The Hot Yoga Doctor – Free Bikram and Hot Yoga Resources › Hot Yoga Doctor Forum › General Hot Yoga Discussion › The Heat › Heat and Oxygenated blood?
The Hot Yoga Doctor – Free Bikram and Hot Yoga Resources › Hot Yoga Doctor Forum › General Hot Yoga Discussion › The Heat › Heat and Oxygenated blood?
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It would be interesting to read the feedback on this one:
In order to heat the air, does studio takes this new air from the outside of from the inside of the studio? I know, this is the question to the local Bikram Studio, but how many of us really know the answer? Because if it takes the air from inside, then all this first 8-minutes or so breathing is all about enhaling heated carbon dioxide from the previous class. Sure enough the doors of studio are open in between classes for 15 minutes or so, but it is not enough to ventilate all carbon dioxide out and to fill it with the new fresh oxygene.
I wonder if it is a Bikram’s requirement – to build the studio heating system that heats the outside air? I have a huge doubt, because it can be extremely pricey during the cold months…
I can’t speak for every studio, but I know my studio confirms that they are bringing in fresh air to the room, not recirculating stale air. I know of another studio that actually has a CO2 monitor in the room to know what the conditions are.
-Kristin
Kristin, thank you very much. Did you actually ask your studio this question or they provide information on the booklets or website?
It is on their website….here is the link:
http://bikramyogasavannah.com/studio/
The other studio I mentioned that monitors CO2 levels is in Chicago. A friend of mine had asked about room conditions in an email and they told him that conditions are closely monitored, they use fresh air, and they monitor CO2.
hope that helps!
kfiano2000, thank you very much!
yes, this is exactly what I was looking for – a full information on the website!
May be my studio does pump fresh air but for some reason they do not say about it on their website.
Hi Sweatheart and Kristin
Most studios just heat. There are very very few that use what they call ‘make up air’. In some countries make it mandatory. For example in Sweden you must have a system that brings fresh air into the room.
It would be great to have a list of studios that heat well and have a well controlled system. When the air that comes in is fresh it greatly assists the staying power of the students. Anyway, I will be eager to hear from others (and of course you) with your experience!
Namaste
Gabrielle 🙂Thank you, Gabrielle, for sharing your experience! When I first signed up for hot yoga classes, I read somewhere online that one of the most important things to ask before you make a committment is this question about air. But I did not.
During my practice I always noticed that I hate the breathing part of the class. Somehow after this breathing I was really tired, and my head was cloudy. But I thought those were results of the heat and my poor physical strength.
Instructors tell that you should not try to do these postures outside of hot yoga class and I listened and plus I was going to class every day, so there was really no time to practice on my own at home. However, several times I was seriously surprised when showing some of the postures to my friends at work – the ease and CLARITY of the posture was uncoparable to what I experience in class. I also thought it is a heat factor.
When I have tried doing postures at home with 100F outside and AC down but the window opened, I was AMAZED. My surprise again was about clarity of my mind, focused and calm perception of my surroundings and steady engagement with the postures. I felt as if I am a master of my postures. The shaky feeling that I always get in class was not there. And I was giving some thoughts to why it is happening? And this what I came up with: I come to class without this shakiness. I usually do some little stretch and meditate in the room before class (doors are open at this time) for around 15 mintues. I am fine then. But when the class starts and deep breathing is going on, I start losing my grounded feeling and the shakiness creeps in. In the past when I was still consuming alcohol, I had the same feeling after a glass of wine. As if slightly drunk. Not unpleasant, but definitely can be described as losing clarity and focus and steadiness.
Also I do not understand how instructors can wholeheartedly chant about “oxygenated blood”, when in reality it is not? I find it disturbing. I am idealist by nature and I do not expect perfection, but I expect people to be real and truthful.
In my opinion, this yoga must be performed in the environment with fresh air, otherwise I percieve the speech as not truthful.
Hi Sweatheart
The situation outside of the room is of course a little different. What you say does shed some light on the situation. It’s possible that you could make some improvements in your breathing technique. You could be creating a little ‘overbreathing’ situation.
I may PM you with an idea or 2. But first let me know if it resonates with you that the trouble could possibly have something to do with your breathing and not just the room itself. I am interested to know.
