Gabrielle (The Hot Yoga Doctor)

Hi Aaron and Cynthia

When you first posted Aaron, I contacted another forum member whom I remembered had IBS. She has not responded so she may not be hanging around. It has been a few years since her active posting days.

Any improvements since your question?

Namaste
Gabrielle 🙂

Hi folks

May I suggest that putting the word ‘acne’ into the forum search facility (up the top of the page) will yield quite a number of entries already posted about people with acne, skin problems in general, rosacea and skin sensitivities?

I do not believe that we have enough information to generalise that all acne/skin conditions are a result of toxin flushing. On many occasions it has been dirty floors/feet etc or even cleaning agents used at home or at the studio. In other words, for a great proportion of skin conditions the problem is external. Systemic conditions can also be affected by external things. So I think we need more information and more investigation.

Cynthia, that pill you started taking was that before or after you started the yoga or started having the skin condition? I am assuming that the yoga came first. Can you think of anything else that has changed that also could possibly be a culprit?

Namaste
Gabrielle 🙂

Hi John

I think that you may need to see a physiotherapist and for some massage (perhaps) and some strengthening exercises. It seems the damage you have endured needs more than just stretching. Stretching against damaged/torn/scarred muscles causes a delay in healing. I know this happens commonly with hamstrings (plenty of evidence of that in this forum) so it should apply to your muscles in this case.

It’s a bit premature to consider surgical intervention at this stage methinks! 😉

Namaste
Gabrielle 🙂

Hi Devi

I will get onto a detailed explanation (or provide links or both) but suffice to know for the moment, that your problem is extremely common.

It is a combination of being shown/taught/instructed wrong technique for a number of key poses. It’s a common misunderstanding of the way the body works in the poses to get the best most effective stretch. This problem shows up in the lower back and the buttocks (sciatica is one way it manifests).

As a result of the continued lessons every day the body has no chance to rest.

So in effect the daily classes have shown you that your technique is needing some help. If you had a break now and then your issue would still be there but not as urgent. So I guess it’s good that you know

Be back soon with some links

Namaste
Gabrielle 🙂

Hi Helen

Thanks for sending me this and your email update. It’s good to hear your progress.

Namaste
Gabrielle 🙂

Hi Colin

It’s hard to estimate costs when there are so many determining factors. If walls are already there and plumbing doesn’t have to be moved then that is a great scenario.

Have you by any chance contacted other hot yoga studios in the UK to quiz them? I hope you can get some help that way. It’s often the easiest way and works well if the person you question is willing to divulge. It may be best to ring people who are geographically removed from your intended location.

I used batts in my walls to audio and heat insulate. They were very inexpensive. I used vinyl(?) covered ceiling tiles to minimise mildew and mould. Does that help you?

Let me know where you’re up to.

Namaste
Gabrielle 🙂

Hi MB

I have the feeling you are suffering from heat exhaustion. You have already recognised that the heat affects you more when the humidity is high. This is because of something called the ‘heat index’. You also mention you are less affected in the morning classes rather than the evening ones.

When you research heat index you will discover that you can adjust heat down when the humidity is up. And vice versa. And still have the same feeling. This dynamic makes it difficult for one to accurately guess temp levels. So it’s highly possible that the energy expenditure, the natural stresses of the class in the heat, along with the high heat conditions, the loss of water and electrolytes are contributing factors.

May I ask you which classes have more people in them? Morning or evening? And which classes feel hotter?

Try only going to morning classes for a while. Drink well. When you are in class try my little life-saving elixir: A pinch of sea salt, a few drops of lemon juice in your water. It will make you feel much better. Ignore any possible insistence that you avoid drinking water in class. Drink when you need to.

Namaste
Gabrielle 🙂

Hello Phil

Kristin and Bunni make some important points. Thank you gals. :cheese: I may expand on a couple:

Wiping sweat causes the body to produce more sweat. As you wipe the sweat away it is taking away that particular cooling mechanism (there are 3). The body then produces more sweat. You lose loads more water and electrolytes and potentially set up a very dangerous situation. You may already know that. It’s possible you thought of taking the towel in because someone had said you need it for sweat or for grip. It really doesn’t matter. Wiping your hands or knee before that posture is OK to do.

Some really inflexible people really DO need to use a towel. But it seems that you could definitely get by without one!

You will be quite surprised (not sure when!) that your hands simply will NOT slip anymore. You’ll be in Standing Bow or holding that knee to your shoulder and realise that you had a steady hold/pull/grip and there was no slippage, EVEN IF you were dripping with sweat and you didn’t wipe off the excess. I PROMISE that happens.

If you are healthy regular person (who has no illnesses or physical conditions requiring modification including injury) and you’re slipping in a pose either feet or hands, or if you feel you need a prop, then I can guarantee there is a technique issue or approach that you can learn (from this forum, my email newsletters or even my products) that will get you over that problem.

So … about that instruction to ‘not use your towel’. Here’s what I want to say: Any instructor who blurts out a command like that, particularly to a beginner should be going about that a much better way.

It was your first class for goodness sake. You are not a child and you need the instructor to guide you not tell you off (or to give you the perception you’re being told off) when you’re doing something ‘wrong’. You’re only doing what made sense.

