It’s 5:30 in the evening and you’re leaving a crazy day at work to try and make a 6 o’clock yoga class. Or maybe it’s 6:30 in the morning and you’re heading to Mysore before work—just barely awake. Regardless, you want to practice but you feel like going to sleep. What do you do? Throw some cold water on your face and pray that by the second downdog your blood will start moving? Or grab a double soy mocha and pound it before taking your position on the mat?
Lots of people drink coffee before practicing, especially in the city where we pack so much into each day and often need a little pick-me-up to get us from point A to point B. Personally, if I am really sluggish before practice, I will have a bit of green tea. If I feel guilty about this artificial boost in my energy—and I sometimes do—I simply remember that it’s not uncommon for monks of certain Buddhist traditions to drink green tea before meditating.
I am not so concerned here, however, about whether it is “right” or “wrong” to imbibe in a foamy latte to gear up for your morning sun salutes. (Though please share your view about the matter, if you have one.) But what I am more interested in is how caffeine affects your practice.
If I have a cup of green tea, I don’t feel a huge difference. I might be a bit more alert, which is the point. But If I drink any more than that, the energy in my body starts to significantly shift. I can really feel the caffeine while I practice, which doesn’t always feel good. While it’s true that it gives me more energy and I can move through chattarangas with less fatigue, I find that my energy feels uneven and jittery. I sweat more and, at the same time, my extremities get cold. Sometimes I find myself even shaking a little. It’s a fine line between feeling empowered and unsteady, so I have to really monitor my intake.
Caffeine, of course, has different effects on different people and some people don’t feel it all. What’s your experience with caffeinasana? Do you drink tea or coffee before you practice? (Or Red Bull, for that matter?) Does it help your practice? Hurt it? Do you think that we should avoid any kind of stimulant before working with an energetic practice like yoga? Write in and share your thoughts!
I have used all forms of caffeine prior to asana practice. Here I mean a vigorous practice like the primary series in Astanga or a Vira practice from Prana Vinyasa Flow developed by Shiva Rea. I don’t need, and try to avoid, any caffeine for my lunar practices.
With that said I have found that the form of caffeine makes me feel different. Like tea and coffee. Because coffee is SO acidic I feel the acid In my body- stomach, and muscles. When I use green tea I feel none of that. As a physician, I know the difference is the acid. Not only does caffeine it self provide some acid, caffeine stimulates the adreanal glad which mobilize sugar stores and that increase the acid in the blood, in addition, the body trying regulate all of this takes energy!! Wasting energy to just handle the caffeine and sugar!
Yerba matte feels the best (to me) in my body during practice. I think it’s because of the high mineral component of the Yerba leaves. They help moderate he acid and the yerba has high caffeine content. I also use a product call full life one by Nexagen. No ad here, but it is a clean source of caffeine and ends up helping the body with the additional nutrients. I also make an oxygen cocktail with no caffeine with may components that support the ATP cycles in the body healthfully.
Over stimulation in any form is over-fatiguing to the body’s systems. In Western athletics that is considered “just fine” but, in yoga practice the point is to balance the system/mind/spirit. So, at the end of he day I recommend using caffeine in small, non-acidic forms. Used only to ignite the metabolism but not replace our inner fire. Nerves burn out and can becomes diseased. I see it daily in my practice. Caffeine is something like #37 as a cause of death in America.
This subject is vital. Since so many new yogis are young and probably don’t feel the immediate effects of acidic-caffeine. Thanks for the story above and talking about this topic.
May all yogis find freedom. Namaste. 😉
Thanks for the great information – nice to have a doctor weigh in on this one!
I usually try and keep my tummy empty before practice as my teachers have suggested. Feel like I would be too wired/weird with caffeine beforehand — though I haven’t thought of green tea for a boost.
I find when I’m sleepy and think I’ll opt out of yoga, I’m always glad if I make it b/c I feel more energized afterward. Thanks for bringing up the topic!
I don’t drink coffee or tea. I allow the practice to wake me up, which it usually does. A large part of regulating your energy stores, like the physician mentioned above, is to regulate your diet. If you can avoid stimulating beverages and eat a balanced diet, you can maintain your energy stores. This has a lot to do with the amount of sugar in the typical diet. I do feel sluggish in the mornings before practice, but I take it slowly to start and within 15-20min my body wakes up and is ready to move further into the practice.
I think its important to listen to your body and practice in a way that serves you in that moment. So that may mean not starting the day with a vigorous practice if your body feels stiff and tired, even if this is part of your routine. We get stuck in these routines and forget to witness what is happening right here and now. Our bodies are changing every second of every day, so what is right for you one day might not be right for the next. The key is to observe without judgement, in everything you do on and off the mat.
I drink coffee regularly but it doesn’t really coincide with asana practice. But I don’t practice at regular times either so while my coffee drinking is pretty much always on schedule, the asana happens whenever.
For me it’s more about whether or not I’m getting rocked on some stimulant to practice, which doesn’t work for me. My regular coffee gives me a boost I can feel but it’s nothing like the feeling of a cup when I’ve managed to cut coffee down or in some cases out.
However, when I used to assist Jamie Lindsay at teacher trainings I always bought us both a large cup of coffee to have during class. That’s how my teacher rolled so that’s how I did it too.
Interesting observations, and the final paragraph actually brings up a whole different question about drinking caffeine before teaching. i’ll say that caffeine tends to make my hands cold and clammy, and I don’t want to put those hands on my students, so I usually try and skip it! Thanks much for the thoughts.
I drink coffee and other forms of caffeine regularly, but the few times I’ve done so before asana, I have regretted it. I felt my heart rate speeding up more than was comfortable, and I felt very impatient with holding poses. However, I often enjoy a half decaf goat milk and honey latte after my practice!
It seems like raw cacao could be a good substitute if you’re really wanting some sort of stimulant. I haven’t taken cacao before morning yoga, but have really enjoyed its affects on me when I’ve had some before dancing. Another option would be a superfood smoothie with gojis, acai, maca, and other more mild stimulants.
Thanks for the great recommendations, Regina!
Caffeine is a stimulant, as you know, and also a vasoconstrictor. The latter constricts blood vessels and has been used for treating migraine headaches for eons. This vasoconstriction increases blood pressure, reducing the amount of blood to your extremities. This may be the reason your hands feel cold. Taking on an empty stomach speeds the effects of caffeine. Sometimes after one or two cups of coffee in the morning I feel a little shaky. This may not occur immediately but some time later. Becky, in her comments above, seems to have the best bet.