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Do you have breakfast before your early morning run or active yoga practice? Not the best idea ‘digestion-wise’ according to Ayurveda! Now you may  think “breakfast doesn’t bother my practice!” Even though you are not  bothered by your digestion in your workout or yoga practice, your digestion  is bothered by you! As a yoga therapist also something to keep in mind for  your clients! 

THE IMPACT OF YOUR NERVOUS SYSTEM  

To maintain a healthy body, our sympathetic and parasympathetic nervous  system have to in balance. They are the yang & yin of our autonomic nervous  system and regulate the balance between tension and relaxation. In case of  emergency or stressful circumstances, the sympathetic nervous system, your  “fight-or-flight” mode, kicks into action. Your heart rate rises, your breathing  accelerates and more blood flows to your arm and leg muscles so you can  fight or run away if there is any danger. Our body doesn’t make a distinction  between actual physical danger and imaginary danger caused by mental  stress. 

Your digestion is not the most important thing at these ‘life-or-death’ situations. So hormones and neurotransmitters prioritize your body functions 

and reduce the blood supply to your digestive organs. Not only do  dangerous or stressful situations stimulate the fight-or-flight mode, our  nervous system reacts in the same way to intensive movement, which means  that your digestive system is not functioning properly at these moments. 

REST & DIGEST MODE  

Ayurveda teaches us that most of the disbalances and diseases start with a  weak digestion (called Manda Agni) or an irregular digestion (called Vishama  Agni in Ayurveda). The nervoussystem often plays an a key role in this  proces. It is important to activate your parasympathetic nervous system after  your breakfast (or any other meal). This “rest-and-digest” mode will relax  your skeletal muscles and increases the blood flow to your digestive organs  so food can be properly digested, nutrients are absorbed and no undigested  food gets into your system or maybe even starts to rot or ferment. A short  after-breakfast meditation is a good way to activate your parasympathetic  nervous system.  

HOW LONG SHOULD WE WAIT?  

The right amount of time between your meal and your practice depends on  what you eat, how much you eat and how well your digestive system works.  A banana is generally digested within an hour, but heavier meals or  incompatible food combinations such as yogurt with fresh fruit take much  longer. In general, a good rule of thumb is that is that you eat 2 to 3 hours in  advance and preferrably something that is easy to digest. Take only a piece  of fruit for example. Also give your body some time after an intensive  workout or yoga class to switch to the ‘rest and digest’ mode. Half an hour is  generally enough. In this way your digestive fire gets the chance to slowly  increase again and is completely ready for your post-workout meal! 

WHAT IF YOUR CLIENT JUST HAD BREAKFAST?  

What to do if you work as a yogatherapist and your client just had breakfast?  Take it easy on the belly area and focus on stimulating the Rest- and Digest modus. Breathing and meditation are good options, preferably while sitting  in the Vajrasana yoga pose. This pose gives space to the stomach, reduces  the blood flow to the legs (so there is more blood left for your digestive  organs) and stimulates the Ayurvedic marma points in your calves that are  linked to your digestion.  

ABOUT BY VEDA  

Nicole van Kempen is a Holistic Health Coach, Yoga Teacher and Yoga  Therapist in training and founder of BY VEDA. She loves to share her  knowledge about Ayurveda with the world and show how the sistersciences yoga and Ayurveda can supports and complement each other. Check  www.by-veda.com if you want to learn more!