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Hi Dana
Thanks Andrea for the sage advice!
When you are feeling guilty because you can’t feed your ‘addiction’, sometimes it’s good to force yourself not to go and then BE OK WITH THAT! It’s great to feel a strong desire to go but don’t get so attached to that desire that it takes hold of you to a point of obsession.
Besides being MANY things, it’s exercise, it’s healthy, it’s supposed to be a way to reduce your stress. If it’s causing you some then it’s time to stand back…
Namaste
Gabrielle 🙂in reply to: the reason behind no drinking with meals #9421It is being monitored Kenn, I promise
It’s mostly just lil ole me and my dance card is quite full! 😉
Actually we’ve only had this section since the launch of my product Easy Weight Loss with Hot Yoga for those who want specific help. People still tend to use the Weight Loss and Hot Yoga section instead. The thread “I am quite overweight and doing hot yoga” still remains as the most replied thread in this forum…
Namaste
Gabrielle 🙂in reply to: legs and feet separated #9417Hi Richard
Actually I believe that for you, you will get more out of it by having your legs apart especially if this means no sciatic pain. Legs together has the effect of bracing the legs and creates a little more ease because of the reliance one leg has on the other in lifting together (for Locust). The aim after all is not to get the legs as high as you can for any other purpose than getting the legs to work well and the core to engage and the back strength to create a wonderful backbend and lift in the legs.
If you want to create the bracing feeling then get yourself something like a soft yoga block or a towel and place that between the legs (thighs or lower legs) and squeeze together. Same effect for the legs but no sciatica.
Let me know how you go
Namaste
Gabrielle 🙂in reply to: the reason behind no drinking with meals #9416Hi Kenn
It’s pretty simple really (IMHO)! 😉
Water is a diluent. If your body is processing food matter and digesting it with a certain amount of enzymes added and then you add an amount of water then the digestive enzymes are diluted.
This makes digestion less effective. Leaving water consumption away from a meal seems to make the system work better and weight or shape to change more easily.
Namaste
Gabrielle 🙂in reply to: Constant Lower back pain #9415Hi Vijay
How are you going with your 60 day challenge?
I have (more) questions for you! 😉
(1) How many days off per week are you taking?
(2) I am concerned that you are feeling pain while you are walking. I wonder what it is you are doing in your practice that could be exacerbating a problem (or maybe was the cause of it).
Did you ever have this problem before you started your yoga?
(3) Have you got any indications about the state of your core stability?
(4) As a result of your back pain have you seen some kind of physical therapist? What have they said?(5) In Pranayama: Can you explain what you are doing/tightening/locking out and WHEN you are doing that with respect to your lower body from the waist down? Please be as specific as you can.
(6) In Backbend: Please tell me how you set up and execute this pose.
(7) In Separate Leg Stretching pose are your legs bent or straight? What about your back? Rounded or straight (or even arched)?
(8) What makes the Janushirasana poses so difficult for you?
I apologise for the delay. Please get back to me and I will respond as soon as I am able
Namaste
Gabrielle 🙂in reply to: Scoliosis- getting worse #9414Hi Sarafina
I will get to this in the next day or so!
Namaste
Gabrielle 🙂in reply to: The Value Packs #9413Hi Kofilino
It would be great to know a little more about your situation before I can really point you in what I think may be the best direction for you.
May I ask you:
>> How long have you been practising in total (hot yoga, 90 minute classes – or if different please explain)
>> How long have you been practising at home?
>> How many classes per week have you been attending?
>> If you don’t mind telling me how much shape/weight you are wanting to modify? 😉Is there anything else you want to let me in on regarding your ‘weight’ loss wants?
The ‘Full Package’ that I think you’re referring to is the Manual, 2 practice DVDs and the poster but doesn’t not include the Easy Weight Loss with Hot Yoga program.
The WL program does include audio classes to suit different needs (from 20 minutes to the full 90 minutes) and a pdf manual on the unique program incorporating the different and integrated ‘sides’ of creating sustainable change, plus a recipe book. It’s by no means just about what you eat but an integrated holistic approach. (I included that for folks who may not know what we’re referring to).
