decatur1945

Wow, it’s great to be remembered!

I’ll try and answer your questions. Currently, the majority of my excerice is walking. I have regained nearly all, if not all, range of motion, in fact my knee is more flexible now than before the surgery. I no longer take any pain meds. I do get massages and they do seem to help. I have not been doing any kind of yoga, although I have considered it. I plan to start excercising on an exercise bike hopefully today.

As I recall the discussion with my doc she said that the heat was probably not good for me due to my blood pressure, it didn’t have anything to do with my heart health. I get regular check ups and periodic EKGs, stress tests, and nuclear stress tests. My heart is in very good condition. the suregery I had was to correct a leaky valve and not weakness or blockage of the heart. Forgive me if the following is too much detail. A few years prior to my surgery at a regular check up my general practitioner said I had a heart murmur, had never been told that in my entire life, but the murmur was not significant and not to worry about. So, a few years later, I spent several months feeling lousy, flu like sypmtoms and genral lethergy. Eventaully it was discovered that I had a blood infection that was severe (nearly died) endocarditist (forgive my spelling)and that increased the severity of my mitral valve prolapse problem. I told the heart surgeon that I wanted the valve repaired and not replace if possible. So, I didn’t get a replacement valve but I’m guessing it was some sort of seal or something that causes the valve to seal properly, which solved the problem. Anyway, it took several months to heal from the surgery and the infection. I had to take some very, very strong antibiotics and have some residual kidney issues, but not severe. As mentioned in another thread there are some other residual issues.

Anyway, thanks for asking and I hope I haven’t put everyone to sleep reading this.

Since I am a neophyte in terms of ability I can really identify with this issue. The instructors at the studio that I go do encourage new folks to make their goal to just stay in the room for the full 90 minutes. They also make it very clear that, it’s perfectly ok to just stop, or sit down, or lie down, even if that’s the whole 90 minutes. On the other hand, there are some that just can’t make it. And there only reaction is positive and to try and if not the person does leave, they do go and check on them.

I try and drink water all through the day prior to class, not just a lot right before class. I read on here somewhere also, that a person drinks water during the day and on the way to class drinks a gatoraid or sports drink for the electrolites. There was only once that I had to leave class, and that was after practicing for about 6 months, for some reason I could not catch my breath, felt nauseous, and thought I was going to pass out. That’s the only time I’ve done that. Now, during class it is not unusual for me to take a pose or poses off. I do think that ultimately each of us knows how we feel and should act accordingly.

I just turned 66 yesterday, had open heart surgery 9 years ago, and have high blood pressure for which I take medication. I talked to my cardiologist about doing bikram and she suggested I do it in moderation due the high blook pressure medicine. I do get really light headed sometimes, of course my wife would say I’m lightheaded all the time. Seriously, I noticed that since I started taking the blook pressure med, I am much more prone to getting dizzy. So, I just lie down on my mat for awhile. I’m at such a low level that I don’t do many of the postures all the way anyway. Not making any suggestions but just relaying my experiences.

Meeting with her doctor and talking it over would be very important.

I definately have trouble balancing, and I can’t even round down and get my hands underneath my foot, let alone extend my leg. I have a lot of toruble balancing in general, no matter what pose it is. I’m wondering if age has anything to do with this. It is discouraging. I also have trouble with bow pose, I cannot get my hand inside my ankle, I grab the outside and work my hand around to the inside, but while doing that I have to use the wall for balance. You’d think I had a few drinks before coming to class.

I am going to digress here for a moment, this is only tangentially related. At last night’s class, the room was very full. I took up my usual positon in a back corner and then a person located himself right in front of me, I moved my mat a little to the left so I could see the mirror somewhat, then this guy moves his mat right in front of me. I gave up on the mirror, which like I said doesn’t do me much good anyway. Then when we get to the floor series this guy is laying so far down on his mat that his feet are like inches from my face! Now I understand that the room can be crowded but this was ridiculous. It made it very difficult for me to be “in the moment” since I was so irritated. Actually, being in the moment is difficult for me anyway, I think I am definately ADD. Now, I want to line up on the front row, but of course, I’m still too self conscious, what with my lack of Bikram ability and then also, with being the only guy wearing a speedo to class I don’t want to be too obvious.

I’m so pissed, I’m not sure I even want to go to class to night! Now isn’t that stupid?

I wear glassas also, take them off when doing floor poses though, no point. Eventually though, enough swear drips on them that it’s hard to see anyway! Plus, I always station myself in one of the back corners of the room, so can’t usually see the mirrors very well. Maybe, someday, I’ll be able to do enough of the poses to make it worthwhile to look at myself in the mirrors.

