Should you drink water during yoga?

As an enthusiastic participant in my yoga class, I am often the first yogi to peel off a layer and get my sweat on! I hold asanas for as long as possible, and I never rest out of a vinyasa. I like my practice to push me forward in my endurance, and I definitely get a cardio dose at class!

Bodily cycles being what they are, I am also regularly the first to reach for my water bottle. In my regular class this was treated as normal, and even encouraged, but upon trying a new Ashtanga class, I came up against a barrier I hadn’t previously encountered.

Once I began to warm up, I grabbed my water, and was told in no uncertain terms by the teacher that it is not a good idea to intake water during class.

This was the first time I had heard this idea. So, what is the problem with drinking water?

To drink or not to drink: the yogic question

The No’s

• Stopping for a water break can interrupt the flow and cause you to miss a few poses or a flow.
• Water breaks can lead to bathroom breaks
• In some types of yoga, the idea behind the practice of yoga is to focus on your breath and the asanas, and to move past ideas like muscle fatigue and thirst and find the peace beyond the physical.
• In yoga, there is classically an idea of raising the ‘ushna’ or temperature in the body to create an inner fire. By drinking water, you cool your inner temperature, putting out your fire, and losing benefits like looser muscles and detoxification.
• If your belly is full of water, it can slosh about, making some people feel a bit sick, or creating difficulties in twisting poses.

The Yes’s

• If you are dehydrated, your practice becomes unhealthy. You should hydrate before and after yoga, but if you are very thirsty, it’s important to listen to your body.
• There is a lot to be said for rising above the physical distractions of the body, but if you are thirsty, and can’t focus because of it, you should take steps to reduce that.

So where is the balance? Should you go with the watery flow? The answer to that depends on the situation and the person. While for some people, having water in your tummy can be at best a distraction, and at worst, be physically sickening, for others it is the restriction of water intake that can prove to be more uncomfortable.

If you do choose to drink water during class, it’s a good idea to sip, rather than gulp, to keep the ‘hot water bottle belly’ effect to a minimum.

It’s also a good idea to monitor how thirsty you feel in your practice, and if you are drinking a lot, to implement a habit of hydrating throughout the day before you go to class. This could help you to reduce the amount of water breaks that you require during practice.

If your teacher asks you not to drink water, but you feel that for your health, it’s important that you do, then why not have a word with them after class? It’s good to have open communication with your yoga instructor, and to feed back how you’re feeling during class so they can better help you on your yoga journey. Remember to always listen to your body; you are the person who knows best what your body needs, whether that’s water, or resting out of a pose that is too challenging.