Evening Yoga?

zenmummy
zenmummy Posts: 96 Member
My question - do any of you practice yoga in the evening? I come home from a long working day, eat dinner with the kids, help with homework, and then give in to tiredness. I'm up early, at 6 each morning to get the kis off to school. My yoga either gets done after the kids go to school and before work, or not at all. I rarely have a moment before 10 p.m., by which time I'm often ready to fall into bed.
I like the idea of doing yoga in the evening, but I rarely summon up the energy. I'm wondering whether I should muster my energies and give it a go. Have any of you found that it helped to add in yoga in the evenings?

Replies

  • yoginimary
    yoginimary Posts: 6,788 Member
    I frequently do yoga in the evening, though not that late. If I'm tired, I start by doing a supported backbend. Sometimes I'll go for a short walk to get my blood moving
  • verptwerp
    verptwerp Posts: 3,659 Member
    Only if I'm attending an actual yoga class ...... mostly I aim for 20-30 minutes of yoga each morning to stretch out my back ......

    You know, even 10 minutes any time of day can help "quiet" things down for you ...... best of luck :drinker:
  • mwooderson
    mwooderson Posts: 254 Member
    I do sun salutations on my own in the mornings after walking. Love it! The rest of my yoga, which I practice almost daily, is done in the evenings in a classroom setting. Works well and I get my yoga fix in. :)
  • yogibella
    yogibella Posts: 321 Member
    I do mostly evening simply because it is the most convenient time for me and it's when all my fave classes are offered at the yoga studio. So it does work well for me.

    Are you just looking for some time to squeeze some yoga in or looking to wind down at the end of the day? There are many times that I don't have the energy but once I hit the mat, I feel invigorated and never regret it. It's not as late as 10pm though...maybe you could do a gentle, short lesson just to de-stress and get you ready for bed? Like what others say...a little anytime goes a long way and I'd like to get in the habit of doing that also. Sounds like you have long busy days but I hope you find some time for yourself! Best of luck :)
  • Yogi_Carl
    Yogi_Carl Posts: 1,906 Member
    Many evenings I don't feel like doing yoga, but if I turn on one of my yoga videos and roll out my yoga mat, I soon get into the zone. It is a case of making that start to feel the connection.
  • AmyBoogie
    AmyBoogie Posts: 91 Member
    I prefer yoga in the morning though not usually as early as I need to get up if I'm going to work it into my schedule. In the afternoon if I work it in, it's usually right after work but before I start dinner and then it feels rushed but if I can get in the mindset and allow myself 30 minutes of peace, I can get in an abbreviated practice.

    The studio I go to holds the classes I prefer in the evening so I go to those in the evening but it's right smack in the middle of dinner which means my husband is taking care of all the evening stuff with the kids at home.

    Like Yoginimary, inversions will wake me up. Sometimes the classes I take are after a long day and I'm beat, I'll work in a small practice that starts and ends with inversions just because I need to wake up and be able to listen to the teacher. Thankfully I can listen and yoga at the same time (very few notes need to be taken this go around)
  • BreakingBackSunday
    BreakingBackSunday Posts: 15 Member
    My favorite time to go to a yoga class is immediately after work. I'm less likely to blow it off if I leave right from the office AND it's the perfect end to long days for me.
  • zenmummy
    zenmummy Posts: 96 Member
    Many evenings I don't feel like doing yoga, but if I turn on one of my yoga videos and roll out my yoga mat, I soon get into the zone. It is a case of making that start to feel the connection.

    Thanks for all the feedback, and encouragement! This post told me what I needed to do. I rolled out my mat and silenced a loud voice asking to go to bed. Conclusion - Happy, refreshing way to end the day. Note to self, do this more often!
  • Yogi_Carl
    Yogi_Carl Posts: 1,906 Member
    Result! Many happy returns to your yoga mat!
  • TGKvr
    TGKvr Posts: 123 Member
    My typical routine is to get home from work, get on the stationary bike to warm up my legs, then I might do some strength training such as squats and lunges (really focusing on leg strength). After that I will wind down with about 30 minutes of yoga. Often, because of the timing and depending on how late I get home, I will break after my strength training to start dinner, then practice my yoga while dinner is cooking. When I take classes, it's usually at night. It's about the only time I really have free during the day.

    I also struggle with motivation sometimes, but like someone said above - just rolling out the mat, taking that first step, is a huge boost to my commitment level.
  • i'm not a morning person, so i usually go after work. sometimes its right after work for a heated vinyasa class, or as late as 8:30 for a candlelight hot/power fusion if im in need of something more relaxing but still strenuous. for me evening yoga is the best, beats trying to function at 6am! ;)
  • My typical routine is to get home from work, get on the stationary bike to warm up my legs, then I might do some strength training such as squats and lunges (really focusing on leg strength). After that I will wind down with about 30 minutes of yoga. Often, because of the timing and depending on how late I get home, I will break after my strength training to start dinner, then practice my yoga while dinner is cooking. When I take classes, it's usually at night. It's about the only time I really have free during the day.

    I really like the idea of doing yoga to relax after more strenuous exercise. I think I'll try developing a relaxation practice to do after my p.m. cardio routine. Thanks for sharing!
  • My typical routine is to get home from work, get on the stationary bike to warm up my legs, then I might do some strength training such as squats and lunges (really focusing on leg strength). After that I will wind down with about 30 minutes of yoga. Often, because of the timing and depending on how late I get home, I will break after my strength training to start dinner, then practice my yoga while dinner is cooking. When I take classes, it's usually at night. It's about the only time I really have free during the day.

    I also struggle with motivation sometimes, but like someone said above - just rolling out the mat, taking that first step, is a huge boost to my commitment level.

    Sorry for the double post. Still figuring out how to post in groups.

    I really like the idea of doing yoga to relax after more strenuous exercise. I think I'll try developing a relaxation practice to do after my p.m. cardio routine. Thanks for sharing!
  • annepage
    annepage Posts: 585 Member
    Yep, but I'm following yoga videos. It's pretty relaxing at night before bed.
  • l love to do yoga in the evening. I have a dvd that has a.m yoga and p.m yoga. I do the p.m yoga about a half hour before I go to bed. It relaxes me and takes the stress from the day away. The dvd is called Rodney Yee's AM PM Yoga for Beginners, for anyone who is interested in trying it.
  • healthycrone
    healthycrone Posts: 15 Member
    Hi, I used to do yoga in the evening but stopped because I would get so charged up I could not sleep! So, now I do it no later than late afternoon.
  • auntsammy88
    auntsammy88 Posts: 401 Member
    Have you ever tried moon salutations? Similar concept to sun salutations, but supposed to be less stimulating. There are several youtube videos that teach you the sequence.
  • hockey247
    hockey247 Posts: 118 Member
    I'm a late night Yoga girl here. It works for me since I just go to my yoga studio after work and then head home. For me its the perfect way to end my day--- all the stress just leaves me. I absolutely love it.

    With that being said, I also wish I could wake up in the mornings and do yoga as well. There are some amazing classes I could get to before work that I am missing :(
  • toffee322
    toffee322 Posts: 186 Member
    i do yoga right after work. i do it at a studio.. i feel like if i go home first and have dinner and all settle, i would not want to go out again and do yoga or any exercise.