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If you’re like me, you love tea. You drink it in the mornings, during baths, before bed, when bored, or maybe even before your yoga practice. Not all teas are the same, and depending on the type of yoga you’re doing, you can benefit from specific teas.
I invite you to join me in this blog post to learn the best teas before yoga that will transform your practices, add comfort, and turn your quick yoga practice into a full blown ritual.
Why Drink Tea?
Besides the warming taste, tea provides benefits that improves your self-care and wellness routine.
Promising evidence from this study discovered that tea from the Camellia sinensis family (green, blank and oolong teas) aids in prevention of:
- Cancer
- Cardiovascular diseases
- Arthritis
- Diabetes
- And also promotes anti-aging benefits
Drinking tea before yoga is a simple way to create a yoga ritual. Instead of rushing to your mat, then rushing back to life, you’ll be able to create a moment of mindfulness before your practice. I understand it’s not possible to do this every practice, but it’s a nice treat.
6 Best Teas Before Yoga
Let’s explore the best teas before yoga to create a more powerful practice.
Restorative & Yin Yoga
Restorative yoga is the most restful form of yoga. You use very minimal muscular effort and create further relaxation with loads of props. You’ll benefit from teas that promote further restoration and comfort.
Yin is another slower form of yoga where you hold poses for several minutes. It promotes flexibility and combines hatha yoga poses with a focus on balancing opposites (ying and yang from Chinese tradition). Teas that promote grounding are good options to explore to create a more relaxing experience.
Let’s explore teas that are beneficial for both of these practices.
Lavender Tea
Fragrant and soothing, lavender tea is an entire experience waiting for you. This study discovered lavender can even reduce depression and anxiety.
Recommended Tea:
FGO Organic Dried Lavender Flowers, Amazon
This isn’t your classic tea-in-a-bag, but pure lavender flowers from France. It’s also organic and can be used for other purposes like baking, creating syrups, and even homemade self-care crafts like candles and bath bombs. This is lavender in it’s purest form (unless you have a garden), so I recommend this quick recipe for brewing your lavender tea:
- Place one tablespoon of lavender in either a tea bag or into a loose leaf tea strainer
- Bring four cups of water to boil in a small pot
- Once boiling, remove pot from heat, add lavender, and cover pot
- Let lavender steep for 5 -10 minutes (or until desired strength)
- Uncover, discard lavender, and add your favorite tea condiments (honey, lemon, sugar, milk)
- Enjoy!
Chamomile Tea
One of the more popular teas, chamomile is full of unique flavor and warming qualities. This study found chamomile tea reduced depression and improved sleep for women experiencing postpartum depression.
Even if you don’t experience postpartum, chamomile tea is a soothing, relaxing beverage that will calm you, taking you deeper into your gentle yoga practice.
Tips:
- If you’re doing restorative yoga before bed or wish to create deep relaxation, I recommend avoiding any tea with caffeine (green and black teas).
- Yin yoga is traditionally practiced in the morning (when your muscles are still cold), so I recommend you skip chamomile if you practice early in the day.
Recommended Tea:
Celestial Seasonings Sleepytime Vanilla Herbal Tea, Amazon.
This is my number one favorite chamomile tea. I love the taste of chamomile, but the added vanilla puts this tea on a whole new level for me. If you’re not a fan of a bold chamomile taste, but still want the effects, I recommend this one.
You also have the option to combine this with the lavender tea mentioned above for double the benefits.
Hatha Yoga
Hatha yoga is faster paced compared to restorative, and each pose is held for about 4-8 breaths. With more physically demanding and energetic poses, you can explore tea that provides energy.
Green Tea
One of my all-time favorites! It has less than half the amount of caffeine than a cup of coffee, so you’ll receive an energy boost without the jitters.
It’s also known as one of the most beneficial teas you can drink. This review explores some of green tea’s amazing qualities:
- Reduced risk of cardiovascular disease & cancer
- Weight management
- Oral health
- Bone mineral density increase
- Sun protection
Recommended Tea:
Twinings Green Tea, Amazon
I’ve been a raving fan of Twinings since I was sixteen years old. Their teas aren’t bitter, offer smooth flavors, and I love to combine this with peppermint for an extra burst of flavor. They’ve also remained consistent (their teas are just as good over a decade after my first cup).
Matcha
Matcha is made from the same leaves as green tea, except it’s made in powder form. This creates a more potent version of green tea, meaning the caffeine content is higher. This is a good option if you crave that extra energy before your practice.
This study found matcha tea provides these benefits:
- High amounts of antioxidants
- Anti-inflammatory effects
- Disease prevention
Tip:
- Hatha isn’t always an energizing practice, so you can explore more calming teas if the class theme is more gentle.
Vinyasa Yoga
Vinyasa is the most physically demanding form of yoga out of this group. Because of this, you can also use the teas listed for hatha yoga.
In addition, you may choose to explore herbal teas for a refreshing, invigorating experience.
Peppermint Tea
Another favorite of mine. I combine peppermint with green tea for a caffeine boost, health benefits, and refreshing peppermint flavor.
Many use peppermint to promote digestion, so I recommend you drink peppermint tea after you’ve been to the bathroom to avoid any mid-class interruptions.
Recommended Tea:
Twinings Pure Peppermint Tea, Amazon
This is the exact tea that introduced me to Twinings. I’ve tried other brands, but always come back to this one. It’s bursting with peppermint and doesn’t taste like leaves (other brands have felt this way to me). As long as you steep it for the right amount of time, you’ll have the perfect cup of digestion-loving tea.
Ginger Tea
If you love the zingy taste and smell of ginger, this will definitely energize your practice. Ginger is also beneficial for reducing nausea, so this is a good choice if you experience mild nausea symptoms before practice.
Tip:
- If you dislike ginger teas, peppermint also eases nausea.
Recommended Tea:
The best ginger tea to me is always a homemade tea. There really is nothing like the freshest tea made from the freshest ingredients. Since ginger is so widely available at most supermarkets, I recommend this simple recipe:
- Cut a 1 inch piece of ginger into chuncks
- Bring four cups of water to a boil
- Add the ginger, remove the pot from heat, cover, and let sit for fifteen minutes (or until desired strength)
- Discard the ginger and enjoy
I also like to make this batch and save some for the next day. This saves time and gives you a quick ginger tea only minutes after reheating.
If you’re even shorter on time, you can also heat a cup of water with a teaspoon of ground ginger. My favorite is Simply Organic Ground Ginger Root (Amazon).
Overview
Tea is a fantastic addition to any yoga practice. It can also be used to shift into your practice, so you’re already settled before you begin.
Ultimately, the best teas before yoga are the ones you end up gravitating toward. I used to drink certain teas I disliked just because of their health benefits. It’s okay if you don’t like one. There’s always another that can take its place.
Thank you for joining me, and take good care.
