After a deep or vigorous yoga class, feeling some soreness is perfectly normal. You might feel really sore if you tried new poses, held postures longer, or challenged yourself past your current fitness level. This soreness, often called delayed onset muscle soreness (DOMS), is your body’s natural healing and recovery process.[1] You can minimize the amount and duration of soreness, pain, and stiffness by following one or more practical tips to recover safely and quickly.
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How to Tell Soreness from Injury
Muscle Soreness: DOMS usually arrives 12–48 hours after practice. It feels like a dull ache or stiffness, improves with gentle movement, and fades over a few days. The discomfort stems from tiny tears in muscle fibers due to muscle contraction. While this creates an inflammatory response to repair the muscle tissue, it’s a natural process of how your muscles get stronger.[3]
Injury: A muscle or joint injury usually presents as a sharp pain during or immediately after practice. You will often have swelling, bruising, localized pain that worsens with movement, or loss of range of motion. Stop practicing if you suspect an injury. Follow these guidelines on how to heal an injury or consult a healthcare professional.
8 Ways to Recover From Sore Muscles From Yoga
Feeling your muscles tight and sore after a yoga practice can be very uncomfortable and a discouragement to get back on your yoga mat. Fortunately there are several easy and effective ways to ease the pain and possibly prevent it from getting worse. Try one or more of the following tips when you are experiencing soreness after yoga.
1. Gentle Movement
Why: Gentle and slow movement increases circulation and reduces stiffness.
How to do it:
- Take a break from any high-intensity yoga classes. Choose a restorative, yin, or gentle yoga class for the next day or so.
- Walk for 20–30 minutes at an easy pace.
- Whatever movement you choose, take it slow and avoid pushing into sharp sensations.
2. Hydrate and Nourish
Why: Water supports muscle function and nutrient transport, while food provides building blocks for repair.[4]
What to eat:
- Protein: Protein is essential for repairing and rebuilding muscle fibers damaged during yoga practice. Try to consume 20–30g within an hour after a challenging yoga class. Protein powders are a quick and easy source. Otherwise consider lean meats, fish, eggs, dairy, tofu, tempeh, Greek yogurt, cottage cheese, edamame, and legumes.
- Carbohydrates: Replenish depleted glycogen levels with whole grains, fruits, and starchy vegetables to provide the energy needed for recovery. Pro tip: pair carbohydrates with protein after yoga for optimal muscle recovery.
- Healthy fats: Consume some anti-inflammatory omega-3 healthy fats like avocados, nuts, seeds, and oily fish.
- Antioxidant-rich foods: Reduce oxidative stress by eating berries, leafy greens, and colorful vegetables.
How to Hydrate: Sip water throughout the day, and hydrate after an intense yoga session to flush out metabolic waste, maintain nutrient transport, and reduce muscle cramping. Include electrolytes (coconut water or a naturally flavored electrolyte mix) if you sweat heavily, or recently practiced hot yoga.[4]
3. Rest and Sleep
Why: Muscle repair occurs mainly during rest and deep sleep.
How to support it:
- Prioritize 7–9 hours of sleep.
- Schedule an early bedtime or a nap after an intense practice.
- Keep a consistent sleep routine to maintain optimal recovery.
- Take a long or extra shavasana or practice yoga nidra after a challenging workout.
4. Massage and Foam Rolling
Why: Massage and gentle pressure can help relax muscles, boost blood flow, and ease pain.
How to use:
- Foam roller: Roll slowly over large muscle groups (quads, hamstrings, IT band, calves) with a firm foam roller to release tension and soreness. Pause on tender spots for 10–30 seconds, as you breathe deeply and relax.
- Massage ball: Use a small firm ball to target smaller areas like glutes, shoulders, and feet with gentle pressure and slow rolling.
- Self-Massage: Use long, kneading strokes with your hands on sore muscles.
- Massage Gun: A multi-head massage gun helps reduce soreness and tightness, especially on large muscle groups. Start on the lowest speed and keep the device moving; apply for 10–60 seconds per area. Use light pressure over sensitive areas and increase intensity only if comfortable. Do not use it on bones, joints, or very tender spots. Avoid using it on inflamed tissues, acute injuries, or where you have numbness or circulation problems.
- Professional therapeutic massage: Deep tissue, Swedish, or sports massages can speed recovery by increasing blood flow, reducing adhesions, and improving tissue elasticity
Caution: Avoid intense pressure on very sore or inflamed areas.
5. Hot and Cold Therapy
Why: Heat relaxes tight muscles; cold reduces inflammation and pain.
