Gabrielle (The Hot Yoga Doctor)

Hi May

How is the knee? I am wondering if it was possible that when you bent your knee if it was not tracking toward the foot. Sometimes when one is facing the mirror it’s easy to see the vertical nature of the knee. Even if you are facing a mirrorless wall it’s harder to tell whether the knee is tracking internally (falling in toward the inside). It usually does.

Do you think that is possible? There is a groove actually often referred to as the patellar groove. Misalignment can be attributed to pain.

If you still have that pain and you think it has something to do with the patellar groove then there are exercises you can do to get everything back on track – literally. And extra attention (during healing) to alignment will help.

If you think this is what could have happened to your knee then I have a fix for you for triangle. If you own my book, then there is a picture of how to do that technique FYI … however I can describe it – no problem…. But first things first.
If you think the problem lies elsewhere then you can tell me more and I can ask other questions!

Namaste
Gabrielle 🙂

Hello Sofia

Thanks for being patient. OK, so you started about a month ago. Can you tell me please, are the knees the only place on your body that hurts during / because of the yoga?

It seems you have a professional diagnosis of bursitis. Was the cause arrived at through testing or assumptive means? Just checking we have all the bases covered.

I am assuming your doc wanted you to exercise in a way that removed the repetitive nature of your previous activity, wanting you to build strength in surrounding muscles. I imagine he could understand the holistic benefits of yoga for better body functioning of all systems.

So while it seems that yoga is helping you, that maybe too much is hindering healing. Maybe 7 days a week is not giving your body time to recuperate. May I suggest that you stop until the pain gets to a manageable level. Maybe a day or 2 or 3. Then try going every second day. If that is manageable then go 2 days out of every 3. Then if that works try 3 days out of 4. I would not recommend going every day. Work your way up to 5-6 days per week. Always work in a period of rest.

So to answer your question: Back off temporarily and institute a program of practice to respond to the pain levels.

I think also that we may need to talk about the poses that you feel are pressing your pain buttons! One by one. But first get rid of the pain so that you can love your yoga again and let it work for you.

When it comes to your feet: Are you saying the top of the back of the shoe that covers your heel is now causing pain where it never did before? Just confirming.

Have you seen my free video Great Posture From The Ground Up?

You may find it has something or nothing that resonates with you. Please check it out to let me know if it is possibly leading you down a useful track, and we’ll take it from there

Namaste
Gabrielle 🙂

Hi Bex and Elizabeth

Woah! That’s not good at all.

That was one very hot room. The problem with it is the combination of high humidity and high heat. This combination is referred to as the Heat Index. It is common knowledge (and should be with your teachers) that the higher the humidity the lower the temperature needs to be.

So with 78% humidity, the temperature really can be at or below body temperature for one to still feel that satisfying sweat.

The question I would dearly like you to answer is this: Did the teachers LEAVE THE HEATERS ON at that time?

Another one: Are there fans in the room for air circulation? Were they on or off?
Another! : What was the teacher saying or doing about the heat conditions?
One more: How long did the door stay open for? And at what pose was the door opened?

IMHO you definitely had obvious signs of heat exhaustion. You and a number of others.

But before I go and say anything else it would be worth hearing your answers to those questions. Perhaps you can tell me how long it took before you were able to recover from your hot class.

Namaste
Gabrielle 🙂

Hi Zameer

The knee is such a complex structure – simple hinge but complexly fashioned with so many ligaments etc. If you have tweaked something then the best thing to do is to:

>> continue strengthening the knee by pulling up the knee cap with the quadriceps muscles (you know, locking the knee).
>> continue to either leave toe stand out and do another tree pose, or
>> don’t bend the supporting leg in toe stand. Keep it straight (hands flat on the floor, as far forward as they need to be to do that, and work on getting a stretch through the leg, hips etc for the duration or
>> descend with your hands flat on the floor so that all the weight is transferred forward. If you cannot take the weight off your hands, that’s absolutely fine. Just feel the strength building up again over time.

Test your ability to progress through the pose as and when you are ready. Little by little you will feel more able to shift the weight back over the center again.

One way of helping fix a knee with this problem is to kneel with toes and heels together, and hips on heels. Sit upright if you can. It’s very restorative. You can do this in class, in place of supta vajrasana or just at home. Sit for a few minutes and just breathe.

Let me know how you’re going

Namaste
Gabrielle 🙂

Hi Ian

Any updates! I hope you’re still feeling like a million bucks!

Namaste
Gabrielle 🙂

Hi 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 🙂

Hi Rhonda

Any advances on the information given?

Last year I had something very similar. How similar I don’t know but your description actually seems to describe my problem too.

I have a couple of questions for you however:

You have been practising for 11 months so has the curious condition in your knee meant that you actually can no longer get as far as you could with your left knee bent?

What daily non-yoga activities does this issue affect?

I am sure you already sense you shouldn’t push anything. Have you tried cradling your foot with both hands and allowing gravity to take the supported leg only as far as it will go? (Holding with both hands may lessen the angle and allow more opening up and some healing.)

With the floor head to knee pose, have you simply not bent your leg in as far and did that help?

There are a couple of suggestions within those questions so if you haven’t tried those things, please do. And if you have any further details I would really appreciate them. I do not want to assume that you and I had the same thing (before I tell you how my leg seemed to fix!)