Looking forward to your response
Namaste
Gabrielle 🙂in reply to: YogaBody supplement really works #9412Hi Helen
Yin, gravity stretches or whatever you call ’em have their place. It’s all good!
As I have mentioned elsewhere, it feels great after a hot yoga class. It’s also good before – just feels different because of the warmth of the body prior to or post-activity.
Have fun with your discoveries!
Namaste
Gabrielle 🙂in reply to: YogaBody supplement really works #9410Hi Helen
You gotta credit him with good marketing.
What Yoga does that gravity stretches WILL NEVER DO is employ certain EXTRA physiological stretch reflexes that go above and beyond the ones that are activated with so-called gravity stretching.
If you really want to stretch then do yoga. Do a combination of yin style stretches (hmmm… another style of gravity stretching 😉 ) and active poses such as hot yoga where the magic really happens.
The mechanisms are amazing and fascinating.
IMHO yoga creates it better.
Namaste
Gabrielle 🙂in reply to: the business of yoga #9406Thank you Kristina
I would be happy to hear more about what you’re doing.
Namaste
Gabrielle 🙂in reply to: Hip Labrum Tear #9405Hi Valerie
Apologies for the delay. Sometimes I just get SO busy!
So, it’s very hard to answer your question (but I will 😉 ) when I really have no indication yet how well aligned your poses are.
I could ask you firstly whether you attend a studio where the so-called ‘dialog’ is recited every class.
I would like to know just for the simple reason that if it is, then I do have an immediate sense of what’s available for you and how you could be responding in your practice.
And why I am saying that is because if you are aware of the pain when you take things too far, and you approach your practice with intuition then you can do the poses by making absolutely sure that first and foremost that your alignment is your priority (after breathing, OK?).
A couple of things to try. After Half Moon backbend as you come up, and before you descend to Hands to Feet, separate your legs to hip width or even wider if you need to. See if that helps.
Triangle. Don’t step out as far. Keep the right shin vertical but keep an angle in the right thigh. This will attract attention (maybe) from your teachers) but don’t worry. It will feel better. Do it the same way. You can still apply the resistance to the knee with the arm and back again.
Tree. The twist is too much it sounds. Can you place the sole of the foot on the inner thigh? Need to know before I suggest other ideas.
Wind Removing. Can I confirm that the left leg comes in easily but the right doesn’t? What’s the sensation in the right hip? Does holding behind the knee make it gentler for you? What if you bend up the left leg to put the foot on the floor?
Janushirasana. Don’t bend the right leg in. Either foot flat on the floor or extended. Or just bend it a little.
Your hips needs to stabilisation. I need more information so just 1 or 2 more things before I sign off. Do you ever use a wall to help yourself balance. What do you do to prepare yourself physically for the pose. Tell me exactly what you do.
I won’t prime you with what I am looking for and if I don’t read it I will ask in another way.
Namaste
Gabrielle 🙂in reply to: Stretch in the spine? #9404Hi Christina
The absolute aim of the pose is to get the back straight! That’s the priority. Legs straight is a bonus. AND head to the floor is not only a temporary landmark it is something you should not try to let happen as your goal.
Getting your head to the floor is an indication that it is time to bring your feet in closer together so that you can amplify the stretch and keep opening up your body… BUT, and here’s the proviso … ONLY if your back and your legs are straight. Otherwise there is actually no reason to aim your head to the floor. The extension of the neck there and therefore the perception that your forehead is approaching the floor is simply the shape you need to get your back straight.
I hope that makes some sense. Perhaps the change in focus will start to see you make even greater gains.
Let me know if that resonates or if it needs more explanation. 😉
Namaste
Gabrielle 🙂in reply to: Hot Yoga during menstruation #9403Hi Helen
It seems as though you need the recuperative break where 90 minutes of hard physical work is not right for you.
The good news is that you’ve tried the “pick me up” with success. There are other classes you could try too.
