Can Yoga Make You Nauseous? – Reasons & Yoga Poses

Feeling nauseous is a nasty sensation. As if the whole world is spinning around your head and has no intention of stopping. The discomfort makes it seem like an eternity. But feel like throwing up after a workout and yoga? So, Can Yoga Make You Nauseous? Yes, and it is more common than you think.

You may think, so isn’t yoga supposed to make you healthier? All yogis look composed and relaxed after the yoga practice, so why am I feeling nauseous? 

For the first part, you are completely right. Yoga is supposed to make you feel better about your mind and body, but answering the last question Can Yoga Make You Nauseous is not as easy. There are several reasons that you may feel nauseous if you are practicing yoga. Most of these factors are temporary and are going to go on their own, while others require medical intervention, physiotherapy, or particular practices. 

In this guide, I am going to provide a complete list of the possible reasons for feeling nauseous during yoga practices. At the end of the article, I provide some tips on how to manage nausea while doing yoga, yoga release toxins symptoms, and when to see a doctor. 

Let’s get started:

Can Yoga Make You Nauseous? – Reasons & Yoga Poses

Common Reasons Behind Feeling Nauseous During Yoga Practice:

Feeling sick after yoga, or during the practice, is caused by an under; a lying issue that must be addressed. Remember, yoga is about feeling good about yourself and your body. If you are in pain or discomfort for any reason, you should listen to your body alarms- they always have something important to tell you that you may be overlooking. Here are the general factors for feeling like the world is spinning around you.

• Eating a Meal Before Class

So you had a delightful meal with lots of protein, fiber, and even fresh veggies. Thinking about what is better than food to give you energy for a good workout, right? Wrong! Eating food before doing exercise that is demanding causes additional pressure on the digestive system. If you are full, your body is going to choose your health over a just-eaten meal- no matter how healthy it actually was!

Abdominal muscle pushes down on your stomach organ and then your stomach sends signals to your brain for evacuation- hence the feeling of nausea and heaviness. 

Avoid eating for two hours before a yoga class and drinking large amounts of water at least half an hour before. 

• Muscle Weakness

When you are just beginning your yoga journey, your muscles are not yet toned up. They may have grown weak from habitual sitting and lack of constant exercise. Once you start working out, the initial stages of muscle contraction are going to look like a distressing factor to your body. This is especially true for smaller muscles around the neck and shoulder area, which are much affected by office jobs, long hours of sitting behind the desk for studying, or other reasons.

This muscle weakness is going to result in a blood rush to your head and middle ear. And you are going to feel it like dizziness, low blood sugar, and even nausea.

The best remedy for this condition is to take it slow. Start easy on your practice and slowly build up to it. This way, you have the constitution to take care of your body and new workout routine, without feeling nausea. 

 This sort of queasiness should pass if you lay on your back and rest your body momentarily. If it does, look for other causes.

• Release of Toxins

Working out and yoga forces the body to detox. Many toxins are released into your blood from your liver and intestine when you are active and have a great rate of breathing, to be able to expel them from your skin and through your sweat gland. 

If you have been sick recently, take medication constantly, or have been indulging a bit more in food and drinks over the holiday season, chances are your body has accumulated some of these toxins. 

If so, upon releasing the toxins in your blood and before they are released out of your body through urine and sweat, you should feel a bit off and even nausea. 

This is also through excess carbon dioxide, and oxidants; after deep breathing practices, aspiring yogis often feel a bit dizzy and nauseous. 

Aid your body to get rid of these toxins by keeping hydrated and starting from restorative yoga. Again, slowly increase the frequency and intensity of your practice to prevent unpleasant sensations. 

• Emotional and Physical Trauma

Traumas, whether emotional or physical, interfere with the body’s hormones and overall health. Hormones are heavy chemicals that basically control our wellbeing, mood, and even emotions to a great extent. If you have faced any trauma recently, or are dealing with the lingering effects, you must approach yourself with a higher sensibility.

You need more care, love, and gentleness in all that you do, including practicing yoga. So stay calm and take deep breaths to release any tightness of muscles, join as well as emotional blocks. 

• Bikram Yoga

Hot yoga or practicing yoga at high room temperature can be a very healthy practice. It boosts metabolism, increases blood flow, and helps to increase sweating. Remember what we spoke about releasing toxins into blood and sweating? The same principle works here. Bikram yoga is suggested for intermediate to advanced yogas whose body is relatively used to surge metabolism and increase liver protein. 

Another reason for nausea during hot yoga or in a hot temperature place is overheating- the same phenomenon that can happen on a hot summer day. Wear loose clothes that can dry your sweat fast. Keep a towel handy, stay hydrated, and attend a shorter period of Bikram Yoga and you should be good to go. 

• Hormonal Changes and Pregnancy

Intense hormonal changes in the body result in many side effects, including nausea. This is especially true for mothers-to-be. First and second-semester pregnancy can be accompanied by nausea in the general state, which can affect anything involving fast body moves, a change of body preposition, and blood circulation. Also, it is important to only practice yoga that is suitable for pregnancy; check my article on yoga for nausea during pregnancy. Always ask your physician if it is okay to indulge in physical activities to ensure the health of yourself and your child.

