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Hi Sammy
May I ask what types of classes you attend? Can you tell me if you’re attending script based classes (one where the teachers all give exactly or almost identical instructions)? That will give me hints as to which poses you could be doing that are causing damage or at least exacerbating the damage in your back
Namaste
Gabrielle 🙂in reply to: Hot Yoga during menstruation #9301Hi Helen
Quick question for you. Do you feel that issue for the whole of your period or just for a certain smaller amount of time? I feel less strong/more fragile in the lower back for maximum one day where I may choose not to go to a 90 minute class. Depending on the pain/discomfort there are different things you can do. Fill us in on what you have had to do to cope and how long you feel your activities are compromised for.
Namaste
Gabrielle 🙂in reply to: lower back pain #9292Hi Christina
Thanks Andrea. If you would like even more details on how to learn how to engage your core then you may have already received one of my email newsletters from me about this.
If you haven’t received it yet, then look out for it. It has the subject line: Ahem!’ Why a Polite Cough Will Transform Your Practice’
Namaste
Gabrielle 🙂in reply to: Odd feelings while doing Camel Pose/Ustrasana #9289Thank you Jodi. What a beautiful process you have been able to witness.
Namaste
Gabrielle 🙂in reply to: Headache. Please Help. #9285Hello robatronic
The first thing is that you need to see if adding Himalayan or good quality sea salt to your diet is going to help you. I don’t know if you are like MANY millions of folk around the world who are trying to cut salt out of their diets… but if you are, stop that immediately. Go and get some good quality stuff and start adding it to your food.
I LOVE adding a pinch to my yoga water and a dash of lemon juice. It’s the MOST HYDRATING and SATISFYING drink I have ever had. If it is the salt then I can let you know how much to have each day for starters (at least ½ teaspoon is normal).
Tell me if there is ANYTHING else besides a headache as the sign of something wrong.
Other questions:
• Are you drinking during class or avoiding water?
• Are you aware of palpitations in your heart?
• Are you feeling weak?
• Are you feeling any tingling anywhere?
• What is the temperature in the studio? Do you actually know?
• Does it feel overwhelmingly hot?
• Are you or were you and EVERYBODY else able to get through a class without collapsing on the floor?I think your problem is a serious one and you are obviously very upset.
Namaste
Gabrielle 🙂in reply to: 'Dead' toes #9282Hi Anna Denise
Any updates on the ‘dead toes’? How did your experiment go?
Namaste
Gabrielle 🙂in reply to: Balance and Thinking working against each other #9281Hi gals
Still having trouble in Eagle…I wrap my leg as far as possible but when I try to push it to get my toes behind I usually fall out.
May I ask you if you sit down as low as you can before you lift your leg over? Can you please put some words to your actions from the moment after you wrap your arms to when you try to peek your toes around your leg and try to correct hips and body position? See if you can describe the shape your body is in and how the legs and body relate to each other.
Namaste
Gabrielle 🙂in reply to: bowed legs and balance #9280Hi JD
Without seeing you or knowing more about how you approach the poses it would be difficult to say what exactly is going on. So allow me to pose some questions.
For example I would need to know whether you kick out in Standing Head to Knee. Are you doing this in the first or the second set? Do you go to the 2nd, 3rd or 4th part? Have you got any difficulties with locking out the leg, either leg?
Do you go to a Bikram studio where you are following ‘the dialog’? If you are then I would have an idea of what’s happening in both of these poses.
Let me know!
Namaste
Gabrielle 🙂in reply to: flu symptoms next day after class #9279Hi Jennifer
I see nobody else has answered this post! Are you still getting the flu like symptoms? How much water? What other electrolytes besides coconut water? I know coconut water is touted as the miracle electrolyte replacement but I would be using a different thing (like sea salt or Himalayan salt) to supplement rather than (expensive) coconut water.
If you could also tell me anything else about the conditions in the studio, that might be relevant.
Namaste
Gabrielle 🙂Hi Samantha and Barb
You know, when I read Barb’s post today I immediately thought of oils too. I have had recent experience of using a delicate blend of oils which are totally organic and is in range of completely natural cosmetics. Not bragging here but I bought them in Paris mid 2011. :cheese: My skin has never been better than when I switched to completely natural products. I used to use different products for ‘mature skin’ and my skin has gone from being very dehydrated to normal. I know finding what works for one’s skin can take a while. I also know that I stumbled upon something wonderful.