Namaste
Gabrielle 🙂“I may PM you with an idea or 2. But first let me know if it resonates with you that the trouble could possibly have something to do with your breathing and not just the room itself. I am interested to know.”
Thank you, Gabrielle for suggesting to share with me a few ideas about how to improve on my breathing. I am sure there are new things to learn about breathing.
However it does not resonate with me that the trouble with my yoga classes comes from my breathing. The discomfort I described is just a mere physical discomfort and I had it all along, while believing in what I was doing. It was not something too disturbing and who knows, may be you are right and it could have go away with the time. I do not know. The trouble for me has started when I noticed certain contradictions with what being said and what is being really done.
The “freshly oxygenated blood is rushing through your veins rejuvenating all of your organs ” is just one of those examples. I am a direct and straight forward person. I am going to believe whatever is said by professionals and when I realize that they chose to say something that is not entirely true, I have a problem with that and extract myself from these settings.
Fortunately there are a few studios that do have the heating systems that bring in air. And that makes me feel good.
Still, I am very happy that I have learned those wonderful series. This enriched me for life. I might practice at home, I might find another studio, now I know what I am looking for.
The best way to relax your mind is to perform Pranayam. But I am not in favor of performing Yoga in classes only; I believe that yoga in any environment is beneficial. What Bikram teaches is basically a modification to yoga with heat to relive pain and injury, which is true. But there is Yoga which has been practiced for 1000 years in India and they have been performing in any form of environment.
Hi Sweatheart
Yes, it can be hard to distance oneself from the pseudoscience that may be uttered. A little distracting too albeit quite amusing. There are things you can do.
It’s times like that where I go with what I know to be true and that is to follow the voice of my own body. That way I let go of any rubbish (you know, about Oxygen in veins – which is of course correct for ONE part of the body! 😉 ). That’s where experience (yours or anybody’s) comes in to help you find the good cues. I know that so many things may be said in class that don’t work, OR if they do work maybe something crucial (in your estimation) gets left out. A teacher can’t say everything each class. It’s certainly nothing that should stay with you beyond class unless it’s damaging or misleading and could be considered to have a negative effect on the practice.
I can sense that you want and need more than the scripted class too. Stay curious, see if you can find a distinction in the instructions that helps add to what you know is working for you.
There are thousands upon thousands of students who at some stage of every class lose presence and simply following the cues for entry and exit. That could still work for you if you have good technique. Anyway … Follow the cues that work (and not the ones that don’t). See if your mind can correct the stuff that it rejects as nonsense so you can actually enjoy your class without getting too analytical. It is ultimately about your body work and its effects on stilling the mind.
Thoughts?
Namaste
Gabrielle 🙂Gabrielle,
Honestly you lost me here 🙂
I do not think I fully understand the concept you are suggesting. Is it about to focus on positive and ignore the negative?
Hi Sweatheart
Maybe I am delving deeper than I needed to. And yes that’s kind of what I am saying… (see later)
I have only the signs of your written word. There seem to be a few messages within your posts that could indicate that there is an issue with doing the yoga in the hot room which could have something to do with breathing technique or the physical environment and even to do with how your mind handles it:
“clarity of my mind, focused and calm perception of my surroundings and steady engagement with the postures.”
“But when the class starts and deep breathing is going on, I start losing my grounded feeling and the shakiness creeps in.”
Then there are comments about what the instructors say that you don’t subscribe to or put any faith in. It seems to be about having fresh air. And about WHAT was being said.
“The trouble for me has started when I noticed certain contradictions with what being said and what is being really done.”
Then: “I am going to believe whatever is said by professionals and when I realize that they chose to say something that is not entirely true, [strong]I have a problem with that and extract myself from these settings.[/strong]”
[An aside: extract could have been used to mean “I go on autopilot” or I no longer go to that class. I wasn’t sure and should have asked.]
So I am trying to indicate (obviously not to my usual standards of clarity! 😉 ) that you are the gatekeeper. You choose what to pay attention to. And your intuition has to be involved. Your instructor may spout pseudoscience but you don’t have to pay attention to it, but you can use it as a powerful tool to create curiosity and learning rather than dismiss it. You can use it to confirm the good stuff that you DO know. You can still go to those classes if you love the yoga.
That’s all!!! 😛
Namaste
Gabrielle 🙂 -
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