Is this too hot?

Hello Timbra

What an unfortunate situation to have to even contemplate such a decision. I have questions to help us formulate a plan…

How can you tell what the temperature and humidity are at any one time? Please tell me whether it’s your device, theirs, and if it’s theirs, where are the sensors located?

Are you the only person experiencing these difficulties? You must know from reading other posts that I am totally against super-heating the room. It will be interesting to know what’s going on for the rest of classes you attend. Do you see people “dropping like flies”? Are there people routinely leaning over, hands on knees and looking like they have to catch their breath? Are there people sitting out of poses, either one set or two?

I agree with you that you are likely experiencing mild heat exhaustion.

Please respond when you can.

To answer your final question, I don’t think it’s good for your health to persevere.

Here are my other thoughts which I may embellish with your answers to the above questions.

You are experiencing real adverse effects and just saying to yourself that “you can do this”, “you can work through this” is not the answer. And if that’s what you’re teachers are implying, then they are not teaching yoga, they’re running an exercise class, albeit a dodgy one.

If temperature and humidity were controlled at a safe level, then “working through” stuff is all about fighting the sabotaging effect of your wonderful brain/mind.

But what we all have to remember, and what your studio has a HUGE responsibility to remember, is that safety of ALL customers is key. Not just the safety of people who can bear super-heated conditions.

The signs you are talking about (the symptoms you are experiencing) are real, and they are deleterious to your health.

Moreover, and this is a BIG point, what are you doing yoga for? What are you constantly being told to do by the very teachers, the very studio that is causing your physiology harm? Constantly you are told to “listen to your body”. Your body is throwing up a flare, raising a big ol’ red flag. It’s saying without any shadow of a doubt that the room is not just too hot, it is dangerously hot.

If you want to do some easy research, look for some information about the ability for the body to deal with a 42 degree C temperature. Hmmm.

Are you participating in some kind of televised Ninja Competition, where the most resilient elite athlete prevails at the end, who has punishingly put their body through the most arduous of courses? No! You are practising yoga. Not a gladiatorial sport.

If it were me, I would collect some more evidence (which you may already have because you’ve been observing conditions around you, and probably talking with your fellow students) and then calmly have a conversation about YOGA with your studio owner and manager. Make an appointment. If you find people who are of like mind, take them with you if you like, or at least represent them. Talk about the 8 limbs of yoga, and really focus on the mindfulness aspect and that of listening to the body. Gently point out that while you love this practice and you love their studio, you are wondering if the pursuit of the highest temperature class they can provide is compromising the true values of yoga. You cannot be the only person who is suffering here.

The very word yoga, means divine union of mind, body and spirit. It celebrates a oneness and harmony. You are supposed to be achieving a high state of consciousness. You are supposed to find a steadiness of mind to allow you to achieve a meditative state (to quote a yoga term, that is Dharana, the 6th limb of yoga). Your practice is supposed to calm and unite the mind, body and spirit with tranquility, self-awareness and inner peace. This is the seventh limb Dhyana.

How are you supposed to do all that while your physiological survival mechanisms are dominating because of the physical conditions in the room? You have no control over these crucial survival mechs, because they are automatic, and activate your Sympathetic Nervous System, instead of the yoga helping you to calm yourself by engaging your Parasympathetic Nervous System.

Alrighty, you’ve got the gist, I’m sure.

Get back to me with your thoughts. Your practice at that studio is currently unsustainable.

Just rereading what you said… Another point, it is your teacher’s responsibility to be observing the students and their wellbeing. It speaks volumes about the attitude where you approach the teacher and say the room is too hot, and that you’ve found it difficult, and for them to brush you off and say it’s ok, implying it’s your fault you can’t cope.

If they’re really focusing on a good experience, then surely they want to grow their business. A low temperature, even around 35C with a 50% humidity delivers you the physiological challenge without it being a survival challenge.

Another problem occurs to me… The body cools itself in several ways, (you should be able to find it on the forum) convection and evaporative cooling are 2 of them. With an ultra-high temperature of 46, it’s burning off a lot of the humidity and making it REALLY hard for you to cool your body. Danger! With a lower temp of say 35, the humidity is there to create the sweat and as the class progresses the humidity may increase to a level that makes it harder to cool but it doesn’t cause an unsustainable or dangerous condition if the temp is sufficiently low. With that increase in humidity, there is a perception that the temperature has increased. You can heat a room to a temperature that feels hot even though it’s under 40.

Here’s a scenario: one person takes a break. Teacher looks at the conditions. They deem it’s ok. They continue with everything unchanged. If 2 people or more are taking breaks, leaning over, looking exhausted etc (you know the signs) then the teacher should be checking and RESPONDING to those signs. When this happens are you seeing the teacher cracking a window or 2, putting on circulating fans (to assist evaporative cooling and convection cooling), opening a door, turning down the temperature or turning off the heaters? How responsive are your teachers?

What you’re after is a return of the immense satisfaction you’ve experienced in the past. The room MUST be safe for everyone. If the temperature is at a physiologically safe level (BELOW 40 and I suggest actually 35 – body temp, which you’ll notice is under 40!!!) and a person cannot handle that, then that’s not a survival problem. That’s a preference not to do yoga in the heat. There’s a difference! That person can choose a different studio or style. That’s not you. You just need to demand safety in a hot yoga room! A lower than 40C temp (with an appropriate humidity level!) allows the upward movement of temperature that occurs with a whole lot of bodies practising hot yoga in the room, without the temp or heat index rising to dangerous levels.

Okey dokey, that’s enough for today

Namaste
Gabrielle 🙂

Hello again!

I’m interested to know at what level (altitude) your thermometer is measuring the temperature. We recommend positioning sensors mid-height. If your device is on the floor, and hot air rises then it is possible that the temperatures are higher at head level. That’s why I am enquiring.

I no longer recognise any of the names or faces of anyone at BY London. It’s unfortunate that some businesses, no matter how small or large, develop ‘cultures’ that are not favourable. Many bikram teachers have a collective approach which is not in keeping with the practice of yoga (note for readers to see initial response above for details, if reading this as a standalone comment without reading the context). You can only try to reason and state your case with someone who is sympathetic to the problems you’re having on a personal level, but more importantly, someone who is willing to zoom out to see that the basic precepts are being sacrificed in order to ‘challenge’ students physiologically in a game of survival rather than lead them in a yoga class. Hopefully, you can find some allies and get back to a safe, gratifying and satisfying yoga practice.

Namaste
Gabrielle 🙂