The Hot Yoga Doctor – Free Bikram and Hot Yoga Resources › Hot Yoga Doctor Forum › Member’s Meeting Place › Member Chit Chat › Near-Syncope
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I thought I had found the perfect jewel in Bikram yoga. I bought a 20-class coupon not knowing what to expect and swore I wouldn’t go back after the first class. But I did, and loved it. I went three to four (occasionally five) times a week for three months. Coming out of a separate head to knee pose, I felt dizzy. The more I tried to shake it off, the worse I felt, nauseous, weak, and as though I would pass out. I bolted from the room, and all but collapsed in the bathroom. With ice on my head, I recovered in about 10 minutes and went back into the room and finished the class. Although hesitant to return for another class, I did, taking the poses slowly, and I did fine for the next week or two. Then, coming out of Camel, the dizziness came over me again. I immediately went into savasana, but that didn’t help. I started to feel like I was going to pass out, so I focused on my breathing, slowly in and out. The feeling just got worse until I felt so heavy and weak that I knew I wouldn’t even be able to get up and make it out the door. I reached for my water bottle (with ice in it) and poured it over myself. I slowly recovered again and finished (albeit slowly) the last two poses. I haven’t been able to go back to class since. I saw my internist for a physical and everything checks out…including EKG. I’m so disappointed that instead of getting more acclimated to the heat, I evidently became less tolerant. The heat was always a struggle, but I didn’t expect after three months it would get worse. I purchased the Home Practice Kit and hoping I can set up a less hot room for myself. I really enjoyed and felt the benefits of doing this yoga, but that has been replaced with anxiety and fear. Very sad…
Hi Nina
I just got home yesterday after being away and just read your post for the first time. Can you please give me an update? Did you go back to the public studio? Are you still feeling anxious? Have you tried using the Home Practice Kit and practised at home?
Lemme know 😉 and we’ll start conversing
Namaste
Gabrielle 🙂Hi Gabrielle,
Thank you so much for getting back to me! It’s wonderful to be part of your forum and get your expert input and advice as well as tips from other members. No, I have not gone back to the studio. Sadly, I gave up my membership. I would start to get anxious just thinking about going and having a repeat performance of whatever that was…perhaps heat exhaustion. I’ve wracked my brain trying to figure it out, but I do feel it was attached to the heat somehow. But YES, I have been using your Home Practice Kit…and I love it! I find that being able to go at my own pace and control my surroundings, such as the temperature of the room, I can more effectively go into and hold the postures with better form. I think the heat of the Bikram studio combined with the rather fast pace of the sequence of postures was causing me to do some of the poses rather sloppily as I felt it was all I could do to cope with the heat and I would just push myself through the posture. I do have to say though that I really do miss my studio friends, the discipline of going to practice, and the ability to work up more of a sweat at the higher temp (I can only get my room up to 88 degrees with 60% humidity. I use my bathroom, fill the tub completely with hot water, and I have two hot air heaters at each end of the room). On the flip side, I find that I am more gentle with myself at my home “studio” and I have fun with it. At 57 years old, I am certainly not out to win any competitions. I fell in love with the hot yoga “spillover” as I call it — that it makes me feel better about the body I’m in and what I put into it in terms of diet. I just hope I can keep up the motivation and discipline to continuing practicing at home. There was a benefit to just having to walk into the studio versus having to set up and ready my bathroom for each practice. I truly appreciate your concern and any and all words of wisdom you wish to share. All best to you.
NinaHi Nina
Thank you so much for filling me/us in on your progress. I totally understand where you are coming from. There are those of us (not everyone) who love the activity of going to the studio, the friend experience, the idea that the room is heated for you, you don’t need to do anything but show up.
Practising at home is a challenge because you have to do more than just show up. The rewards are there either way. It does seem to me that you have managed to create something amazing for yourself.
I am so happy the Home Practice Kit is helping you. Thank you for the feedback.
One thing I found at home is by automating the heating process – by putting it on a timer, that it’s so much easier to carry through! 😉
May I suggest you look into infrared heaters either as a panel on the ceiling (ideal) or other configuration? I have seen some that are actually very inexpensive.
Anyone reading this who has installed or has practised under a panel fitted on their bathroom or other ceiling it would be really oh so useful to hear your experiences and maybe share a brand or 2 to investigate.
Namaste
Gabrielle 🙂 -
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