Gabrielle (The Hot Yoga Doctor)

Hi Ashley

I am so happy Kenn responded with his story (thanks Ken). It is one of many very typical stories. I hope that inspires you to get in there and just start. If you have looked around this forum you will have read that to go often to kickstart your weight loss is the best thing to do. So go, don’t ‘knock yourself out’ thinking you have to do everything every single class. Just go. Do what you can every class. Allow yourself to learn something new every class whether it is about how you handle the poses or the heat or whether it’s doing the poses themselves. The whole experience is a challenge on many levels for new students, regular and advanced students. We all experience that challenge and come back because ofit.. You’ll find a satisfaction in working hard PLUS the space in your head and heart to start the process to banish stress…. So just start. Aim for a minimum of 4 classes per week for a couple of months, Even up to 6 classes per week. That’s what I tell folk who want to make significant changes quickly so that those changes STICK. Going once or 2 times per week might be nice but won’t really show results early. Make the sacrifices in your timetable for a couple of months then settle in to a regular weekly timetable… AND come back here for support and questions and to tell us your progress

Namaste
Gabrielle 🙂

Yep indeed Allison! When you timetable opens up, or when you open it up (hehehe) the yoga room will still be there for you!

Namaste
Gabrielle 🙂

Hi Mary Beth

Hoping all is well. You must be looking forward to the 27th when you can start going every day again. Your stress levels by the way could be on of the reasons you’re experiencing the issues. Would that seem it could be a contributing factor?

Namaste
Gabrielle 🙂

Hi Jane

That is a conundrum isn’t it? You are very active. 5-6 classes of 75 mins is a lot. You have the nutrition handled. Are you drinking separate to or with meals? That can make a difference. My guess is you ‘behave’ well! 😉

Any stresses in your life that haven’t been figured into the equation?

I realise that one suggestion I have for you could be jumping at a solution without knowing the cause (yet) but I know from great feedback from many women that the exercise with the ball that I demonstrate here is very much worth incorporating into your (almost) daily life. This is definitely worth trying. Of course it is not going to directly affect your upper arms. 😉

You are doing hot and flow. That, I presume includes push ups and planks etc. Are you doing those with knees on floor or with body straight? How is your core strength? Just getting a sense of your abilities for any other clues.

What is your experience with, and past and present frequency of a Bikram yoga practice?

That should do us for now!

Namaste
Gabrielle 🙂

Hi Allison

Hanging in there? I know it’s been a week but are you back on the yoga-wagon?

Namaste
Gabrielle 🙂

Hi Mary Beth

You’re not having fun at the moment! 🙁 Honestly, it would be wise to see a doctor and also see below for a couple of ideas that also may resonate. If you go to a doc, you would be able to find out if there’s anything you can rule out or just to establish a health baseline.

You mention your hydration is good. How are your stress levels? How about your electrolyte intake? Is there anything different that you can perhaps think of?

I imagine you may have looked up symptoms of heat exhaustion. If you haven’t that could be good to check in with.

The only other thing I can think of with the limited information so far is that maybe, just maybe you could do with a week off or a yoga-free holiday!

Taking a week or 2 off you need to realise that your mind could sabotage you going back to yoga. So be aware of that from the outset and plan your return. You therefore would be able to find out if a rest and renewal has you feeling better in the room.

Let me know how you go and what you decide

Namaste
Gabrielle 🙂

Hi Willie

I think the best thing to do is to relax that foot. Creating tension in that foot radiates through the leg and it’s hard to let go and find balance.

Some bodies just cannot get what some consider to be ideal position. That doesn’t matter as much as ideal energy consumption and knowing which muscles to use and which to let go of.

Namaste
Gabrielle 🙂

Hi Susan

Welcome back to your practice (and to this site, thank you!) 😉

Even though this may not directly relate to your hiatus hernia, I do want to make an observation from experience. If you’re out of the habit of going to Bikram yoga and you haven’t been for 5 years then do please take it a lot easier than you think you need to.

