The Hot Yoga Doctor – Free Bikram and Hot Yoga Resources › Hot Yoga Doctor Forum › Hot Yoga Facts
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in reply to: How to Benefit from Bikram #8846
I went from being just at that almost overweight category to nearly underweight after I started Bikram yoga. Mostly, it’s the consistent practice that did it. Not only does the yoga burn calories, but this particular yoga practice really works to improve metabolism. I swear, throughout the day I became a garbage disposal because of my metabolism. I began seeing the difference between needing food and wanting food. I crave less meat now, begin my day with a protein shake, and eat junk food, but in moderation. I also stopped drinking alcohol once I started Bikram again; I simply don’t want it. It’s not fun anymore. I think that alcohol, even in small amounts, kept me at a higher weight for some reason.
Anyway, there’s my ramblin’ response. To sum, I do yoga 3-4x/week and I’m in good shape. It’s the yoga.
Wow. You seem to have a lot of energy, like me! I think I understand how you are feeling when you’re in floor series. I can get jumpy, too.
I think your question, “Is it mind or is it breath?” is maybe not the right one to ask. I think when the instructors say “IT’s all in your breath,” they’re talking about the solution to your anxiety and restlessness. By focusing on inhalations and exhalations, counting the seconds for each in and out-breath, you might be able to calm your crazy, stung-by-a-bee monkey mind. The mind makes for crazy, the breath makes for calm.
The bad news: there’s no separation of body and mind! The good news: you can work with the two together. The breath is the link between them.
Aaand, if you really can’t sit still anymore, some sort of visualization technique might work. When I’m desperate I take a few minutes on my back and visualize somewhere cool… skiing on Mammoth… lying on an iceberg… sometimes that works!
in reply to: Angry with heat #8742I love your screenname, Sweatheart! Though it sounds like it doesn’t apply to you 🙂 Seems like you have a real problem with the heat!
I’m not sure what your question is… it sounds like Bikram is not the best fit for you (at least not right now), and that the fairly troublesome complaints you had with it are gone now that you’ve stopped going. Seems crystal clear that some other form of exercise might be right for you?
The only benefit you mention was that it distracted you from “one mind obsession,” but I bet there are ways of making that happen without getting all the negative stuff.
Me? I love Bikram, and while the excessive heat can cause me mild symptoms like red patches on my skin and occasional dehydration, I don’t have the major symptoms you mention. In fact, my sleep and diet is better and I’m at the healthiest weight I’ve had my entire adult life. (Although nothing helped my sleep like running–I slept like a rockstar when I trained for the 1/2 marathon!)
Maybe find something that works better for you and doesn’t cause quite so much emotional turmoil?
Hey AmyM,
I bet people have a LOT of personalized stories about getting pregnant and missing periods and possible exercise connections. Here’s one to add to the bunch 😉My best friend went through the same thing. She exercised a lot, was really thin, and did a lot of Bikram yoga. She also didn’t have a period for a long time. She ended up cutting back on exercise and only did Bikram 2-3x/week and more natural expressions of exercise like walking and hiking. She also did acupuncture and the combination did the trick–she’s now in her fourth month.
Somehow, being gentle on yourself, always but especially when trying to get pregnant, seems like a good approach. 30 miles/week plus yoga seems like a lot.
That said, I’m not an expert in ANYTHING, so please take this little story with a big grain of salt.
in reply to: I got sooo sick! #8474Here’s my take, Junebug. Just my little take 🙂
I went back to Bikram yoga because I suffered migraines. I vaguely remembered that when I was 18 and did that yoga I didn’t get them. So, I went back after years of being away. After the second class, I had a horrible migraine. Just one, though. Since, then I have never had a full-blown migraine in the two years I’ve been practicing since. They’d been crippling before, and I just don’t get them now.I imagine your body is detoxing, but who knows? You could have just gotten the flu or something. I’d take it slow. According to what the teachers say, you only need to attend 3x/week to see improvement. More if you want it to be faster, but start slow, especially since you were sick. Try every other day for a while? That’s more than what most people do!
Thanks for your post, Linda. I don’t have panic disorder, but I do have anxiety that I have used meds for on and off. The hot room is, of course, a HUGE trigger, but I have come to treat it as a special, contained space… it’s like I keep this wild horse in the stall most of the time, and when I take out that horse, I know he’s gonna buck and go nuts, but if I don’t ride him once in a while, nothing will ever change! 🙂
That said, something I have learned that makes my experience a bit better is to ultimately trust mySELF, not the teacher. I have a tendency to want to be perfect and do what I’m told, but I’ve learned that when I get to a certain stage of exhaustion or stress, I sit down, NO MATTER WHAT the teacher encourages me to do. When I feel overheated, I leave the room (*gasp!*). Giving myself permission to do so lessens the judgment about my stress. As a result, I sometimes have rockstar classes where I do every pose fully and don’t feel much stress at all.
