When Can You Bath Before or After Yoga? This is a question that many people ask when they are in the process of planning their day.
Most of the time, you can bathe before or after yoga. The only exception is when the body is very cold from doing vigorous exercise in cold weather. And then bathing within the hour before yoga poses, then might be problematic for your circulation.
The second instance where you will want to avoid bathing immediately before class is if you practice hot yoga.
Bathing not only removes the natural oils from your skin. But if you have sweated during practice, it could lead to a cooling loss of moisture and subsequent chills in the cold studio air.
I typically recommend students bathe between two to six hours before class. Depending on how sweaty they get during class, how much time is available, and how long their practice is.
For example, if you only do a quick morning asana session, it would be fine to bathe afterwards.
Skip Hop Baby Bath Tub, 3-Stage Smart Sling Tub, Moby, Grey
If someone does hot yoga regularly, this can become an even more complex topic due to sweat during class.
You can still shower afterwards, but I would generally recommend doing it. So before class, if you do another sweaty asana practice and then take a long soak in the evening.
If someone does hot yoga regularly, this can become an even more complex topic due to the amount of sweat during class.
How long should I wait to shower after yoga?
Do physical practice in the morning such as hiking, running or practising another form of exercise. It might be difficult to shower immediately afterwards due to time restraints.
Typically there are about ten minutes between finishing your workout and when class begins, depending on how hot yoga class is scheduled.
In this situation, I recommend showering after class, provided you have time. If the asana practice is very intense or long, there might not be enough time in the example above.
If you can’t shower afterwards, simply take a dip in a cold shower for two minutes and then wash your face and hands to remove sweat with soap. This will ensure your body is not too warm when you come to class.
Angelcare Baby Bath Support, Grey 0 to 6 Mont
What if I’m very sweaty?
If you are unusually sweaty, it might be best to shower before asana practice and let your skin dry out before coming into the yoga studio.
If there is no time to do so between the sweat session and class, take a cold shower for a few minutes and then wash your face and hands to remove sweat with soap.
Make sure you wait until after class to bathe unless your asana practice will be very short.
Skip Hop Baby Bath Rinse Cup, Moby Tear-free Waterfall Rinser, Blue
How long should I wait?
The time between taking a bath or shower before coming into the yoga studio depends on how much time between the bath and class, how long asana practice will be, and whether you are taking a cold shower to cool down.
I suggest waiting at least 30 minutes but no more than 2 hours after bathing or showering before coming into class.
If you can’t shower beforehand, simply take a dip in a cold shower for two minutes and then wash your face and hands to remove sweat with soap.
What if I have just done an intense asana practice?
This can be tricky because many hot yoga practices include vigorous asana that may cause you to sweat heavily.
If you want to bathe after class, then wait at least two hours and then try to take a cool shower if possible. If this is not possible, take a dip in a cold shower for two minutes and wash your face and hands with soap.
Do you need to shower after yoga?
If you practice hot yoga regularly, you will likely sweat at some point during your asana practice. However, suppose this is the only physical exercise you do outside of hot yoga.
In that case, there is no need for a bath or shower afterwards. It is simply more convenient to shower beforehand to not sweat when you come to yoga class.
Suppose you practice other forms of exercise or do not take hot yoga classes. In that case, I suggest bathing after physical activity so that your body is clean and cool when you come to yoga class.
Any time between the bath and asana practice can be used for other activities such as preparing a meal, reading, or simply relaxing.
There is no right or wrong time to bathe, so enjoy the space that you create and use it in a way that best benefits your practice and health.
Bath Before or After Yoga?
Whether you bathe before or after yoga depends on your level of exercise, asana routine and time available. Many different forms of physical activity can be done outside of hot yoga.
Here is a list of some common types:
- Running
- Swimming
- Dancing
- Hiking
- Martial Arts
- Sports (soccer, football, basketball, tennis)
If you are physically active and not doing hot yoga, I suggest bathing or showering after physical activity. This allows your body to become cool before going into asana practice in a warm room which may cause you to sweat more than normal.
If you take a bath before yoga, simply wait at least one hour between the bath and asana practice. If you cannot shower beforehand (even just washing your face and hands), take a cold shower for two minutes and wash your face/hands with soap.
The Bottom Line
Some yoga practitioners are wondering when they can bathe before or after their practice. The answer is that it depends on the type of workout you’re doing and your personal preference.
Do more active exercises like power, hot vinyasa, or ashtanga. You may want to shower afterwards to cool down from all that heat and sweat.
On the other hand, if your workout was less intense such as Hatha flow or treatment, then taking a bath beforehand might be preferable. So that you don’t break out in hives due to an allergic reaction.
It’s really up to what your body needs at any given time! So let us know how we can help with this important question by commenting below. We’ll be sure to respond!
