Yes it does happen. After a strong, sweaty yoga practice you might be sore. You’ve lengthened and strengthened so many areas of your body that you might be sore in places you thought you could never be sore or in muscles you never knew existed. Eventually, after a few months to a year of steady practice, you won’t become as sore after you practice yoga. Until that day comes, you don’t have to suffer. Here are some tried and true ways to help alleviate yoga soreness.
1. More Yoga
Yep. That’s right! More. Yoga. When you’re sore from doing something the last thing you want to do is more of the thing that made you sore in the first place. (This yoga stuff is so backwards!) Even if you don’t want to, even if you’re stiff as a board from all the bending and twisting and planking and chatauranging you must get back on your mat and move. Psyche yourself up by saying you’ll just get on your mat for 3 minutes. Once those 3 minutes are done you’ll feel good enough to keep going. It might not relieve the soreness altogether but you’ll definitely feel better. Mainly, you’re teaching your body how to recover. First and foremost, before all the other remedies for soreness…more yoga.
2. China Gel
This is my favorite after yoga (and sometimes during yoga) soreness remedy. This tingly stuff is straight up magical. The menthol aroma is incredibly intense yet soothing. It quickly absorbs into your skin and doesn’t leave any kind of sticky residue. It sinks into your skin and penetrates the muscle. It’s both heating and cooling at the same time. Similar to Bio Freeze but not as sticky and lasts several times longer, this stuff is a dream come true for yogis. Get it at Amazon. (The scent is intense so if you’re prone to migraines brought on by intense smells, avoid this altogether.)
3. Epsom Salt Baths
I’ll take any excuse to sit in a hot bath! Epsom Salt is made of magnesium sulfate which when used properly draws the lactic acid from our muscles. You have to fully submerge your sore parts for at least 15 minutes to see results. I recommend taking a hot bath at night, drinking a ton of water and going to bed. The next day you’ll wake up feeling much less sore and ready for more yoga. Get Epsom Salts at Target, Walmart or any drug store for cheap. You could opt for the $20 kind at Whole Foods but it does the same thing as the less expensive brands.
4. Arnica Gel or Tablets
Arnica is an herb that grows mostly in Siberia and northern Europe. The flower of the herb is used to treat aches and pains and sore muscles. You can take it orally in tablet form or you can rub directly onto sore areas in its gel form. In my own experience, this doesn’t work as well as China Gel or Epsom Salt but it is a more natural remedy. Pick some up at Whole Foods, Walgreens or even Publix for $5-$7.
5. Ibuprofen
Yep, I went there. Most yogis say avoid this kind of anti-inflammatory but when used in moderation, I believe it’s totally fine. You wouldn’t want to take ibuprofen before a yoga practice because it could alleviate pain that you need to feel. (If your knee hurts in a pose you need to back off but if your pain receptors are dulled because of ibuprofen then you wouldn’t know to back off. Right?) If after practice your low back is sore from a bunch of locust poses and backbends, a couple Advil can help. If any pain is constant or lasts days or weeks, talk with your teacher and/or doctor about it.
6. Massage
“Honey, if you rub my neck, I’ll rub yours!” Lots of water and a massage can help relieve soreness and break up hardened fascia. Fascia is a densely woven but thin layer of tissue that covers every muscle, bone, nerve and artery that we have. Healthy fascia is stretchy and loose. Hardened fascia is exactly what it sounds like. Inflexible, thick and immobile. In yoga we move in ways that begin to break up this yucky stuff in an attempt to make it flexible and thin again but it doesn’t always get the job done. A good massage can do wonders to alleviate soreness and get our fascia back to its healthiest state.
You can use any or all of these in combination with each other. If you have any questions about any of these, feel free to reach out!
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