"Don’t eat up to two hours before class. Just try a smoothie! Avoid dairy! Don’t practice on an empty stomach!" Do any of these sound familiar? Dietary advice before a morning yoga class can be confusing at the best of times.

For me its a minefield! I digest food pretty slowly. So anything heavy before a morning class is impossible for me.…

…but if I don’t eat I often feel terrible in class. Especially if I’m doing hot yoga. I’ve experimented with different methods over the years.

In some ways not eating was the easiest, and I did that for 5 years. I wasn’t practising on a full stomach = good. But my energy was low and my practice restless and limp = bad.

What I’ve found works well for me is a small amount of oatmeal with some natural sugar (maple syrup tastes nice and helps avoid sugar spikes) and almond milk. It’s a step away from the 16:8 fasting I was doing, but my practice feels a bit stronger. Still jittery from the coffee sometimes, but one struggle at a time…..