If you practice yoga, it's absolutely imperative that you learn how to drink water before, during and after your yoga classes to prevent yourself from getting dehydrated. During a typical yoga class, you can lose anywhere from three to five pounds of water weight due to all of the stretching that goes on in yoga. Though you might enjoy losing the weight, this is not good for your body and will almost certainly lead to internal problems if you do not get yourself hydrated.
In addition to losing weight during yoga class, you are going to be asked to do a lot of stretches that influence the way your kidney works. Toxins may be released into your body as a result, and you will need water to flow freely through your body to help flush them out. Therefore, there are some simple steps you need to take to be sure that you know how to drink water effectively for a yoga class.
Drink Water Well Before Yoga Class Starts
Like any other physical activity, there's a good chance that you're going to walk into your yoga class with a bottle of water and down part of it just before class starts. Unfortunately, this actually does absolutely nothing for you. Drinking water immediately before doing physical activity doesn't help your body to stay hydrated. Rather, you can stay hydrated by drinking water hours before yoga class begins. This gives your body time to absorb the water and properly hydrate your body.
It's essential that you drink plenty of water in the time leading up to class. There's no need to overdo it, but don't expect to drink a couple glasses ten minutes before class starts and be fine during class. Specifically if you're doing Bikram yoga, you need to make sure you're fully hydrated before you start yoga.
Drink Water after Yoga Class Ends
Assuming you are fully focused on your yoga techniques during class, you're not going to get a chance to drink much water. This is why you need to make sure you're hydrated when you show up. Instead, when yoga class ends, have a bottle of water ready to replenish the water that you just lost. In general, you should be drinking about 64 ounces of water per day. But, you may need more if you're doing an activity like yoga, so start drinking water after yoga ends to help rehydrate yourself.
Drink More Water Well after Yoga Class Ends
Again, you don't need to overdo it here, but if you lose a lot of water by sweating during yoga class, you want to continue to replenish the water in your body throughout the remainder of the day. If you notice that you're dry-mouthed a lot after class or your urine is a dark shade of color, your body needs more water. So, continue to drink water even after you've had a glass or two after yoga class.
This is the best way to keep your body hydrated before, during and after yoga. Make sure you drink plenty of water to get the full benefits of a yoga class.