This thread means a great deal to me on a number of different levels.

My first experience with Bikram was very supportive, encouraging, accepting, and overall positive. So much so, that even at my advanced age and lack of flexibility I was encouraged to go again. This particular studio is not necessarily close to where I live but at that time it was the closest one. So, I started going regularly, 3,4, or 5 times a week. I found that the atmosphere in general was very accepting and positive. A few months later another studio opened which is much more convenient to where I live. I decided to give it a try. Turns out this second one was similar to the drill instructor atmosphere. I did not respond well. I went 3 times and haven’t been back. The owner and principal instructor is a retired Army officer, Airborne Ranger and relishes fostering that sort of an atmosphere. The dynamic I find most interesting is how the interaction and attitude manifested itself with how the students at the differenct locations treated each other as well. For example, just last night, I was talking to a young guy, who very respectfully asked me how old I am, I admitted my age and he said how great he thought it was because he had been encouraging his father to try it and it turns out his father is a few years younger than I am. In addition, this young guy and his girlfriend attend class. She is amazing, it was her 3rd class of the day, and she was situated right next to me, and man she is as flexible as a noodle. She paid me a very nice compliment in that she said she hopes she can continue doing yoga like me. Had to laugh at that, she’d have to regress a great deal to be like me! But, you get my drift. Both of them, young, good looking, clearly successful people readily engaged in conversation with me and were really eager to talk about the benefits of doing bikram and to encourage me.

So, from the perspective of age and varied experience I am convinced that the approach of people like Gabrielle and others is much more likely to produce positive results and a rewarding experience for the students.

I spent many years involved with athletics. It is my opinion that our bodies will tell us how far we should go. I do not believe that it is always wise to push through pain, as pain is our bodies way of telling us something is wrong. I do believe that you can push yourself little by little through tough positions, but to just push through can cause injury.

Just my opinion.

I just have to add a comment on this topic. At last night’s class the instrucotr wore yoga briefs. However, he appears to be, shall we say, really well endowed. It was obvious from the “bulge” in his shorts, and in the beginning of class I did think about this thread. However, he is such a nice person, his delivery was so even and benign, and he is such a nice, soft spoken person that his appearance left my consciousness completely. After class, he even talked to me about how my class went (which was not good). Oh and by the way, as if this matters, I am a straight male. On the other hand, I was talking to another male student before class and again he couldn’t have been nicer and more pleasant, but once we went into class I saw that he was haevily tatooed, some people would find that offensive or “disgusting”. My wife for example frequently negatively comments on people who are tatooed, although she doesn’t do Bikram.

This is strictly a “for what it’s worht” comment.

I simply cannot get my hand on the inside of my ankle in Standing Bow. Is it ok to start with just grabbing my ankle on the outside and gradually work around to the inside of my ankle?

Man, this is a great topic and I can relate to a lot of what has been said. I had been doing Bikram fairly regularly for a year or so and then for various reasons stopped for almost a year. About 2 weeks ago I started again. My first couple of classes I noticed that I didn’t sweat nearly as much as I did when I was practicing regualrly, then after about the 3rd or 4th class, sweat was rolling off of me. So, I’m thinking my body got reacclimated to dealing with the hot environment and started functioning appropriately. Or maybe, since I was doing Bikram I just remembered to drink more water, I know I’m more concious of it, as of right now, it’s just after 7 AM here and I have had nearly a litre of water while at my desk at work.

I never got in the habit of having an extra towel or anything to wipe sweat off so just allowed myself to sweat. I do have to wipe the sweat out of my eyes sometimes because it burns. On the other hand, I’m in such an elementary state that I can’t do many of the poses completely, so not sure the sweat on my hands makes much difference. When, Bonnie I think, mentioned being in front to check her pelvis alignment I realized that I’m sure I don’t keep my pelvis tucked properly all the time, I know I think of it and try to pull it in and all but then I start trying to do a pose and forget again. Sometimes I get really disappointed due the lack of progress, and not sure I’m getting as much out of Bikram as I should.

Then when someone said that eventually they could do Bikram without clothes, I have to admit, I’ve thought about that many, many times. And not because I want to see others or definately not because I want others to see me (they’d run out of the room shriekiing in terror or laughter, not sure which) but because it does seem a good idea. I actually looked around the Washington DC area for nude yoga classes and found a few but they are almost entirely dedicated for gay men. I don’t care if someone’s gay but I don’t go to yoga because of my sexual proclivities.

I have found this board to be quite encouraging though. Thanks