Guidelines:
- Heat: Adding heat locally or globally increases blood flow, enhances nutrient delivery to muscles, reduces muscle stiffness, and promotes relaxation. For tight, sore and stiff muscles, take a warm shower, use a heating pad, relax in a warm bath, or take a sauna.
- Cold: Use an ice pack: Apply ice packs to sore areas for 15-20 minutes after yoga, especially if muscles feel inflamed or very sore. Cold packs are effective for acute pain, swelling, or sharp injury in the first 24–72 hours.
- Contrast therapy: Alternating between warm and cold strongly stimulates circulation. Try 3–4 minutes warm, then 30–60 seconds cold therapy. Repeat up to 3 times.
- Sauna with cold plunge: Alternating sessions between an infrared sauna and a cold plunge strongly activates the circulatory system—first dilating and then constricting blood vessels. This improves oxygen and nutrient supply, helps muscles heal faster, lessens pain, and boosts general health.
6. Epsom Salt Baths and Topical Remedies
Why: Warm baths with Epsom salts soothe muscles and boost relaxation.
How to use:
- Soak 15–30 minutes in warm bath with 1–2 cups Epsom salt (magnesium sulfate). Hydrate and relax after your soak.
- Topical remedies like arnica, menthol gels, or magnesium sprays can provide quick soothing relief. Studies show menthol gels reduce muscle soreness more effectively than exercise, with improved pain relief and less discomfort perception.[2] Arnica contains natural compounds believed to have anti-inflammatory and analgesic properties that reduce swelling and pain in muscles and joints after activity. Magnesium may help ease muscle tightness and improve recovery by supporting muscle cell function and reducing inflammation.[5] It is recommended to always test a small patch of skin to check for reaction.
7. Mindful Breathing and Relaxation
Why: Reducing stress lowers muscle tension, which promotes muscle repair and recovery.
- Diaphragmatic breathing: Practice 5–10 minutes of slow belly breaths to calm the nervous system.
- Legs-up-the-wall (Viparita Karani): Practice 8–15 minutes to reduce swelling, improve lymphatic drainage, and encourage relaxation.
- Meditation: Use a short guided meditation or progressive muscle relaxation to release stress, worry, and tension.
8. Supplements for Recovery
Note: Use supplements to complement a healthy balanced diet. Consult your healthcare provider before starting anything new.
- Magnesium glycinate or citrate (200–400 mg/day): Magnesium is an essential muscle relaxant. It reduces muscle tightness, cramping, and soreness; supports energy production and relaxation during and post-yoga.[6]
- Omega-3s (1,000–3,000 mg EPA+DHA/day): Use a fish oil or algae oil to reduce inflammation from stress on joints during yoga.
- Curcumin (1,000 mg/day with piperine): This turmeric extract has anti-inflammatory, antioxidant and antibacterial effects. Taking curcumin has been linked to less muscle pain and lower oxidative stress.[7]
- Tart cherry juice or extract (8–16 oz juice or 500–1,000 mg extract): Research shows tart cherry juice can help reduce muscle soreness, reduce inflammation, and improve muscle strength and performance.[7]
- Creatine Monohydrate (3-5g/day): This amino acid improves muscle strength and recovery by boosting muscle energy levels and reducing inflammation.[4]
Tips to Preventing Excessive Soreness
- Progress gradually: The body responds best when you increase intensity, duration, and complexity slowly. Aim for increasing the intensity of your practice by 10% or less to prevent excessive muscle recovery.
- Warm up thoroughly: Always warm up thoroughly before a challenging class. A proper warm-up increases circulation and reduces your risk of strain.
- Cool down: A brief cooldown helps your nervous system downshift into the “rest and renew” phase to help reduce next-day soreness.
- Balance your schedule: Alternate intense classes with gentler ones and rest days. Thoughtful scheduling prevents overuse and supports consistent progress.
- Cross-train: Add strength training, walking, or swimming to develop resilient muscles and joints. Cross-training spreads the stress, improves endurance, and curbs cranky flareups.
- Focus on alignment: Lead with form, not force. Correct form distributes load evenly across your muscles and joints, reducing undue strain on any single area. When alignment is precise, effort becomes more efficient and soreness decreases.
Final Notes
Soreness is a signal that your practice is challenging, and you are working hard and building strength. Even though muscle soreness is uncomfortable, see if you can find gratitude in your body’s ability to become stronger, more resilient and adaptable. Most importantly, treat your body’s soreness with respect and kindness.