Dunno if that helps at all, but there’s my take! Ride that horse but listen to yourself while you’re doing it.
in reply to: benefits to running #8199Hey there,
I ran for about a year or so before I started Bikram yoga. I turned to yoga because I started getting these migraines after I’d run, but I desperately wanted to complete the half-marathon I was training for. The yoga fixed my migraines and I was able to run. After the half-marathon, though, the running tapered off. Yoga just does my body so much more good, and as you know, it’s a workout. I like how slim I feel, as opposed to the athletic body type I had when I ran. But most importantly, it’s how I feel that counts! I’m flexible, I have little pain in my body, and I feel so much better all the time.But don’t force anything… just try doing both, and see what happens! Maybe you’ll continue doing both; maybe one will take over.
in reply to: Heart rate high, need to take Savasana a lot. #8108Pamela, I have the same problem. I am not overweight but my heart rate gets up so high, and it just never comes down. Sometimes, I think it’s just that my studio lets things get too hot, but I also known the blood pressure medication I’m on might accelerate the heart rate easily. I’ve been practicing for two years and I’m tired of sitting out postures all the time! I can get caught up in the “It’s humbling!” thing. But I know I’m getting the benefits, as I FEEL great most of the time. That’s the main thing, right?
in reply to: feeling totally agitated… #8069Jeez, that’s rough. Most days, I’m fine after class.
However…. this DOES happen to me, especially I’m not “dealing with” something really heavy going on in my life. You know, I ignore, ignore, ignore the problem and then in yoga it all comes out and after class I’m, like, “WTF?! That teacher was nuts!” Or, “gosh, I did terribly, I suck, etc.”
Sometimes it seems to worsen my anxiety, too. What keeps me coming back is that the irritability/anxiety subsides after a couple of hours and then I feel better than ever. How long did the anger last for you?
I think changes to food are common! A couple of months after I started hot yoga, I just couldn’t eat meat. There was (initially) no philosophical reason to take up vegetarianism, but it just happened naturally. That was a [em]good [/em]food change!
A few hours/next day after practicing, though, I notice some powerful cravings–[em]salt[/em], as someone else noted. Give me Cheez-its, give me Trader Joe’s little cheese sandwich crackers, an avocado sprinkled with that delicious NaCL. The processed salt I could probably do without, but I imagine the craving for salt is legit. Your craving for sweets is probably the same.
I’m curious, though: are the cravings just there, or do you actually compelled to indulge and can’t control it?
in reply to: Help me stay motivated #7770I don’t think there’s an easy answer to the “staying motivated” question, Elle, but I sympathize with you. It IS hard to stay motivated to do strenuous and expensive activity. Fortunately, with yoga, the strenuous part is only 90 minutes long, and the rest of your day truly does feel like the proverbial cheesecake with blueberries on top 😉
But the others have good suggestions. Set the goals small: start by going twice a week, three if you can get there. And just make it a habit. You wash your hair every day? Go out to dinner on Tuesday nights? You go to yoga on Wednesdays and Fridays. The habit gradually becomes easy, and before you know it (well, Ok, more like after a couple of months of regular practice), you’re looking forward to going to class. Let us know how it goes!
Hi Elle,
You know, I LOVE a.m. classes! One of the reasons is that I haven’t yet racked up a day’s bad habits, so I tend not to get too dehydrated. That said, I’m one who doesn’t drink alcohol and only a small amount of caffeine throughout the day, so I’m generally hydrated. I tend not to think of drinking extra water at all the night before and find morning classes easier in terms of thirst. I just get up, drink some water and soymilk with a banana and go!in reply to: How to ignore distractions? #7595Hey Starkoma!
I don’t have much to add. Just wanted to encourage. The others have good suggestions. Mine is just to get yourself to class. Get your ass to the mat, as often as possible. Things WILL change, so long as you just listen to the teachers and try your best in each class.I wish I were like Maya! I do have a monkey-mind, too. I’m easily distracted, although that does get better with time, like Freiamaya said (it’s not quite second nature for me, but it is better 🙂
in reply to: 'Inner Self' Benifits? Any Tips / Giudelines…… #7594I couldn’t agree more with what Gabrielle has to say! 🙂
At the same time, I know that deepening my yoga practice triggered a similar desire to yours, Happy Beginner. The classes were great, but I wanted to continue deepening a spiritual, everyday practice. It led me to take up a daily meditation and begin to study Buddhism. So I encourage you to “jump off” if you’re feeling so inclined! Go where you’re pulled to go–the meditation thing came up very naturally for me–it’s a long, boring story 🙂
Anyway, due to this combination of yoga and meditative study (check out Pema Chodron, Sharon Salzburg if you’re interested) the past year and a half has been a time of intense change. In a good way!
in reply to: Protein and building strength… #7143Hi Bonnie!