There! I may get lambasted for that. But hey, if you were in my class you wouldn’t use a towel. Firstly if I saw a handtowel in the room in the hands of the beginner, I would find a moment in the class (either before or after the time they used it) to say some things that point out:

“When you first start, you may think you need to wipe sweat ….” and then I may give a reason as above.
Or I could say to the whole group something like: “Remember when you first came and your hands were slipping with the sweat? Isn’t it amazing that after a while that no longer happens, your hands are really strong now”

There are literally limitless ways to encapsulate something beneficial for the entire group into instruction that doesn’t single anyone out (especially a first-timer). I have only given 2 ideas.

Equally, I could have either said out loud: “Next set, see what it’s like to hold your leg without the towel”. You would know I was talking to you even if I didn’t mention your name. I am giving you a really effective command that keys you into your body to be present with a feeling.

If you didn’t hear me, then I can put that down to it being your first class. There’s a LOT to focus on and you cannot hear everything the first time. Hey, you’ll be hearing things as if they were being said the first time in your hundredth class. 😉

Or I could have waited for people to be in the pose or in savasana and come up to you personally and said, “Hey Phil, I forgot to tell you, you don’t need towels for these poses.” That way there’s no embarrassment either.

If I, for some reason can’t manage to do ANY of those things in class (and yes, there’s almost ALWAYS time to be personal AND give a great class with more than enough detail) then there’s always the time after that class, or if I don’t see you, the next time I see you with that towel.

What’s the rush. I want you to come back. I want you to feel supported.

Instructors need to give people room for a learning curve without calling out negative commands such has “put down that towel” or “don’t do xxx” (unless it’s going to be risky for the student and if they don’t follow that command they will hurt themselves).

There you go! While your post was about slippage, for me it was more about how to be in a class and learn yoga or anything in a dignified and respectful way.

Hope that all our answers have shed some light on the subject. Let us know how you go.

Namaste
Gabrielle 🙂

Hi Myrna

I am so pleased you have worked with Sara! A ‘handicap’ if that’s the terminology you prefer to use, is not at all an impediment to teaching. You need teaching skills. You need knowledge of the body and the poses. Having a perfect practice is not required. Having an ideal practice for you is ideal to be a teacher and understanding how to facilitate the best practice in everyone else! This is why a script approach teacher training will not get you what you want. The words won’t teach, YOU do the teaching.

Sara probably helped you see that I am sure!

You are right. You don’t need to be certified. But, if you know how to teach and you know the ins and outs of all the poses (probably by doing a training) then you will know how to direct your staff and have the right standards. You do want to set the standard around what YOU want for your studio.

Sounds exciting.

Namaste
Gabrielle 🙂

Hello Sara and Kristin

Here’s another approach! When you see that body part and those thoughts are triggered, you can say to yourself any number of the following things in your own words. I will use the stomach as the example.

I love you tummy.
Thank you for holding my organs.
Thank you organs for always doing what you’re supposed to do to digest my food/protect me from disease/keep my body fueled and in balance.
Thank you for my curvaceous body.
I love you for being the womb for my beautiful children
I love how you move in and out for abdomino diaphragmatic breath.
Thank you for supporting my back.

There are hundreds of things you could say or think about your abdomen.

Appreciating your youness will, in the fullness of time, come without words. It is good to be specific in the interim and come up with some concrete reasons to love and appreciate your body for what it has done for you the last 40 years and what it will do for you in the coming decades (may they be numerous!).

Pretty soon that stuff will become an ‘gestalt’ unspoken and felt experience (without the continued need for constant re-affirmation) and you may very well find your focus improve too!

I am interested to know what comes up for you when you start to subvocalise your appreciation for ‘those’ body parts – if indeed your have a go at the above. There may be a process of habituation (potential initial resistance). Do tell.

Namaste
Gabrielle 🙂

Hi Holly

Phew! I am so pleased you are resting your leg and more importantly seeing somebody to help you fix the problem.

It is essential you do some exercises to strengthen what could be a weakness in the back of the leg (you say you hyper-extend). It appears you have a damaged muscle – some tearing.

I disagree with those teachers that say you should focus on firm hips and butt to counter the hyper-extension. If you are hyper=extending then you need to strengthen back of leg with gym work or other exercises recommended by physios rather than immobilise your hips. Tightening your bottom would be akin to putting earplugs in if you hear a funny noise in your car engine when you drive. It doesn’t fix the problem. You may also need some massage of the area.

If you check out page 238 in the book, Hot Yoga MasterClass (and thank you for letting me know about your Christmas gift :cheese: ) then you will see an entry and a photograph about a ‘restorative pose for the knees’. This will be what you will do when able to, before you even think of creating distance between the knees. At the first stage you will most likely need quite some space between hips and heels (with a cushion or rolled or folded towel or towels).

First thing is to rid yourself of the acute symptoms. You will be able to go back to yoga. Let me know how you are progressing. It has been a little while since your post so you may have made significant gains already.

Namaste
Gabrielle 🙂

Hello Ju

Please keep us updated. Happy new year to you too. Wishing you peace, balance and some love and yoga and that you can see things with clear eyes! 😉

Namaste
Gabrielle 🙂