Ilonka

Hi Elle,

You’ve found a good place to get excellent info! Some of your questions are answered in threads around this site that deal specifically with what you’re asking, so I’d start there. These are posts on people practising who are overweight, beginners to hot yoga, and what to wear.

To get you started though, here are some thoughts:

1-I have had a long journey to finding any kind of exercise that didn’t become tedious very quickly. Hot yoga creates a natural kind of exhilaration that keeps most people motivated however. Also motivating for me was the constant surprise at the small but significant developments in strength and flexibility.

I found a difference in the first 6 months of practising yoga (not hot yoga, but a class of mixed styles), where my base energy level was greatly increased and daily activities no longer left me winded. My general strength and flexibility was increased simly by attending one class a week.

After beginning hot yoga 10 months ago, I have never felt better in my life. My body has certainly changed shape for the better – I still enjoy eating, so I could make much better progress in the weight loss I’d like to see by creating more balance in my overall diet, but I am extremely happy about the fit of my clothes and, more importantly to me, how I feel every day.

2-Yoga studios vary a great deal. You need to check out the ones near you and see for yourself. Some instructors (I have never had the experience myself fortunately) apparently use some negative reinforcement to get students to strictly follow instruction, but this usually seems to be intended to push students out of their comfort zone, even if the effect on the student is not what the instructor intended. The only way to know if you are comfortable with a studio really, is to take some classes there.

For the most part, people who practise hot yoga go in part for the meditation. This means that as you practise, you focus on yourself, not anyone else in the room. Does this mean no one will look at you? Of course not – you will see others in the room as well. But the point of practise is to keep re-focusing on yourself and your own practise.

The poses are always challenging. That is what I love about hot yoga. There is always something further I can do. But it is intensely rewarding. I am finally beginning (after 10 months of practise) to straighten one leg in a pose called Standing Head to Knee and it is making me ecstatically happy. I don’t know if that is sane or not, but it works for me. The good news about hot yoga is that you start with small goals: stay in the class; do as much as you can in each pose, even if it isn’t much; etc. It’s when you first have the revelation that you just stretched, and you remember when you couldn’t at all, that you feel the addiction beginning.

Some days I balance really well. Today I fell repeatedly in several poses. I just got back in again until the pose was over. My studio has a wide range of ages, weights and abilities. There are some seniors who have awesome flexibility and strength. There is one fellow practitioner, significantly larger than myself, who does almost an excellent toe stand when I can’t even bend my knee fully. I get freaked out by the tightness in the back of my thigh and can’t go further (yet!).

Yoga is very personal. There is nothing to do but try it. I hope you find the joy in it that I do.

By the way, I wouldn’t attend any studio that creates a negative environment through the kind of comments you mentioned. You might want to talk to the instructors when you visit about your concerns – how to begin with poses you think will be very difficult, your nervousness about attending, etc. Any instructors of any yoga class I’ve attended (different kinds over 12 years), have been accepting, positive and openly encouraging to new students.

I remember thinking that I would never wear the ‘nothing’ that hot yoga students wear. Now, I’m down to a very supportive bra (I think it’s Moving Comfort, or something like that) and shorts that go down to mid-thigh, and considering buying much smaller shorts. It is so hot that extra material in clothing is distracting. I would try fitted, or not too loose capris (they’ll just get soaked and cling to you as you sweat), and a sleeveless, fitted top to start. As self-conscious as you may feel, a top that slips up and down as you move from pose to pose won’t help you in class, and in fact will distract, and possibly annoy you.

I thought this would be a quick reply – I guess not. I wish you well on your yoga journey and hope you will post as you go along. There are always people who read and learn from others’ experiences.

Good luck, and enjoy!

Ilonka

I also struggle with keeping my stomach in. Every time the instructor reminds us to do this throughout the class, I keep thinking, ‘How did my stomach get out again? I just pulled it in!!’

The whole awkward pose series creates burning-burning-burning in my legs. It is crazy. But I am experiencing more and more control all the time. It’s interesting how the smallest improvement can make me happy – ‘I wobbled less today – YaY!’.

Gabrielle has an article somewhere on this site (or maybe it came through email) that talks about strengthening your abs using a cough/’ahem’ sensation to locate the muscles you want to focus on. Maybe she can post a link to this?

I’ve been trying to focus on ‘ahem’-ing for the last 2 weeks and it has helped, although I have a long way to go…

Ilonka 8)

Hi Gabrielle,

I’m going to post the other thread in a moment, but wanted to first give an update on my feet, in eagle pose. In my last two classes, I’ve had a new sensation! Instead of going numb, I am now happily experiencing muscle pain in my feet. Hot yoga makes me say funny things!!

If that wasn’t clear, I’ll try to be a little more specific. Before, my feet would have the sensation of falling asleep, especially the one on which I was standing. Now, I am experiencing a sensation of burning/toning along a band of muscle that stretches underneath my feet from behind my toes towards my heel, towards the outside of my foot. I am excited because it feels like I am toning muscle, where before, it just felt weird.

Thank you for the advice, it has helped a lot.

Thanks, Ilonka 8)

Great – I will try it out and let you know. Namaste, Ilonka

Hi,

I’m not sure how relevant this response is as I can only comment from the perspective of someone who attends Bikram yoga, and would then be a potential client. The original poster seems to want feedback on why to offer this style to clients.

“So many are injurred by yoga instruction – not yoga itself because the teacher leads their students to places they may not be ready to venture – I want to make sure that I am comfortable again with this before I share my consent to continue allowing this style to be taught in my facility.”

I can only say that from a business perspective, it would seem to depend on who your clients are. I imagine that most people who want to spend money on these classes are happy with the benefits already listed in these posts.

While there will be people in such amazing condition that they are disappointed with the ‘diminishing returns’ because they are so far along on the continuum of yoga practice that they need the challenge of changing up the positions, etc., I feel from the posts that I have read on this forum that I fit into the majority who are happy with their progress, and see the challenges presented by continued practice extending happily for years and years and years.

While I am continually surprised by my practice and sudden realize that I have moved inches this way or that, each practice presents new goals to achieve. I can’t even begin to imagine when the ‘diminishing returns’ will prevent my enthusiasm for returning to the next class, because of how I feel when I’m going.

I guess this response may not help if your facility is geared to a very specific group of clientele who are looking only for want you are pinpointing.

As well, you seem to be concerned about the quality of yoga instructors, which is a very different topic entirely. I guess for that, responses from those who run studios would be most appropriate.

Take care, Ilonka

Hi!

Thanks for the great website and all this fantastic info!! I’ve just joined to day and I’ve learned a lot already that I can’t wait to put to use in my next session.

I’ve been practicing for about 6 months now and still struggle around the eagle pose with numbness in my feet. There is a ‘falling asleep sensation’ that begins in awkward pose and intensifies during eagle. Usually during the second set of eagle I can’t begin on time because each foot cramps to the point where I have to counter stretch it in before I can put the weight on the foot to begin the pose. The numbness is towards the outer edge of my foot, and builds as I hold the position.

Is there something I’m doing wrong? How can I strengthen my feet?

Thanks, Ilonka