However, pregnancy is not the only reason why you may feel nauseous based on hormonal changes, menopause, testosterone and estrogen imbalance, adolescence maturity, and medication can cause similar effects. 

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Q. When To See a Physician?

I have mentioned the most common and relatively harmless reasons behind feeling nauseous when practicing yoga. So, whenever you arise to question Can Yoga Make You Nauseous? Keep in mind – Most of these instances are mild and get relieved after taking a rest or just simply laying down. Well, except for pregnancy perhaps 😉

But there are some conditions that are relatively worse and require medical attention. If you are feeling anyone with these symptoms or even suspect that you may be afflicted with these conditions, make sure to contact your doctor and have a checkup.

• Middle Ear Problems

While we know our ears most prominently with the outside organ. Generally the external is only for receiving and collecting the sound. The sound waves cross through the middle ear and reach the nerve endings at the synopsis of the inner ear. 

But the job of the middle ear is more than just passing the sound waves through. It is responsible for balance, understanding the directions, and letting your brain know if you are about to fall. This is to provide a reaction to survival, independent of other senses such as hearing, vision, and touch. 

Now, there can be a huge problem if the middle ear is injured due to a trauma, or by other conditions such as; chronic bone suppuration, infection, inflammation, ventilation disorder, etc. your body may accidentally send exaggerated signals with the smallest movement. For example, if you move your head slightly to stretch, which is a harmless position, your body may consider you to be falling off a cliff. 

These conditions are generally called Equilibrium Malfunction and must be addressed immediately. If you have nausea or spinning (vertigo), faintness or lightheadedness (pre-syncope), and loss of balance, contact your doctor immediately. Most of these conditions are treatable with our advanced medical science today, although it requires care. 

• Gallbladder Disease

The gallbladder is a small green sack above the liver and helps to digest specific food and fatty acids by releasing digestive acids to the small intestine. Gallbladder stones, weakness, and other diseases can cause nausea while workout, general weakness, accompanied by abdominal pain, especially after food. The pain should be mostly indicated on the right side of the stomach and even behind the right shoulder. The dull and crummy feel of gallbladder disease usually translates into unpleasant feelings and feel nauseous after yoga. 

• Food Poisoning

You may think this one is a no-brainer, but hear me out. Some food poisoning is trickier than the general idea of poisoning with sickness and diarrhea. They may be slight at first and start showing symptoms until days after-depending on the types of bacteria, fungus, virus, or parasite involved. 

If you have a lack of appetite, fatigue, and occasional nausea, especially during workout and yoga practices, these sensations may be a red flag. And remember, food poison is more common than it is perceived.

• Infections

While practicing yoga increases the blood flow, local infections can be more prominent to your immune system. This is shown in symptoms such as nausea, night sweats, dizziness, fatigue, and even local pain. It may be caused by stomach flu, genital infections, bladder problems, liver scarring, etc. 

Q. How to help to manage nausea while practicing yoga?

If your nausea is caused by lighter reasons, steady practice is your key. You should help your body cope with the new and healthier routine by paving the way one step at a time. Start with restorative yoga and always drink water, well except half an hour before and after your practice.

However, you can drink small sips to keep your mouth from drying out, but not too much! So,for the question Can Yoga Make You Nauseous? We have added the best yoga positions for nausea during yoga practice to avoid nausea;

1. Baddha Konasana (Cobbler’s Pose)

If you are looking for a quick position of yoga for nausea during pregnancy, Baddha Konasana is a great pose. This sitting pose is an excellent position to relax the stomach, lungs, and neck muscles, which are the nausea initiators usually. 

1. Ananda Balasana (Happy Baby Pose)

If you are feeling nauseous in the middle of your practice, lay on your back and flow into a baby pose. This will help you to relax all your abdominal muscles and lungs. Besides having a better intake of breath, you can also let your beach muscle rejuvenate for a few seconds. 

1. Virasana (Hero Pose)

This seated position is one of the best exercises for nausea.  It also opens the chest cage and lifts off the pressure from the digestive system. Take 10 deep breaths.

1. Supta Virasana (Reclining Virasana)

If you exercise for nausea, slowly push back on the Virasana pose while keeping your knees folded. This is a great position for nausea while toning your muscles. 

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1. Viparita Karani (Legs Up The Wall)

You can do this pose with or without a wall. It is especially good for relieving motion sickness due to pregnancy. Buy also works for other sorts of nauseous. Just lay back and rest your feet on the wall at a 90-degree angle with your hips. And take in lung-fulls of breath.

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Here are some other tips to do outside your yoga class for tackling that uneasy queasiness;

• Drink cool water, slowly and often
• Eat light with lots of food with fiber
• Avoid fried or sweet foods
• Eat slowly and take small bites
• Avoid mixing hot and cold foods
• Try breathing techniques for nausea