You don’t want to invest time and energy in another yoga practice and not see results, or worse, ruin the progress you are already making and injuring yourself. I have trained twice day a for over 16 years and sometimes three times a day. After reading this article you will understand the benefits and potential negatives to practicing yoga twice and day and you will learn the best way to add another yoga session to your current routine.
It’s Ok to Practice Yoga Twice a Day
Because there are many ways you can practice yoga, done properly you can enjoy physical and mental benefits from practicing yoga twice.
How To Do Yoga Two Yoga Sessions in one Day
Plan Wisely to Avoid Mistakes
The simplest way to do two sessions a day is to do one in the morning and one in the evening.
Yoga in the morning tends to be energizing, while in the evening it tends to be calming.
You can tailor the practice to your needs. Sessions can last a few minutes or hours and it can take various forms. It might be a strenuous physical practice, a relaxing and grounding practice, a silent sitting practice, or a breathing practice.
Build up to twice so it’s not a shock to your system. For instance start with two sessions (morning and evening) just twice a week and then add a day every week or every month. This way you build the habit slowly and therefore are less likely to stop.
Take regular days off or even a week and just do it once a day (or less). This will help you avoid over training and the change of pace will motivate you. especially if have other training you do. I train Brazilian Jiu Jitsu three days a week, so have to be careful not to over do it.
One of your yoga sessions can be purely based on classic yoga breathing techniques. Yoga is not just poses, breathing exercises are a pivotal part of of any yoga practices.
Make Sure You Plan Recovery and Regularly Review Your Practice
Make sure you drink plenty of water (especially important when you do hot yoga).
Leave 5-7 hours (or longer) between sessions.
An instructor can help you manage how best to practice twice a day for your unique circumstances. In this respect a teacher invaluable as they have the experience of dealing with many students.
Share your experience with other people from your class. They probably have the same questions and challenges as you. This could lead to a group discussion with your yoga teacher. you don’t have to work it out alone.
This is often over looked but make sure you clean your yoga mat properly, not only will it make it last longer but you avoid bacteria and other nasty things accumulating.
One of the great things about practicing yoga is the community you belong to.
If you plan correctly and don’t go hard all the time you will not over train. You will leave the practice feeling energized and/or calm and relaxed.
6 Tips To Successfully Incorporate A Second Yoga Session
- Start Slowly. Add a yoga class on one day only then add more in the following weeks and months.Start by making the second session a short one and then slowly build. Even a five minute breathing only session is a great foundation to build from. Don’t rush.
- Experiment. You might find that you enjoy and benefit from twice a day everyday or you prefer yoga twice a day on two days of the week.Don’t set your practice in stone when it is not serving you.Also experiment with different types styles and postures.
- You do not have to do all your practice at a yoga class. You can mix it up. Do it at home some days and others at a studio. This will save you travel and time and avoid burn out.If you can, when training at home have a dedicated area where you train.
- Keep a journal of how you feel after a session.You may not notice you are over training. Often people who do yoga twice a day are focused and driven people, they will ignore the signs of over exertion and push through.Keeping a journal will help you see the signs early.
- Pick a time and stick with it. You are less likely to miss session if you do not leave it as a last minute decision. Also family and friends will know to leave you alone at those times.
- Make sure you adjust your water and food intake (especially protein) when you add a session. And make room for regular breaks and rests to let your body reset.
Does the Type of Yoga Matter?
Yes, there are different styles some energizing and athletic and others calming, slow and relaxing.
The yoga styles you want to consider for the mornings are ones that energize you. In the evening you want styles that calm you.
This way you won’t over exert yourself and the different types will enhance each other.
Where you live will play a role in which style you do, there may not be a yoga class in the style you are looking for near you.
Online classes are a great alternative but nothing beats having an instructor present with you.
Types of Yoga
More strenuous Styles for your morning session
Vinyasa
One of the most well-liked modern forms of yoga is vinyasa, which is often known as “flow” due to the ease with which the positions flow into one another. It’s also known as power yoga.
Bikram
The temperature is raised to between 95 and 105 degrees Fahrenheit while practising Bikram yoga. Sometimes known as “hot yoga,” is a challenging practice and not a good idea to do everyday.
Ashtanga
Is a highly athletic and energetic style of hatha yoga. It emphasises energy and breath while moving between poses.
Ashtanga yoga encourages mental clarity and inner serenity despite being a very physical discipline.
Jivamukti
The majority of Jivamukti’s classes are vinyasa-flow exercises integrated with Indian spiritual principles.
The primary focus of jivamukti is connection to Earth as a living creature, hence the majority of Jivamukti followers adopt
Less Strenuous Styles for your evening session
Restorative
In a restorative yoga class, you’ll spend longer time in fewer poses. Many of the stances have been altered to make them simpler and more soothing.
Various props are employed and strategically positioned, including blankets, bolsters, and eye pillows. These props help you relax more deeply.
Iyengar
Iyengar actively utilises props to assist students in honing their form and help them safely extend poses.
After an Iyengar class, you’ll feel open and calm. This technique is extremely beneficial for those who need to move slowly and carefully due to injuries.
Hatha
This is great for beginners. It will develop balance, flexibility, and good breathing rhythm;
Kundalini
With its quick-moving, energising postures and breath exercises, a kundalini class will really challenge your core and breathing. These lessons include chanting, mantras, and meditation.
Yin
Is a slow-paced kind of yoga that emphasises holding seated poses for extended periods of time. Yin Yoga can also be a meditative exercise that aids in inner tranquilly.