Namaste
Gabrielle 🙂

Hi Gina

There are a lot of details in your post that I could and hope to address. You mention frequent intake of antibiotics, and you indicate ongoing problems. I would like to just get it out and say the first thing that came to mind when I read your post. Have you heard of the notion of the human biome? It seems to me that it is possible, that with years or at least what you seem to indicate as many instances of antibiotic intake is that your whole system could be in a manner of speaking, ‘out of whack’. It could be, and I really encourage you to investigate this with appropriate sources, that your system has changed over time due to the antibiotics and may not have properly recovered to its normal supportive microflora.

There are products that I have heard about that are said to get one’s microbiome back on track. This in turn gets the system working more effectively and makes it more resistant to chronic or repeated ‘illness’ or conditions.

I could be completely off track, but take a look around, or ask more questions here.

To answer your question: Yes I do believe that the hot yoga will help. I would also consider looking at restitution of your biome!

Should you keep practising? As long as you are not contagious, keep on practising. Let people know you are not contagious and it is ‘just’ sinusitis. It will put their minds at ease. Nobody likes to practise near people who have colds!

If you have a low grade infection then you are walking a line where practice may help (and usually does)… and you have to be aware of when you could be expending too much energy so that you can assist the self-healing process. So either ‘take it easy’ in class by moderating what you do (maybe one of 2 sets from time to time, or half the class or whatever you feel is right as long as you keep your focus and intention clear) or go to less classes.

What do you think?

Namaste
Gabrielle 🙂

Hi Billy

Good question. Here is just one answer: There are not enough teachers to do it for everyone! :cheese:

There are many adjustments that a teacher can make for many of the poses. Some of them help the students. Many do not. Many feel good for the student. Many don’t make a difference. Some adjustments I have seen made are dangerous. Some adjustments make the teacher feel good for helping (even if the nett effect is zero).

There are several ways a teacher can assist for Half Tortoise pose. The particular action you describe may be of help for somebody whose hips do not even sit on the heels when they are upright – or for the person whose hips rise the moment the arms start to move forward.

There is little ‘real’ or practical use for the person whose hips just lift a bit at the end of the entry or when they are in the pose, except for the fact that it feels really rather lovely! Yes, I do love it. If somebody puts pressure on the hips at that point you can really feel a good stretch as the body is anchored well.

It doesn’t necessarily make you get more out of the pose. There is a lot to be said to creating traction without the use of an ‘assist’.

The question that remains with a move to assist a student that makes them go further (that they couldn’t achieve by themselves) is, why assist and what is the benefit, if the body cannot get there by itself, why help it? Surely that is the intrinsic benefit of the yoga (putting the ego aside and working with what is).

Some moves to assist are to help alleviate pain or provide some kind of body awareness in rehabilitation or injury. I like to use those!

Strangely (and perhaps you can confirm this or respond appropriately) most teachers whom I have seen assist students choose their ‘best students’ often leaving the ones who actually need help all alone.

There you go! A mixed answer to show that assisting can be a benefit or an ego boost. To whom? Ah yes, that is the question. 😆

I don’t believe in assisting people for the sake of going deeper unless there is a benefit for them in doing so.

I also believe that the best assistance any teacher can give in a Bikram class is clear, unambiguous, precise instruction (that is not based on ‘that’ script).

Namaste
Gabrielle 🙂

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 Becca

Thanks for being patient. I am still away and have had limited access to the net.

Just to be absolutely sure, are you saying you never had this pain before? A couple of things I would like you to try until I get back in the swing of things (and am back at home): Can you please try the following ideas
1) Try lifting arms up over head and bring the arms back as far as you can stay in good alignment with SHOULDERS DOWN and chin staying up parallel to the floor. Feel the shoulders open but see if that feels different to leaning the body back (accompanied by a real or relative forward position of the hips).
2) When you are getting ready for your stretch to either side, make sure you inhale length and maintain that length in the torso and lower back before moving over to the sides.
3) Be really strong on alignment without pushing yourself too much for the moment. Just micro-adjust every moment you can. You can work very hard in this pose without overdoing it. I want you to see if working your alignment is just as challenging as trying to get over as far as possible.
4) Try being as vertical as you can (very related to point number 1). Lift up and move over. Yes you can experiment with swinging the weight back further but for the moment, all you really have to do is make sure that you never lean forward with the weight in the toes. Middle to back of foot is where you are aiming. The back of the foot is ideal. For the moment though you are going to experiment with any or all combinations of these 4 points

Namaste
Gabrielle 🙂

Hi Angela

Robert asked you some great questions. I am wondering if you might give me some more clues! I also don’t think it is the yoga itself. Let’s see what else we can come up with

Namaste
Gabrielle 🙂

Hello again Kofilino

I would love to know what plan you had in mind. Here are my ideas however:

You know, this is a very interesting exercise because when it gets too hard, you know that you have the ball in the wrong place. At any time where it is a struggle (and not just challenging!) you move the ball lower.

Repetitions at a lower easier setting means less challenge but still positive work. At lower settings you will do more repetitions before you take a break.

Generally, the higher the ball, the greater the challenge, the lower the repetiions. Which brings me to …

How many repetitions? Well, because of the nature of this activity and its non-invasive action that builds strength and helps tone, I would say do it as often as you like. Do 30-50 at a lower setting. Take a small break and move the ball up a vertebra. If you can’t lift the legs at all then move the ball back down. If it’s OK, then start with 20 repetitions. If it is easy then continue to complete 30-50. Take a short break and move it up. When you get to a point where there is challenge and it is no longer easy, work on attempting 10-20.

You can do this 2-3 times a day.

And you can really do as many reps as you like. Perhaps it will be a meditation for you, or you’ll listen to music. Do let me know what you were thinking of doing.

Enjoy your 30 day challenge.

Namaste
Gabrielle 🙂