For the liquid, I use a combo of almond milk and soy or regular milk. (I’m not lactose intolerant, so I can use a little milk now and then). I mix frozen fruit like blackberries, banana, papaya, whatever I’ve got. The banana is a must, though. Just a handful of fruit pieces is usually enough. I do add some psyllium husk for added fiber. Blend it up and it tastes great! Keeps me full, and at 20 grams of protein that’s not a bad start to your day.
For brand, mmm. I just tried Henry’s brand and it’s fine, but expensive. Trader Joe’s sells one taht I just bought. It tastes good and is 11.99 for 12 ounces. Not cheap, but cheaper than some of the high-end brands.
in reply to: Backproblem worse from Bikram Yoga #7123Hi Stefan,
I’m not an instructor, but I just wanted to point out that I see you writing that you get pain FROM backbends/savasana. Are you sure this is the case? Might it be that you feel the pain IN the poses? I see a huge diffrence there. Sometimes the poses bring out pain that is already there that your body is working through.Just a thought. Once again, take it with a grain of salt, as I’m not a trained instructor or physician 🙂 Happy skateboarding!
in reply to: Protein and building strength… #7122I am pescatarian and have a tough time getting protein. My partner (strict veggie) recently got me hooked on a mornin whey protein shake. It took me a week or two to get used to them–I thought the powder itself was too processed and unnatural, and they were different from what I usually ate. But whoa, what a difference. Those 20 or so grams of protein in the a.m. really help get my body going, esp before yoga. I don’t bottom out the way I normally do. Do you eat a protein-rich breakfast? That might help…
in reply to: Bikram frequency #7049Hey,
I go 3-4x/week now, but when I started I only went twice a week. I definitely saw results, and then seeing those results motivated me to alter my lifestyle a bit to get in the extra class or two. Especially since you’re also doing other physical activity, I bet you’ll see progress!in reply to: Help! Excessive Tiredness #6864Hey Z!
I have nothing to add to these folks’ wonderful replies except to share my own experience and second their opinions. The first couple of months I’d feel pretty depleted for the rest of the day if I took an a.m. class, into the next day if I took an evening class. This would happen maybe 30% of the time. After a couple of months, though, this normalized. I may feel like crap in the hot room some days, but by the time I’ve showered and am in the car I feel great.It’s great you’re getting tested. I too take magnesium–I think it’s 250 mgs/day. Helps avoid headache and with stomach issues.
in reply to: How hot is it??!! #6758Thanks for the reply, Gabrielle 🙂 The instructor covered up the temperature (the gauge is to the right of the door), but during the summer, I’d notice it at 115 or 116. The teacher also told me the same was true. Now, though, I’m sure there are days that SEEM hot that are just my body being weird. I suppose I’m taking it one day at a time with this question.
in reply to: Other exercise with Bikram #6746Earlybirds, I thought you needed to eat more? Isn’t this a good thing? I realize you struggle with body image, but yoga has a normalizing effect on the body. Is it possible you need to eat more, despite what you fear about the body image or possibility of gaining weight? People that need to eat less can learn to do so through yoga and vice-versa. I’m not a doctor so please don’t take what I’m saying as gospel truth! But you indicated you were only getting 1000 calories. That’s nowhere near enough if you are doing yoga–remember, it burns at least 500 calories and adjusts the metabolism. Trust that the yoga is doing what your body needs to be done 🙂 Listen to the body, not the mind.
I know, I know, easier said than done, right? 🙂
in reply to: How hot is it??!! #6735I don’t know what to make of the “too hot” thing. My regular studio is small, and I don’t think the heaters are very good. So, when the weather gets above 72 degrees/F, the class can go well over 110. I think that is out of control! The teachers will try to augment this by opening doors, shutting off the heaters or opening the vents, but then it can get too cool. After super-hot classes I don’t feel good; it can take me the rest of the day to recover.
This doesn’t happen too often, but with the summer coming it might be more frequent. If it persists I may just have to find another studio for the evening/warmer classes. It’s hard to know what to do. I’m sure it’s super-expensive to replace the heaters with better ones–I’m sympathetic to that! But I’m also not going to harm my body with yoga 😉 The other thread is very informative–thanks!
in reply to: Other exercise with Bikram #6704Hi Kimberly 🙂
I’m sure others will weigh in with great and more detailed feedback, but I personally have found you CAN rely solely on yoga. I used to run 3 days/week and when I started hot yoga only did it twice a week. Initially, it was a supplement to training for half-marathons. Then, I got addicted to yoga, started practicing 4x/week, and pretty much dropped the running. I just feel so much better than I have in years, and I’m in even better shape than when I ran.As for the hunger thing… hmm. People will probably have different responses, but I’ve found my body fluctuates. A couple weeks will pass when I have little appetite, and then the opposite: I’m like a machine! But my weight has stayed stable. Hope this helps! I bet the yoga helps with your physically demanding job.
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