What happens after yoga class: Where do the toxins and emotions go?
Wednesday, November 6, 2013 at 5:13PM | robin
capture who you are
After yoga?
What do you do after yoga class? You went, you opened, twisted, sweat and stretched it all out. You unleashed emotions and thoughts, and sealed it all in with intention in the end (savasana).
Do you then just go on with your day?
Yoga—if done mindfully—can create euphoria and bring you to your happiest self. It can also bring you to the opposite as it acts as a sort of catalyst to making you face your darkness, as all that you hold inside your tightest body parts rises to the surface and begs for your attention.
Yoga opens you
This happens without notice with yoga poses that open the hips and shoulders, abdominal twists and mainly yoga breathing (i.e., ujjayi pranayama). With yoga, you are not only wringing out toxins, but also releasing emotions and setting energy free...
Be with what you find
Whether magical or disturbing, you can capture the essense of all that comes up in your yoga class by working with it. You can write it down (to share or not), talk about it, drink green juice to rejuvenate the missing gaps or simply be with "it" and acknowledge it. It calms your nervous system to take your yoga to the next level by realizing all that you become afterward. [The photo above has special meaning to me, each leaf.]
Your yoga practice is a direct reflection of your life. The way you handle a challenging yoga pose that stresses your muscles, your ego, or touches an injury, is the way you handle challenges that come up in life. For this reason, if you watch your mind during the difficult postures, and breathe into it and treat yourself with patience, you can train yourself for life's difficulties, confrontations, hindrances, sadness-provoking situations and toxic people.
Don't leave before savasana!
Some people leave class *before* savasana. I don't understand this. It's the grand finale and place to really capture the reason you are there in the first place.
Each has his/her own reason for leaving early sometimes, whether it be to pick up a child (and it's better to go to yoga partialy than not at all) or feeling sick, for instance. However, there are many other reasons people leave early, and their departure before the mental or physical challenge only causes them to lose out on lessons:
1. Fatigue
2. Dislike the music or heat or neighbor
3. Stillness at the end too quiet
4. Boredom
5. Challenge
6. Sadness
Regardless of the six reason above, these are great chances to practice withstanding fatique in any life situation, seeing the goodness in others, losing denial and feeling truth, focusing on intention building and going inside, breathing into physical challenge and transforming strong emotions into personal power.
Keep your clarity
Remembering that yoga is not just exercise is to be on your way to knowing that your class is only the first step; it's an opening that leads you to the avenue to your dreams. It brings you more clarity and leaves you with the feeling that you just did something awesome for yourself.
Be introspective. Take your yoga to the next level and find the answers you hold (even from yourself). Be you, creative™.
© 2013 Yoga Robin®
answers, body, breathe, creativity, emotional health, freedom, intuition, joints, nervous system, toxins, ujjayi breath | in psychology, yoga
Reader Comments (7)
I went back to yoga (after dabbling occasionally for many years) last spring. I have been attending gentle stretching classes one to two times and week. I was encouraged to attend another class a little more advanced. I did okay in the class, but afterward I felt incredibly ill. I was hot, nauseated and dizzy. I literally went home to bed at 8 pm. I feel fine today (the next day) my shoulders are a little stiff, but not a huge problem. Is this something I should worry about. I would like to progress with the yoga but I can't always go home to bed after a class. How many classes will this take to overcome if at all??
Each person is different but it's normal to sometimes feel overwhelmed after yoga, especially if you haven't been for awhile. If you were that "ill", I would ease up on the advanced class you mentioned--or if you still go, stay in the back and take it easy since you know it takes your body time to get used to that level. You also need to make sure you drink a lot of water before class.
I would definitely stick with it, but know your body and don't push it too hard. Each day could be different too as we each have different highs and lows in life. The way to progress is to keep going back to class. I would suggest trying different classes, different teachers, different levels so that you mix it up and have balance in your life.
hope this helps. -robin
i heard and read alot about yoga benefit but never get a chance to try it once but the benefit of it are awesome
Lesley, Thanks for commenting. Yes, the benefits of yoga are numerous and it's tough to summarize it all in one article, especially only pertaining to what happens to the toxins after yoga class. I invite you to read more of my articles too. Enjoy :) -robin
Hi Robin, I know this is an old post but I’m looking for some advise.
I tried some upa yoga yesterday and it was for about an hour. After doing this I’ve felt as if I am hungover. I feel really absent minded and just abit weird and tired. I was wondering if it’s still safe to do yoga if you have been diagnosed with PTSD, depression and anxiety?
Any advice would help.
Thanks
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