The mind is an amazing ‘thing’. Going back into the room after a long time can be quite a challenge because your mind gets hooked right back into what it knows and what it THINKS your body can achieve. Presumably you knew the how-tos of practice pretty well. But your body may not be as willing as your mind to come along for the ride.

May I suggest imagining you are new, a first-timer to your practice. Unless you’ve been very active and perhaps even practising a different type of yoga then it is likely your breathing is not as it was 5 years ago. You may actually have to learn how to breathe again!

Breathe the best you can. Work on alignment. Don’t worry about depth. It will come back to you quite quickly. And see if your gently gently approach has an effect on your reflux.

If the inverted poses are bothering you then try too, not to straighten the legs in Standing Sep Leg Intense Stretch. Go see the blog post Opening Up Your Hamstrings With Hot Yoga as this will have you in a less upside down and more manageable position.

Let me know if that works and we’ll see where to go from there

Namaste
Gabrielle 🙂

Hello Kelly

Do you sit a lot for work? Do you move around? What’s taking up your time when you’re not yoga-ing?

How is your core strength?

How do you incorporate back bends and movement into your spine in your daily life?

Have you seen any of my technique videos? I have a feeling you ought to see the one about Flatten Your Tummy and Strengthen Your Back as that may provide some much needed support. There are other videos there.

I want to ask you if you point your feet inward in Standing Sep Leg Intense Stretch?

I also need to know if you think full pigeon may warrant being missed for a little while?

See you back here!

Namaste
Gabrielle 🙂

Hi Holiday

Thanks so much! I hope you received your book by now.

A few things to do:

Go to the free technique videos and watch: Opening Up Your Hamstrings With Hot Yoga. Yes it’s about the back of your legs but then your hips are at the top of the legs! 😉 The mechanism in the Standing Sep Leg Intense Stretch pose is one that informs the rest of your practice.

For Standing Sep Leg Head to Knee, Please for the moment do NOT try to line up your heels in ‘one line’ right behind each other. Step out to the side, then after you turn to the side, first side, move your right foot to the right for a distance of about 4-6 inches between the heels (laterally). Move the left to the left when you do the other side. This should ease up the feeling in your hips and be less risky for you. Little by little over time (as no pain is evident and flexibility and agility return and reestablish) you can move your feet back into alignment little by little. At the moment your feet may be in ‘good position’. But what good would that be if your hips cannot be? I can guarantee that they are not and they are making things worse for you.

For triangle. Go to page 151 and see photo right in the bottom right corner and associated text. And also see the next page (152) and use the technique in the second column with the photo of the foot against the wall along with the ‘Common Mistake’ “Fear and/or pain holding you back”.

Don’t go for depth when alignment is lacking. That is a very broad brush approach and non specific. Mostly I don’t have enough information to drill down into each pose. Say for example, in Standing Bow, stay as upright as possible and keep the lifted hip down. If you are feeling unstable in a pose, just come here and I can offer a suggestion rather than going through each pose.

That will be good for starters

Namaste
Gabrielle 🙂

Hello Rick

Welcome to the forum! Thank you for your contribution. I do know what you’re saying. Many people ascribe reactions in their bodies and minds as “stuff” coming up without acknowledging the physiological processes that actually go on.

I don’t think Robert is saying it is some metaphysical woo woo factor. His post was a number of points relating his experience.

When it comes to those fight and flight reactions no matter how they are generated they are a biochemical response. That sympathetic response definitely gets the heart going and yes it could create that anger. I think that the cause is less important than how it is handled.

The complementary system, the parasympathetic system is going to need to be triggered to calm the nerves and soothe the ‘spikes’. One way to take control of this is through the breath.

When Robert returns to yoga, when most of us return to yoga after an absence it is likely that the breathing is less connected. The body can be more reactive.

That sets off a number of biochemical reactions. Maybe during his return he is learning how to breathe again.

What do you think?

Namaste
Gabrielle 🙂

Hi Kelly

While I ponder some more (and I am about to go out too!) can you tell me if you’re seeing a healer, medico, chiropractor at the moment? What have they suggested? How comfortable or what level of ease have you in doing something like cobra pose with or without arms assisting? What about backbends while standing?

Namaste
Gabrielle 🙂