The Hot Yoga Doctor – Free Bikram and Hot Yoga Resources › Hot Yoga Doctor Forum › General Hot Yoga Discussion › Benefits of Hot Yoga › Is daily yoga healthy?
The Hot Yoga Doctor – Free Bikram and Hot Yoga Resources › Hot Yoga Doctor Forum › General Hot Yoga Discussion › Benefits of Hot Yoga › Is daily yoga healthy?
Tagged: 200 hour yoga teacher training, yoga teacher training in india, yoga teacher training in rishikesh
-
AuthorPosts
-
Hi folks,
I’m new to Bikram…. been at it a couple of months. I decided to try a 30 day challenge. I’m at about day 18 now but I’m writing because my body hurts, muscles ache and it seems that every morning I wake up aching from the day before.
Isn’t recovery time important? I keep reading about 30 day and 60 day challenges…. is this really healthy for muscles not to have time to recover?
I’m not overweight, average… but I expected to lose weight and I’ve not dropped a single pound even 18 days in. I’m surprised.
I do it because I feel GREAT afterwards and I love to push myself and grow. I see improvements in some postures and definate increased flexibility and that motivates me… but I’m concerned about continuing to push myself to go daily when I still hurt from the day before.
Thoughts?
Thanks 🙂
Heidi
Hi Heidi
I am about to go out for the day so I can’t answer this in detail yet. Please go hunt around the forum. You could use the word “challenge” in the search facility and see what comes up.
In a nutshell: I don’t believe in 30 and 60 day challenges that rely on going 30 and 60 times with no break or doubling up.
You MUST have rest and recovery in some way. A day off usually does that for others… but read on.
Also if you’re feeling pain and stiffness then I can tell you with great certainty that there are particular techniques that you are practising that are causing your body to tighten up, that are creating damage in your body.
This is usually a result of going to scripted classes where teachers use the dialog. I know I am going to get a lot of people’s noses out of joint by saying that but so be it.
Get back to me here and let me know if you have discovered some more here on this forum. There are particular poses and techniques that you will find will change that pain to the opening up AND strength that the yoga is supposed to create.
See you back here
Namaste
Gabrielle 🙂Thanks Gabrielle,
After 18 days straight, I didn’t go to Bikram today and have no plans to double up. I’m listening to my body instead of my mind for a change ;). I think I will start going 5x per week and see how that feels. I will pick up your Masterclass soon and hopefully discover some of the ways that I can correct the postures causing aches and pains.
Appreciate your response and happy to have found your website.
Heidi
Hi Heidi
Thanks so much. Listening to your body is what it’s all about! It seems you intuitively know that and listened to those alarm bells. Phew!
To many people, ‘no pain no gain’ is where it’s at. That’s not yoga. Yoga is really more about this: where there’s hurt, pain, or struggle, there’s no growth (personal or physical). The funny thing is that you can still feel great despite the dangers. That’s the double edged sword of bikram yoga.
Let me know if you need any more help.
Have a great week
Namaste
Gabrielle 🙂Thank you!
I will keep in touch on the forum. I love hearing about what others are experiencing. It’s so helpful. I really feel like Bikram is the first thing I’ve found in a long time that could be truly physically and mentally transformational – I’m determined to keep with it and learn how to do it correctly.
What I gather is that the “no pain no gain” statement need not be an “all or nothing” gambit. It seems to be a matter of finding the edge, pushing it slightly and then backing off and being patient while the body slowly changes to accomodate. Some pain seems impossible to avoid, but too much pain or pain that persists into the next day perhaps signifies that I pushed too far (?). Is this right?
I mean my understanding is that muscles grow when we first tear them down a bit.
Is it fair to say that pain within reasonable limits results in gains, or are you really saying that we should feel zero pain during or after our practice. If that’s the case, I really do need to make some big changes to how I’m practicing.
Thanks!
Heidi
Hi Heidi
I’m back after a pretty long absence! Ha. The ‘no pain no gain’ discussion continues: Yes ‘go to your edge’ really means do what you can, focus on alignment and breath and the depth will happen naturally. Depth is not necessary as an outcome, pose outcome is necessary. That means going to the point where everything stays on track alignment-wise, without feeling PAIN, being aware that discomfort is fine. But pain and struggle do not even enter into it.
Muscles do experience micro-tearing when you stretch and work them. That’s partly why, in the recovery process, you need some time.
Your last question about pain within reasonable limits is definitely a subjective question. I code pain as danger. I code challenge as worthy of attention and focus. The only times I have felt pain in practice have been at times when I have returned to practice after a break, or when I have injured myself. So if you are feeling pain then perhaps some specialised pose specific help is in order. Let me know!
Namaste
Gabrielle 🙂I challenged myself to 30 days of Hot Yoga, today is day 21 and no problems.
My right knee started to get sore left side of the knee cap, then on the way home after class crossing a road and 1/2 way across went to speed up coz a car coming, my right foot slipped back a little (snow) but enough to feel a discomfort. Did 22 days and taking a break and only had 8 days to go.
I would go to the Yoga class 1/2 an hour early and sit in full lotus, and in that pose do fish, peacock and cobra.
Hey, you are talking I keep reading about 30 day and 60 day challenges…. is this really healthy for muscles not to have time to recover. for this you have to search on google.
…………………….
Hello Mandal
Yoga, to quote a very oft-said phrase, is about listening to your body. When you do a challenge it is your responsibility to look after your wellbeing. Yoga is not about barreling through when your body is complaining, and worse when you feel that you are exacerbating a problem.
That being said, 30-day and 60-day challenges are very doable. Yes, you do need recovery time for your muscles. I always recommend setting realistic rules for yourself such as this: Plan to do 7 classes per week (one each day) but be OK with only 6. Take a day off on any day you feel it’s necessary. Make that day one per each rolling 7-day block at a maximum. If you do feel like a day off, take it, if you don’t, just keep going. If you do take more than one day off in a 7-day period, then restart your challenge another time. No big deal.
There is no point in a challenge if you harm yourself in the process. I have (personally) known people who have managed happily to do a class each day for weeks, months, and even whole years. Remember, it’s about having ecological goals that make you stronger physically, not just mentally. If you can’t make improvements or at least sustain a status quo in your whole system and things get worse, you need to ask yourself why you’re doing it.
Namaste
Gabrielle 🙂 -
AuthorPosts
- You must be logged in to reply to this topic.