I had my very first yoga class and loved it beyond words. But, let me tell you I am soooo sore. It is not like your typical soreness to get from the gym. This soreness goes much deeper… but it’s good! The instructor told me to buy some Epson Salt and use it in my bath. Can anyone tell me how and when the Epson Salt should work, because it is not. And at this point I need to feel a little less sore so I can take another class.
when will it work, my guess would be over time, a little now, a little later
Muscle pain is yin, and epsom salt is yang, so I can understand why your instructor recommended it. But from the sounds of your soreness it’s going to take some good old-fashioned time to heal. A cut doesn’t heal in a day just because we put a band-aid on it. Give your body time to heal.
Hi Kelly.
You’re a hoot. Love having you here. You are unabashed.
Epson is a printer company. EpsoM magnesium sulfate or “salt”.
It’s not a microwave remedy. You’ve used muscles not recently used. In that use there are microtears in the muscle fibers - the way muscle is “built”. This is delayed onset muscle soreness (DOMS) and is completely expected when one works a muscle to the point of “burn”.
Your muscles need to repair and rebuild and recover and that takes up to three days when they are fully fatigued from doing. The epsom salt bath is a good way to ease the soreness but not abate it in your position.
Kelly
This may be a controversial statement but I have found it to be true in my own practice and my teachers have told me this as well. It is not necessary for all the soreness to go away before you practice again. As a matter of fact, I find that yoga actually helps to take away the soreness of doing yoga!!
Just last week, it took a 6 hour workshop and I was sore that night. Did yoga the next day and everything was all good. When you first start a yoga program, it will take a minute for your body to adjust.
Make sure you eat a good diet that supports muscle regeneration(lots of veggies and clean sources of protein) and lessens inflammation(cutting out sugar).
InnerAthelete is right about DOMS, lactic acid is formed around the muscles and under a microscope looks like sharp snowflakes, your muscles are inflamed. You can be conventional and take ibuprofen (per Dr.) which is an anti-inflammatory, remember RICE - rest, ice, compression, elevation - Epsom salts are great for hemorrhoids, but this is something directly exposed to the salts.
Also, you have caused micro-tears in the muscles. Think of your muscles like a woven basket that had a huge load placed in it. It slightly tears, so you go back and fix the tear with a stronger weave and it can now withstand the greater load. Thats how/why we get stronger. But, nonetheless, it needs the time to be woven back together.
A warm bath, can in theory, make the muscles worse in short term because it draws the blood away from the muscles to cool the body (hence why you sweat in a hot tub). Thereby, concentrating the lactic acid - that’s why athletes take ice baths. But, likely the reason it feels good to the instructor, is because it’s relaxing for the muscles, not that the salts are doing anything chemical.
Help to get rid of DOMS, HYDRATION & quality foods! give your muscles what they need: clean, fresh blood. A relaxing walk and gentle yoga for circulation.
Why it is deeper than any other previous work-outs, you have tapped into your muscles in a dynamic pattern versus lineal and probably worked the entire dynamic range of motion. Also, your mind was, hopefully, centered and focus on the asana and you accessed deeper regions both physically and spiritually.
You will heal stronger!
Concoulour. I love that “you will heal stronger” because it is sooo true!!!