One that I particularly like when I don’t just want to do one set of everything is the double set 60 minute class. It’s just enough of a challenge and not likely to engage your struggle mechanisms (you know, the ones that are telling you to slow down and stop causing the pain!). Try that and get back to me.
Focus on core engagement. The shoulder / upper back issue could be happening because of your more fragile core area: The tension in that area is holding your body away from your abdomen trying to protect you. So it really does make sense.
Some gentler paced yoga, like yin yoga can also do it for you. I like to lie on a size 3 basketball to relax my spinal muscles if I ever feel the need for some extra relaxation or resolution of something. It’s an incredible massage either by moving your body against the ball or by laying stationary on it and move it after a minute or 2 (+) to the adjacent vertebrae
Let me know how it goes
Namaste
Gabrielle 🙂in reply to: Medial knee pain #9402Hi Fatima
It seems to be a medial meniscus issue I am not a specialist of course, but it seems that way. Partly because when you’re in fixed firm you don’t feel pain. There’s space created in that area and you are possibly feeling that relief of discomfort there.
I think some work to strengthen the whole knee structure is going to help you here. Let’s Skype and I can explain it to you very quickly.
What you have may not have clinical manifestations as far as your medical practitioners are concerned but obviously there is an issue.
Oh! One more detail (in 2 parts) I want to fill in the puzzle. When you try to do toe stand on the supporting left leg can I confirm that this pose is not possible? But can I also find out what the sensations are in the whole leg when that happens.
(Part 2) And despite the fact that bending the leg across the body is not quite as easy in toe stand on the supporting right leg, can you tell me whether this pose is still a possibility on the second side?
Namaste
Gabrielle 🙂in reply to: Small steps! #9396Woo Hoo! That’s great news Helen :coolsmile:
I am glad what you’re doing is helping (and that the forum is doing its job! :cheese:)
Namaste
Gabrielle 🙂in reply to: Just some guidance please #9395Hi Claudia
What you’ve been doing at the studio has not been working – it’s been causing you pain that required taking a week off.
I don’t know enough yet to really do anything other than guess what it is you need to change.
I hope you’ve had a chance to check out the blog post. If there are any other poses you feel are part of the problem of pain manifestation then go look at the forum … ask questions etc.
Namaste
Gabrielle 🙂in reply to: Just some guidance please #9393Hi Claudia
Don’t worry! The issue is NOT AT ALL ‘body type’. Every BODY can do the poses. The differences between bodies are about flexibility, agility and size and strength.
I don’t want to disagree with your physio because maybe the comment could be taken out of context.
If you come across problems or difficulties you’ll have the tools to sort through them:
The tools you will have at your disposal are:
>> the Hot Yoga MasterClass manual … this has photos of people doing everything correctly as well as people’s mistakes. You can recognise your own body in those and find out how to fix almost every conceivable error
>> the pose chapters with onscreen instructions on the HYMC DVD (Vol 1)
>> asking questions directly on the forumThe common misunderstanding with yoga is that there is some kind of ‘place’ that you must be in to be able to ‘get the postures right’. That is very misleading because there are really only varying abilities for one to express their bodies with respect to their individuality
Namaste
Gabrielle 🙂in reply to: Weight gain?! #9387Hi Allison
I honestly believe you need to do something. Salty things may not be sufficient if you don’t know what kind of salt that is being used. For example most processed foods used plain old table salt. They label that as ‘salt’.
Table salt is sea salt with ALL THE GOODNESS REMOVED. If an ingredient is listed as ‘salt’ then you can be sure it’s nothing more than sodium and chloride. While that can be ok to keep your sodium levels up, it does nothing to promote vibrant health. You could be lacking potassium, magnesium and many trace elements.
Think of your body as a battery. It needs electrolytes to keep charged.
I am not one to take an expensive electrolyte supplement and I prefer sea salt. I love Himalayan salt and celtic salt and there are MANY other top quality pure salts with a whole spectrum of wonderful minerals in them.