So that you know, I found a completely organic chain of cosmetic stores in Paris and I asked for a cleanser that when you wash it off your skin feels moist, hydrated and soft. She gave me a ‘cleansing oil’ that you put a few drops on your skin and then massage lightly in, and then when you rinse it off it emulsifies into a milk that washes off. I follow that with a creme that is light and of course has magic ingredients in it! 😉
It’s worth hunting around for some products like that. Perhaps you’ll get some samples so you can try them out.
Thanks Samantha for beating me to the task! It’s great to know that it worked for you too.
Namaste
Gabrielle 🙂in reply to: Trouble engaging my biceps #9266Hi Michelle
Thanks! Can you tell me what position your fingers are in the Intense Stretch pose? (Ie The angle with the foot, from the back directly, from the side pointing where? Whatever you can tell me to describe what you’re doing could indeed help.)
Helen, thanks for posting. 😉 There’s a lot to ‘unpack’ from your post and I will have to get back to it within the next few days!
Namaste
Gabrielle 🙂Hi Carol
Is anything hurting? What else can you tell me about what happens when you try? What exactly are you doing? Be as specific as you can be, pretty please!
Namaste
Gabrielle 🙂in reply to: Burning sensation in quadriceps #9248Hi Daniel
It appears to me that you make a particular point of saying in different posts that you bring the knees together.
This is another failing of the script or dialog classes. The fact is that one doesn’t actually bring the knees together. One brings the legs into line; the hips are square and the knee is directly under the hip.
I have certainly put myself in your shoes and tried with the legs coming together and then, while trying to maintain that (awkward) position, I track that leg backward into the pose. It hurts like crazy on the middle outer side of the thigh. (Which is exactly what you are here about!)
What I would like you to do is to simply start with your leg where it comfortably settles (in that body-active pre-pose position) with knee in line with hip but with no force to bring the legs or knees laterally together. Have a mind for alignment.
My guess is that with less ‘trying’ and more focus on alignment you may find these poses are more body-friendly.
You mention that you try to kick straight back. This is probably one of the issues because of the slightly odd position you are starting in. You mention that your leg ends up in a twisted fashion. The adjustment above should fix that. I may need to give you some fine distinctions about the leg but let’s see where you get first. It may be all you need.
Moving on… Then you mention you bring your body down after that. This could be the other part of the issue but I cannot be sure yet because I am not sure how deeply you go into the pose and what you mean exactly when you say that you ‘bring the body down’.
In order that I make no assumptions, can you please tell me what your final pose looks like by recounting the position of your body, your ‘kicking’ leg and your front arm. Are you trying to bring your torso down parallel to the floor? Is it when you do this that you are more likely to fall out?
That’s probably more than enough to go on for now :cheese:
Namaste
Gabrielle 🙂in reply to: Trouble engaging my biceps #9247Hi gals
The position of fingers under the heels is a variance among many practitioners. In fact, placing your fingers as far under as possible can be the reason why people involve their shoulders. So what works for you is certainly not going to work for everyone. For example someone may be able to get their fingers all the way under but because of that effort they have their hands approaching from the sides. If they withdraw their hands a little often they can approach their hands from behind and still get the leverage of the pose.
I can see how squashing the fingertips is very uncomfortable. Up to the second joint is a good position to aim for and if your body geometry allows, then go for the whole length of the fingers.
I hope that makes sense
Namaste
Gabrielle 🙂Hi Carol
You’re frustrated I can tell! 😉
I am getting through the latest rush of posts and I promise I will get to you soon
Namaste
Gabrielle 🙂in reply to: 'Dead' toes #9242Hi Anna Denise
I think you may have an issue with following scripted instructions and missing something vital. It’s such a common issue. I see this happen the world over.
Can you please next time (or even now) try something different?