How much is too much in a day?
You are doing too much if…
- you notice your life goes out of balance
- your relationship’s suffer,
- you lose the enjoyment of practicing yoga,
- you get injured
- you fall behind on your work
When you see any of the above signs back of a little and focus on other areas of your life.
“Too much” depends on the individual and the intensity she trains at. Remember, yoga should enhance your life not become it.
Benefits Of Yoga Practice Twice a Day
You can expect these benefits…
Better Sense of Well Being
Yoga is known for it’s benefits on physical and mental health. Doing it twice a day, in the morning and once in the evening will turbo charge your well being.
Practicing in the morning will energize you for the day. It will quieten your mind (if like me you wake up with thoughts going crazy, this is a huge benefit) and also set you up for a positive productive day.
The evening session will help you wind down from your busy day, it will give you a sense of deep calm and set you up for a rejuvenating nights sleep. This in turn will mean you wake up more energized. It becomes a virtuous cycle of well being.
Makes it Easier to Create a Habit
What better way to make something a routine than by building habits? When you do yoga twice a day it trains your mind and body to want to do it more.
Yoga will eventually become second nature to you. You will get used to doing it over and over, you will miss it when you don’t.
Also when miss a session (life happens!) you will still have done one, this will mean you are less likely to break the habit.
Helps Perfect Your Techniques
The more you do something the better you get at it. If you have poses and flows you want to improve doing them twice a day is a great way to do it.
Yoga practice twice a day gives you the opportunity to do different styles. From the more challenging a vigorous to the less strenuous and subtle yoga styles. Which means you are getting more benefit and also getting better at different movements.
Also different styles will complement each other.
It Can Help With Weight Loss
Yoga burns calories but they are not significant enough to help you lose weight.
However the lean muscle building and a healthier body from yoga practice should not be over looked when it comes to weight loss.
The most important way that doing yoga twice a day will help you lose weight is the discipline and habits it creates. You are less likely to over eat or reach for the unhealthy option after a yoga session.
The morning session will set you up for eating well during the day and encourage you to have healthy breakfast and the evening session will help you avoid going for quick, easy but unhealthy snack because you are tired.
The benefits of practising yoga twice a day, like anything, will depend on many factors unique to the individual. However, there are benefits which apply to most people.
The extent to which you will feel the benefits will depend on your experience, years of practice, diet and lifestyle.
Possible Disadvantages
Anything done poorly and to the extreme will have disadvantages. Yoga is no different. Look out for these possible negative affects …
It Can Lead To Over Training
Yoga can look effortless when you watch an advance practitioner. They can make physically demanding practice look easy because they have been practicing regularly for years. This can mislead you into thinking yoga is not strenuous making it more likely to over exert yourself.
Over exertion means exhaustion and fatigue.
Some of the signs of being exhausted and fatigued are:
And because over training affects your mood and ability to handle stress it will have a negative impact on your relationships.
It Takes Over Life
It can turn into an obsession. Everything becomes about the next session.
Regular yoga practice should enhance your life not take over.
It can be easy to neglect relationships. A half hour session in the evening can turn into an hour and the morning session can turn into two or more.
Then there is the opposite affect, because we think about it so much we look for excuses not to do it, and give up.
Practicing yoga although challenging should be fun. Twice in one day can make it feel like a chore if not done carefully.
It Can Boost the Already Amazing Benefits of Yoga
Although more is not always better, an added session a day can enhance the benefits you are currently getting from yoga …
Lowers Stress and Anxiety
Morning yoga will give you a calm that will stay with you for most of the day and will help you better deal with what the day brings.
At the end of day you will wind down nicely with another session. This help you sleep better and you will wake up feeling calm and energised.
Enhances Your Breathing
Our breathing patterns change during the day. By the time we finish the day we are breathing more shallow because of stress and tiredness.
An additional yoga session in the evening fixes this and helps increase our overall daily breathing capacity when combined with the morning session.
Enhances Flexibility and Strength
If you do Yoga twice a day you will be doing different types of yoga (energizing in morning and calming in the evening). This hits your body from different angles and intensity. Boosting the strength and flexibility benefits of each session.
Working your muscles often during the day has shown to increase strength and muscle tissue (as long as you do not train to failure) your yoga poses twice a day are perfect for this.
Boosts Cognitive function and Focus
Two sessions on the most important parts of the day for well being (the morning and evening ) will clear your mind and aid in concentration.
This is also a great boost to cognitive function, memory, and focus
Enhances Posture and Body Alignment
Starting of your morning with yoga after a good nights sleep and getting our alignment right sets us up for the day.
Just like our breathing, our posture suffers as the day goes on. What better way to align it then an evening session?
Enhances Digestion
Yoga improves our digestion. When you practice twice a day you will be enhancing this benefit by giving your internal organs a massage twice. You will notice less bloating and better immunity also, as immunity depends on a better digestive process.
I’m A Beginner. How Many Times Per Week Should I Do Yoga?
- Beginners should focus on developing habits rather than quick results.
- You should build up your practice slowly and avoid doing it twice a day.
- You will see results quickly when you start but real improvement takes time.
- Consistency matters more than total time.
- A couple of classes a week is a great start. You can do more but go with what you will stick to.
Conclusion
Yoga is an amazing practice with many benefits. If you enjoy it and want to add a second session as long as you plan well, take into account your other physical activities like martial arts , your physical fitness level and don’t ignore the signs of over training, you can enhance those benefits with an extra session.