If you have increased the number of classes then not only must you increase the amount of water you MUST increase the amount of salt (SEA SALT BEST) to replace all that is lost.
Your body could be right now depleted.
Up the water but also up the sea salt.
I LOVE to add a little pinch of salt and some lemon juice to my yoga water. This is a heavenly elixir and I can feel it working. I don’t know if you drink during class but make sure you do replenish your salt and water.
Let me know how you go
Namaste
Gabrielle 🙂in reply to: Weight gain?! #9383Hi Allison
I am hearing alarm bells ringing here! You could be salt depleted. What are you supplementing with? How often? How many classes do you normally do? Because if you’re practising a lot more now than you normally do and you haven’t changed your habits to suit then this could be the issue.
Get back to me!
Namaste
Gabrielle 🙂in reply to: Just some guidance please #9382Hi Claudia
Thanks for your ‘cry for help’. I am positive I can help you.
There are MANY people who use the Hot Yoga MasterClass who have similar issues to you: Where they are loving the practice, can’t get the answers they need at their studio, they are experiencing pain and or struggle and know that there MUST be a better way.
One way to use the Hot Yoga MasterClass in this case is to:
>> Read the introduction in the manual which gives a lot of tips about your general approach to practice. Then after that I would suggest that each time you practice or perhaps once a week (for example) you choose a pose read and review it. This will give you great focus in that pose. And because of the nature of the information you will take that learning to other poses.
>> Watch the relevant pose chapter on DVD Volume 1 AND read the entire chapter about that pose in the manual.
>> GO TO YOUR PUBLIC CLASS and apply your techniques.You’ll find a safe and effective and satisfying way to practise and you won’t be in pain! The nature of recital instruction is that often teachers don’t see what’s going on for specific people so small deviations from what’s going on in the room (ie the stuff that’s causing you problems) could go unnoticed.
The DVDs have onscreen instruction when it’s important to emphasise something. There are always photos of people doing the poses well. AND when it’s relevant there is somebody showing you the common mistake and how to fix it. It’s all very clear with big red crosses when it’s not correct and big green tick or check marks when it is right. This means that when you’re looking at the screen you can instantly tell the difference.
The reason why I have included photos of mistakes is that 99% of people can look at a photo of a mistake and recognise whether they themselves make that error. That’s the key to knowing what you have to correct: Your own personal action plan!
The techniques in the materials are compatible with sound anatomical principles and the reflexes in the body that keep you safe and continue to create that opening that you’re after.
I hope that helps.
You do really need to do something about your pain NOW. Check out the blog: Opening Up Your Hamstrings With Hot Yoga. Then start looking around the forum about sciatica. Plus there are SO MANY threads and posts on the problem that you have in your shoulders (both these things are of course covered in my manual. And you’ll also find a ton of stuff when you look around here).
A satisfying practice without pain is within your reach. You’ll be surprised at the tweaks.
Namaste
Gabrielle 🙂in reply to: So how much of this posture is in the neck? #9380Yoo hoo, Emily and Barry! Please let me know the answer to the question when you get a chance
Namaste
Gabrielle 🙂in reply to: Head to Knee #9379Hi Helen
:cheese: thanks!
Firstly, Kristin, a comment about the paper between the legs. What will they think of next? Yet another seemingly rational one-size-fits-all comment that doesn’t relate to all bodies. (That doesn’t work with me for example and my alignment is very good. If that were the case, wouldn’t the legs have to be pretty close together? Wouldn’t you have to have a certain hip arrangement physiologically speaking?) Just work on hip alignment.
And now for you Helen, this is related. How aware are you of your hip alignment? Hands in prayer in front of the foot must only happen once your alignment is spot on. Otherwise it’s just an upside down position with no leverage or active stretch!
Placement of your hands is about getting best leverage, so go where your hands can push up the best without involving any hunching of the shoulders. That should sort it out!
