The 5 characteristics of the yogi drink

Have you just started yoga or do you have a regular practice? More than a sport, yoga is a real way of life , an art of living. As a specialist in the development of well-being and organic drinks, we could not ignore this multifaceted sport. This is why we are leaving Japan, the country that inspires and fascinates our founder Charlotte, for an article to tell you about interesting drinks for practicing yoga. What are the characteristics of the perfect drink for practicing yoga? Discover it with us.

Summary

Before you begin: Yoga in a few words

What are the characteristics of interesting drinks for practicing yoga?

A hydrating drink

And greedy

Yoga is an ancient discipline of Indian origin that combines physical, mental and spiritual aspects with the aim of achieving harmony and balance of body and mind. It encompasses a variety of techniques, including physical postures (asanas), flows (sequences of postures), breathing exercises (pranayama) and moments of meditation.

Although yoga has ties to Hindu spirituality, it is increasingly being practiced in a non-religious way, with a primary focus on physical and mental well-being. In our Western interpretation of yoga, it aims to develop flexibility, strength, relaxation and self-awareness. There are different styles of yoga, each emphasizing specific aspects of the practice, such as hatha yoga, vinyasa yoga (one of the best known), ashtanga yoga and many more!

Yoga is therefore above all a practice that consists of taking care of one's body and mind. It therefore depends enormously on the people practicing it and what they wish to find in it (mental well-being, physical performance, practice of spirituality, time for pause and guided meditation, refocusing, etc.). As a result, there is no perfect drink for practicing yoga - it all depends on how you practice yoga!

That being said, here are the characteristics that seem essential to us when choosing your drink for practicing yoga:

• A drink with hydrating properties to accompany your sports practice. This is all the more important as your practice lasts a long time;
• Sugar-free , especially if you practice very regularly;
• But greedy ! Because it’s all about having fun!
• Caffeine free so as not to excite your body;
• Organic, even certified organic, to take care of your body;
• With relaxing virtues to support the meditative state into which the practice of yoga immerses you.

As a sport (especially if you practice vinyasa yoga or Yin yoga), yoga requires drinking during and after exercise in order to hydrate your body. Any drink is naturally hydrating since it contains water. However, some drinks have more powerful hydrating properties, particularly because they contain minerals (sodium, potassium and calcium) which replace those lost in sweat. This is very important if your practice lasts a long time, we talked about it in our article on the characteristics of drinks suitable for athletes .

Because yoga is above all a practice of pleasure, made to relax you and to bring you well-being, it is essential to accompany it with a drink that you like. This is even more so if you practice regularly! What is the point of inflicting on yourself a healthy drink that does not awaken any pleasure in you several times a week? Choose a drink that you like! ❤️

While sugar has significant energizing properties that can make it interesting in some respects in the context of a sports practice, it does not seem relevant to us for practicing yoga. This is for two main reasons:

• Sugar intake is exciting, contrary to the values ​​of yoga: sugar is energizing and exciting, like caffeine, which we will discuss shortly. However, these characteristics are the opposite of the virtues of yoga, which aims to be a relaxation practice, focused on well-being and meditation.
• Sugar is a factor in weight gain: overconsumption of sugar can be a factor in being overweight. If you practice yoga very regularly (several times a week) and you combine the practice with drinking a sugary drink, you risk consuming more sugar than your body needs… This is why we recommend that you tend towards a sugar-free drink to accompany your practice.
• Sugar is not necessarily good for your health: Beyond being a factor in excess weight, sugar, and especially added sugars, is not good for your health. If you consume sugary drinks with every yoga practice and you practice regularly, you are not really taking care of your body from the inside out.

In general, we recommend that you listen to your body. In times of intense fatigue, however, drinking a sugary drink can help you overcome your fatigue and gain motivation. Practice yoga at all costs or rest: it's up to you to see what will do you the most good according to your mood!

Like sugar, caffeine has interesting energizing properties that make it a molecule often recommended in sports drinks. However, just like sugar and for fairly similar reasons, we do not necessarily recommend consuming caffeinated drinks to practice yoga:

• Caffeine is exciting, the opposite of the values ​​carried by yoga: while yoga is a practice that consists of listening to one's body and mind, caffeine is a molecule that tends to push one towards productivity and whatever-it-takes!
• Caffeine can be harmful to health: while caffeine is beneficial for the body in small amounts (improves digestion, protects the heart), it becomes harmful when ingested in large amounts (more than 300 mg/day). If you already regularly consume tea and coffee in your daily routine, also drinking caffeinated beverages during your yoga practice may be harmful to you.

Listen to yourself! It is totally ok to consume caffeinated drinks if you feel the need before a practice, especially in the morning to give you a little boost. Chai latte, notably composed of black tea and thus theine (same molecule as caffeine), is thus a gourmet drink often acclaimed by yogis!

The practice of yoga is as much about the health of the mind as the health of the body. With this in mind, the perfect yogi drink must be respectful of health. And if it is also respectful of the environment, then why deprive yourself? Organic drinks meet both of these conditions!

An organic drink is a drink that is certified organic. The AB Agriculture biologique label is the best known : it certifies that 95% of a pre-packaged product from the EU is of organic origin. At Maison Aimi, our two infusions, our sobacha and our mugicha , are AB certified.

In yoga you find what you are looking for: a demanding sporting practice or a moment of significant relaxation. If you are rather looking for a gentle moment of sport to relax and reach a meditative state, the perfect drink can also have relaxing and soothing properties.

Mugicha, an infusion of roasted and crushed barley, is a drink that corresponds to the five characteristics stated above:

• Mugicha is hydrating, very rich in minerals (sodium, potassium and calcium);
• It is a gourmet drink with a caramelized taste that is born from the roasting of barley grains. You will also appreciate the fact that it does not become bitter when it is infused for a long time (unlike tea);
• It is a naturally sugar-free drink, which can be made more delicious by adding milk. There is also mugicha powder for mugicha latte;
• Mugicha does not contain caffeine and is therefore a great alternative to coffee and tea on a daily basis: we have written an article on this subject!
• The mugicha developed by Maison Aimi is not only certified organic (AB Agriculture biologique label) but also 100% French! We love it!
• Barley has relaxing properties through the GABA molecule it contains. Mugicha therefore has soothing properties!

🌟 And as a bonus, mugicha has the great advantage of being able to be infused and drunk cold or hot! It's great because it allows you to accompany your yoga practice in summer as well as in winter!

Yoga is a sporting practice that aims at the well-being of the body and mind. Mental health and physical health are taken into account in this practice. This is why it is interesting to couple your yoga practice with the consumption of drinks that are good for you. We recommend that you discover mugicha, a drink that combines many positive characteristics to accompany your yoga sessions!