>> Wrap your arms
>> Sit into your eagle pose with your body as upright as you can possibly manage it. Your knees will be bent and you won’t be sitting with your hips as low as you probably have had them. Sitting low as you can, as the dialog says, will mean you bend forward to achieve the instruction. Feet are well weighted in this position, butt sticks out a tad and spine arches with chest up over the hips.
>> Now wrap the legs
>> Now slide down into the pose WITHOUT bringing your body forward one little bit.
Hip alignment is easier to maintain. Wrap is easier.Can you tell me how that foot feels now (after a couple of goes, as I say, even now or in class)?
Namaste
Gabrielle 🙂in reply to: Trouble engaging my biceps #9237You’re very welcome Christina
Always a pleasure to help!
Namaste
Gabrielle 🙂in reply to: 'Dead' toes #9233Hi Anna Denise
Can you tell me please if this is the order of events for you?
Wrap arms
Sit as low as you can
Wrap legs
Try to lift your body off your legsOr does it happen in another way?
Namaste
Gabrielle 🙂Hi Sudha
Thanks for posting! I appreciate your kind comments.
I personally have a great dislike for exercising in a cold room. It seems to me to be counteractive to the idea of warming up the body.
It has never made sense to me in gyms or yoga studios. Although I do like to have FRESH AIR with good flow through an exercise space. However I am aware that people have different preferences. I almost NEVER like to have a fan directed right at me regardless of the temperature.
I do not think it is in your mind. Your body is responding to the ambient temperature.
With power yoga there is a lot of heat building in the body. Can you tell me if you are feeling your body warming up with your practice? It seems clear that your body feels cold(er) with the air conditioning on. Is the teacher not amenable to trying the system at 25 degrees or 27 degrees? Or perhaps you could measure the temperature in the room when there is no airco on. And of course you would survey the students for their opinions. If nothing else it would be a good experiment.
Namaste
Gabrielle 🙂Hi Desiree
How’s your challenge going? Please tell us what’s going on because it’s potentially a risky situation you’re in and we would like to help you. We would like to know a few things first in order to make sure you get the right information…
Hope to hear from you soon. Enjoy your ‘challenge’
Namaste
Gabrielle 🙂in reply to: Burning sensation in quadriceps #9226Hi Daniel
Just wondering if you saw my question to you about the knees!
Namaste
Gabrielle 🙂Hi Samantha
Welcome to the forum! Thanks for posting. You must love going to yoga but NOT what it’s doing to your face. That can be very upsetting.
So, there are people who do this yoga for whom their skins clears up after a short while. People will talk about detoxing (which is a total misunderstanding because it doesn’t happen). But what does seem to happen is a lot of sweating! It’s cleansing and feels great to sweat, for sure.
The skin is an amazingly complex organ. There are many things that are going to affect it. The temperature – obviously! But perhaps you’re not habituated to being in the heat. Some people find that skin clears up with good cleansing before and after class, making sure to [strong]clean and close[/strong] the pores after being in the heat for so long.
I have no indication of the temperature in the studio (and I am pretty sure, unless you have been consciously seeking the information that this has not been on your radar). It could be very high.
If you ever go to a beautician they use heat and moisture to open the pores. So perhaps there is something you can take from that by gently cleansing and using cold water to close the pores.
Has anyone used aloe gel for this purpose?
There are quite a few other threads on this forum about skin. Try the search facility up the top right. Pop in the word ‘acne’ or the word ‘pimple’ or ‘spot’ etc one at a time to see what you come up with.
If you need help searching come back.
Namaste
Gabrielle 🙂in reply to: 'Dead' toes #9224Hi Anna Denise
Is it possible that the more you slide yourself down that the more you are tensing your foot on that side?
Oh, no, to answer the question. It’s not supposed to cramp. If this is the only time anything cramps in your practice the problem may just be confined to this pose. If you do get cramps or tingling in other poses or situations then we would be exploring other avenues.
Let’s first go down this road because I am pretty sure I can see what’s happening here.
Namaste
Gabrielle 🙂in reply to: Trouble engaging my biceps #9223Hi Christina
Maybe it’s better if you change your thought to ‘pull up and back with your elbows’.
It’s the same thing just a different way to think about it. Sometimes that’s all it takes.
Let me know, please
Namaste
Gabrielle 🙂 -
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