Namaste
Gabrielle 🙂in reply to: Could hot yoga aggravate neck injury? #9378Hi Gijsbert
So now it’s time for me to chime in! I was pleased to see the evolution of understanding. You had the right inkling right from the beginning. Thanks to Blue and Lisa for leaving their thoughts.
Gijsbert, you said
I feel that with the straight arms against my ears, I am locking up and restraining my neck. Anyone recognizes this? Any suggestions? Thanks in advance!
You said straight away that you recognised that straight arms against your ears was a culprit. This is a MAJOR source of discussion all over this forum. Let me know if you would like to be directed to some posts about that (in case you cannot find them yourself).
In my experience this is one of THE major places where one’s practice can cause the MOST problems – especially if one follows scripted dialog. Telling everyone indiscriminately to straighten arms, squeeze arms to the head and other one-size-fits-all instructions can actually create pain and suffering.
But that pain is masked by the fact that soon after being in the pose that causes it, you get to rest … and boy, that feels good. So you just think it’s YOU and few people realise it has anything to do with the poor wording of the instruction.
Thankfully the fix is easier than one imagines! 😉
Blue mentioned:
The breathing exercise in the beginning of class could very well be the initial culprit.
Blue has the right idea about being vigilant to your issues. I am not sure however if Pranayama would be the culprit. I believe Pranayama can fix your neck IF you know how to use it as therapy. Most instruction (or rather the ability to understand the true mechanism, plus the ability to see where technique may need tweaking on the finer levels) does not allow that to happen. Again it’s a one-size-fits-all thing. Modifications are possible where the neck can be used and supported and with minimal movement.
I think movement is essential to free up and resolve whatever problem exists. When it comes to Pranayama, naturally if you have tightness then you won’t have the full range of motion. Some conditions preclude ever getting that full motion too. So more has to be known about your issue if Pranayama is involved in what you need to fix.
It does seem that your issue is much more about head, neck, shoulders and the arms over the head position. As Blue suggests, shoulders down in Pranayama is always essential. But mostly, diligent exploitation of the mechanisms of this pose will sort your neck out, contrary to popular opinion where avoidance is often the answer.
Blue you expressed yourself beautifully about working with the body! Thanks. Add to that, that one has to marry that diligence with good technique: Lifting up and back rather than just back from the lower spine; release of shoulders.
Gijsbert you said:
‘backbends are the healer of the spine’ is not applicable here? I always thought this was a Truth…
To a great extent I agree with that particularly because it counteracts the forward bending focus of our movements. It has to be accompanied by courage and intuition. Again, using Blue’s advice to work with the body is essential. You are clearly doing that now.
Thanks Lisa for recommending my video. It is essential viewing (so others tell me :coolsmile:) and is useful for understanding how the shoulders work in any yoga practice. Lisa is correct: Resolving shoulder tension is usually the answer. If you haven’t seen the video about putting your “elbows in the back pocket” then please do. It’s called A Transformational Technique For Your Practice, For Your Life. Scroll to the bottom of the page!
Thanks for sharing your body wisdom with me and the rest of the world :cheese:. Let me know if there are any other questions or developments!
Namaste
Gabrielle 🙂in reply to: Could hot yoga aggravate neck injury? #9376Hi Gijsbert
I was going to get to your questions tomorrow or the next day! I will go through all the details I promise. You’re first on my list.
I am extremely pleased that you have realised something crucial to your practice about the involvement of neck and shoulders.
Thanks so much for posting. I am very happy my manual has helped you! Until soon 😉
Namaste
Gabrielle 🙂in reply to: forward bends #9374Hi Kristina
I actually prefer stretching out the area. Supta vajrasana (or fixed firm) is great at that time. Or perhaps a child’s pose (knees apart). If you’re cramping then some people avoid forward bends because of the compressing or contracting nature of forward bending coupled with the contracting nature of cramps and so on!
Use your intuition. If you’re feeling fragile in the nether regions including your lumbar spine then perhaps either avoid practising for that day OR make doubly sure that you are engaging the core for protection. You may just find that you feel better as a result of moving your body.
Namaste
Gabrielle 🙂 -
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