Injuries & Older/Less Athletic Students

Hi Catrina

It seems as though your problems are more likely to be instruction related. There is also the possibility that the studio could be superheated. I can’t tell from your post. It is normal for people to feel fatigue during class. Whether that fatigue is because you don’t know many of the techniques that help you economize your efforts and yield greater results, or whether you are simply not fully acclimatized to the heat I can’t tell. But if you are in your first few weeks of practice then don’t be concerned.

I know when we talked about your questions today, Robert said that he would come and post and say that his issues with his lax ankle ligaments and his meniscal problems IMPROVE when he does yoga, they never get worse. That is his experience of course.

Remember that you are but a babe in the hot yoga woods. I really don’t think this style is too athletic. When you understand the techniques better (in whatever form you wish to learn them 😉 ) then you will get a lot more satisfaction from your practice.

There are ways to learn that. You can scour this forum for hundreds of tips and techniques. At the risk of sounding like an ad (which I don’t want to do) my manual would certainly help out and it would last longer than a private class.

Thanks Rebecca for your comments. There is really not much in this world that is for everyone. Oxygen is one that definitely is. :cheese: All bodies are different. There aren’t many there can’t do at least most of the poses taught in a hot yoga room (with or without the heat).

The principles that I teach are really not wild modifications but are based on sound biomechanical principles. Unfortunately it is an approach that is not used by many/all teachers. Every body is different and that includes teachers. Hopefully they bring something different to their classes in some way.

Iyengar yoga is considered postural. I don’t know if it makes it any more strengthening than this yoga. There are certainly occasions where some will teach a more anatomically aware or technique based class and I am not sure if it is confined to certain styles.

Namaste
Gabrielle 🙂

… some will teach a more anatomically aware or technique based class and I am not sure if it is confined to certain styles.

Yes! Bikram should modify the training/books so that people will be more “anatomically aware.” New students should receive a handout detailing potential sites of problems and what to watch for. Perhaps even get a doctor’s permission to take the class!

The potential for injury in yoga is great. I personally no longer believe that holding your heels while pasting your face to your legs below your knees, or leaning backwards so far you can reach your heels, are “NATURAL RANGES OF MOTION” as the teachers say. Not that we shouldn’t go a bit outside our usual motions, yes … but that far?

Think about it. Thinking is what the phrase “anatomic awareness” should have us do!

I speak from current pain (herniated L5-S1) and major expense and life disruption, though formerly healthy and FINE. I am fairly sure my looser ligaments, the heat, and the over-the-top stretching put me where I am. Others may be fine … but the care and watchfulness needed to prevent injury is far, far underplayed in the studio!!!

Not to be a thorn … Bikram yoga has many plusses … but there is this glaring deficiency in the area of anatomic awareness!

Shalom …

Hi Catrina

I was told the studio is heated to 110 degrees. At a certain point in the class, windows are opened a bit to let in more oxygen and, I assume, reduce the heat.

For me that is the upper end of reasonable temperature for the studio. If your room is really OVER crowded then there is a slim chance that the windows are being opened for more oxygen. It is more likely to allow the temp or even the humidity to lessen, to make conditions more comfortable. Sometimes it’s also psychologically easier for students when the windows are opened! 😆 It also means the system is not ideal – but I am not being critical of the system. I have a personal preference based on my beliefs that the upper level need be no higher than 105F.

the beginners are asked to stay further back in the room and watch advanced students in the more difficult poses for direction (not while practicing but sitting out during the first series of a posture). There’s very little individual attention and, if you’re doing a posture incorrectly, injury may follow. Also, there’s much emphasis on going deeper in the poses and working harder, which can also lead to injury if you’re not ready to do so.

I actually don’t believe that all beginners should be forced down the back of the room. I like to move them through the room so that there may be someone in front and to the side of them that I know knows the poses with great technique. This way the new student can look forward at themselves. They have good examples near them and can see their reflection too and they can see all that with their peripheral vision.

[Actually I have to say as a teacher, there is almost nothing worse than having all your new students together. They don’t feel as supported and they don’t get the good start that they deserve.]

It is not reasonable to expect that this is the way a beginner should learn. You ALSO need quality instruction. Otherwise you are going to learn what you see – and what you see may not be either seen or understood with clarity, or you could be learning how to do the poses the wrong way. What guarantee have you that what you are seeing is correct? If the level of expertise supposedly reduces as you move back from the mirror what chance have you if you are right at the back. There are plenty of regular students who like to move around the room so that they can experience different learning perspectives.

Yes I agree with you that doing a pose incorrectly can lead to injury. It really depends on the quality of teaching, the environment, the care and attention and how you are expected to learn.

Re the emphasis on going harder and deeper:
Do you perhaps attend a studio with a militant style? Without a basis of good solid technique and appropriate guidelines any student is at risk of injury.

How can I help you Catrina? Is it with a pose by pose approach, with direction to other posts in the forum or asking your own specific questions? I think I have talked enough about the quality of teaching but really what it boils down to is how you are going to get your outcomes and ENJOY your experience and feel supported.

Please let me know what I can do for you?

Namaste
Gabrielle 🙂

Hi Catrina

Oh that’s good – a gentle suggestion is better than an order! I have met people who have been new to a studio but with a regular practice who have been ousted from the front by the teachers.

What I was trying to explain (but I don’t think I was as eloquent as I could have been) is that new students don’t necessarily benefit from being at the back with all the other newbies. A mix of students around the room is much better. A newbie at the front row can be perfectly fine – but is definitely easier for them to be behind someone IF they have NEVER done ANY yoga before.

There IS a lot to be said for working hard: it is very satisfying. Your job is to find the balance between the effort you expend and the amount you are able to surrender to the pose. This is often the path for many new yogis.

I really think that your difficulties do lie with your newness of your journey. That by now your heat acclimatization process is definitely over now – in the physiological sense. How you are responding to the heat mentally is a different process. 😉

No doubt you can now apply many more distinctions to your practice than was possible when you wrote your first post after having been to only 12 classes. Each day, each class brings a different kind of experience. It is wonderful how this path unfolds. In fact my guess is that you are still here because you are really being bitten by this hot yoga bug and you are seriously calling into question the initial concerns that your PT had that it was too athletic for you. I am sure you will proudly prove them wrong – and that will be a pleasure for both of you!

And for the record, if and when I run any kind of educational events, yoga retreats, or trainings it would be more likely to be in the US or thereabouts. So thank you very much for the lovely feedback about my manual. I appreciate it.

Namaste
Gabrielle 🙂

Hi Bonnie

Just biding my time at the moment. Well I’m actually working very hard producing ‘stuff’. I can’t and won’t make any promises as I really don’t know what will happen. I will certainly keep your wishes in mind! And as usual, Robert and I are always open to suggestions and ideas and feedback. :cheese:

Namaste
Gabrielle 🙂