The Hot Yoga Doctor – Free Bikram and Hot Yoga Resources › Hot Yoga Doctor Forum › General Hot Yoga Discussion › Diet, Clothing, Hydration and Drinking › feeling nauseous during the middle of class
The Hot Yoga Doctor – Free Bikram and Hot Yoga Resources › Hot Yoga Doctor Forum › General Hot Yoga Discussion › Diet, Clothing, Hydration and Drinking › feeling nauseous during the middle of class
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I just started doing bikram yoga. i have been to 6 classes in the past week and a half. I really like it, but during three classes i felt nauseous. it only lasted a few minutes. I took a break and then i felt ok. i don’t know why this is happening. I drink plenty of water b4 class. Is it just that my body is still getting used to the extremity of the heat and eventually this class will bypass the nausea? I love going to class, but i am sick of feeling ill 1.2 way through.
Hi corinne – welcome to the forum and congratulations on starting your Bikram practice!
The nausea is not uncommon for new students – it IS an intense class and your body will take some time to acclimatise – as much as a month of regular practice (and your mind for that matter!).
May I ask about what you are eating before class? Some foods can still produce nausea even several hours after … once you are into a routine you’ll learn what you can easily eat a couple of hours before class and what you cannot. though this varies from person to person, usually foods that digest fast are the best.
I once had a couple of friends of mine go to their first class (a morning class) and sat out many poses looking somewhat green. I checked in with them after class – they said they enjoyed it, but the cooked breakfast was playing havoc! Ooops.
Are you drinking at all during class? Sometimes students new to the practice can gulp down too much water in between poses and this also can cause nausea, especially in the belly down poses or any inversions & compressions.
In any case, yes generally it will pass – but if it doesn’t do report back here and we’ll do our best to help!
Namaste,
Robert
Hi Corinne
Many people feel some kind of uneasiness, nausea or inability to function ‘normally’ when they first start hot yoga. The reasons for this listed could be really huge! Fortunately after a relatively short amount of time your body and mind tend to cope extremely well and function at a much better level of normal. 😉
By the way, in the middle of writing this response Robert responded and gave a couple of great ideas. Simultaneous stereo yoga advice. :cheese:
I don’t really want to go into the other whys of nausea because what the yoga is teaching you to do is observe and not judge what is happening. What you are describing is within the normal range. And although you say you have had enough of feeling that way, it has only been a few classes.
Barring some medical reason that is not obvious from your question (and maybe you do actually need something like electrolytes or need to modify your pre-yoga eating habits), you should be quite surprised and delighted soon that you feel empowered, strong and vibrant and the nausea just won’t be there any more. It could be a big part of normalizing your systems and reaching all parts of your body. It won’t be long before you will be able to read the signs your body is giving you and also be able to look on without wanting to ascribe a reason why something is happening. With more hours connecting with yourself through yoga you will more strongly allow your innate body intelligence to ‘have a say’.
Enjoy your practice
Namaste
Gabrielle 🙂well…yes, I am drinking a lot of water in between poses. i feel like it will make me feel better. i only imagine i am feeling nauseous because i am losing so much bodily water through perspiration. i guess…i assume that by drinking water it will help, plus I AM THIRSTY! Lets see, before class today i ate some brown rice with snow peas, green beans, mixed with a little cheese and some smart balance margarine, 5 strawberries and some edamame. i stopped eating about 2 hrs. before class. i know, i know…i was told to not eat anything 3 hrs before class, but i was hungry. During another class i felt nauseous, but i assumed that i would, because the night before i had gone out with a friend and had 4 or 5 alcoholic drinks. I can’t imagine that did anything for my performance. I guess i get an uneasiness before class now, because i hate feeling sick. I have had some good classes where everything went great the whole way through. I want more of these classes where i feel fine. I guess i just have to keep going (because it’s the best activity I have been involved in for awhile) and it keeps me drinking lots of water and makes me want to eat healthy. I like it, i really think being in the studio is a world away from the world and it is challenging. Just got to plough through this whole nausea thing and work past it. Can being on birth control affect how my body reacts? I just got off of the NUVA ring because i felt like it was making me feel weird at times. Anyway… thanks for your input.
corinne
I would try to make sure you are well-hydrated the day before and the hours before the class.
Hydration is KEYoh…I am. i don’t think hydration is the issue.
I have occasional bouts of nausea, but I’ve made some guidelines for myself that work for me. I don’t eat 3 hours before class. I don’t break this rule. If my food schedule gets out of wack, I skip yoga. Why waste my time and money?! Also, I don’t drink any substantial amount of water an hour before class. Small sips to wet the whistle is fine. I also put off drinking between postures until the break before tree pose/toe stand. This gives me a chance to consume a good bit of water with time to let it settle before any sit ups or belly down postures.
If you are properly hydrated, you shouldn’t NEED to drink between poses. You WANT to drink between postures because you feel like it will make you feel better. If your need to drink becomes critical, take a small sip.
The temperature of your water may be an issue too. I love the sensation of drinking cold water, but the relief is fleeting. I find that my practice is less strained when I drink cool/room temp water.
thanks. i feel like your advice makes a lot of sense. especially the no eating 3 hrs before class. i’ll try and do that. thanks again.
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