to handle these physiological changes for short bouts of time. This is why it is crucial to have a post-workout routine to rejuvenate and bring the body back into the parasympathetic state of rest & digest. There is an entire branch of Ayurveda dedicated to Rejuvenation. We are pretty serious about the act of replenishment.
Here are five tips for you to give your body what it needs after a workout or yoga practice:
Warm Water with Lime & a Pinch of Raw Sugar
Your body has used a lot of electrolytes throughout your workout to help stimulate the muscles and releasing heat in the body through perspiration. Dehydration and depleted muscles equals pain. The combination of lime and raw sugar will help to stabilize blood sugar and rehydrate electrolytes.
Apply Warm Oil to Your Body
Abhyanga (oil massage) is recommended for just about everything in Ayurveda. It’s that powerful. The best way to rub out sore muscles and stimulate the lymphatic system for proper elimination of waste is to rub your body with warm oil. For a more cooling sensation use coconut oil. For a neutral effect, you can use sesame oil. This practice helps to ground down and remind the body that it’s safe to rest.
Wash with Neem & Aloe Soap
This cooling and soothing soap is a great option to cleanse with after a sweat session. Our friends at Banyan Botanicals have a great bar that is gentle enough for all skin types for every day use.
Transition Slowly
When you jump from one activity to the next, Vata stays aggravated. Try a meditation practice post-workout to calm the mind. You can even try a cooling breath work practice, as demonstrated by Sara Bravo from our sister school, Down Under School of Yoga. Or just simply lie down in Corpse pose (Savasana) for 10 minutes.
Nourish Properly
During a workout, the energy and awareness in the body is directed towards the extremities and away from the gut. Ayurveda puts extreme importance to the state of the Agni, the digestive fire. Agni is a concept that lives in the entire body, but our largest, most important Agni is found in the gastrointestinal tract. The digestive fires in the muscular, nervous, and blood tissues take over during a workout, taking the awareness away from the digestion of food. Therefore it is not recommended to dive right into a meal afterwards. Taking a moment to prime the body back into parasympathetic mode (rest & digest) is key to digesting and assimilating nutrients to refuel properly. Choose a meal that is warm, nutrient-dense, and balanced in carbs, fats and proteins with digestive spices such as cumin, coriander, and fennel to end your post-workout routine.
As with anything Ayurveda, it’s always best to work with your own unique body constitution that Ayurveda breaks up by elements and qualities. Our Personalized Ayurveda Immersion is a self-paced online program which shows you how to weave these principles into your own life. You will get assigned a coach to help answer your questions and guide you along. Join us in a deep self-discovery into this ancient Vedic science.